this post was submitted on 25 Oct 2024

11 points (100.0% liked)

WetShaving

710 readers

22 users here now

This is a community of enthusiasts, hobbyists and artisans who enjoy a traditional wet shave: brush, soap, and safety or straight razor. We are a part of the WetShaving community found on Reddit, Discord, and IRC.

New subscribers welcome!

Please visit our wiki, which is always and forever a work in progress.

Check out these alternative front-ends for this server:

https://gem.wetshaving.social - a nice modern interface

https://old.wetshaving.social - designed to look like old.reddit.com

Our sister Mastodon instance is https://wetshaving.social.

Community Rules

Rule 1 - Behaviour and Etiquette

Be Respectful. Do not bully, flame, or harass others.
Malicious comments are not allowed but heated discussion and salty banter is okay.
Low effort replies and complaints about content will be removed.

Rule 2 - Content Guidelines

Mail Calls, Simple Questions, and SOTD posts belong in the recurring weekly threads.
Posts must have sufficient content to generate a meaningful discussion.
Images, links, or videos must include additional text that summarizes the topic.

Rule 3 - Reviews and Disclosure

Use [First Impressions] in the title if your experience with the product is limited.
Use the [Review] in the title if you can provide comprehensive details with enough familiarity to answer follow-up questions.
Disclose how the product being reviewed was acquired (e.g., PIF, loan, or purchase). If the product was provided to you directly by the maker or vendor free of charge or at a discount, you must disclose this fact even if the item will later be returned to the maker or vendor.

Rule 4 - Advertising

Vendors are to keep marketing within the biweekly Deals/New Products threads.
Non-vendors may post topics about products if it will foster a compelling discussion.
Do not solicit donations or share fundraisers without mod approval.

Rule 5 - Inappropriate Content

All NSFW/L content must request mod approval and be flaired appropriately.
Non-shaving related NSFW/L content is not allowed.

Rule 10 - Moderator Discretion

The rules may not apply perfectly to every situation. The mods have final discretion.

founded 1 year ago

MODERATORS

[email protected]

[Question] Why is my bowl lather so lame? (sub.wetshaving.social)

submitted 15 hours ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

10 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I usually face lather and get consistently good results at this point.

However, when I get a .5 oz. or less sample I'll smush the soap down into a thin, even layer using one of those collapsible slow-feed pet bowls. Every time I get a foamy bullshit lather.

I'm unsure how to get an equally wet and slick lather with the bowl. Do I just need to keep adding water? Move to the face sooner? Give up and grow a beard?

top 10 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 hours ago

I usually face lather. I treat samples as pucks of soap, but in the wrong container. To lather with a sample I take about 1/4 teaspoon of soap and spread it thinly in the bottom of a Captain’s Choice lather bowl, or if I’m traveling, I use a curved portion (dry and clean) of the sink that I’m shaving over.

I take the brush that’s been soaking, squeeze most of the water out, then start building a soap paste with it in whatever container I’m using. I only add water if a thick paste is not forming. When a paste has been created from most of the sample, I take what’s not in the brush, put that on the brush, then just face lather; adding water as necessary to build the wet, slick lather I want.

So, basically, I always face lather.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago) (1 children)

I cannot speak for your bowl, but I have this one, and it works well.

I don't spread the soap out evenly, and not very thinly. How do you add water? And how lang do you lather?

Maybe check out sgrdddy or Kevy Shaves (on youtube) on how they do it.

Give up and grow a beard?

😱

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

I add water a bit at a time, mostly using my brush to bring water into the soap.

I lather for 3-5 minutes, but still get a pretty airy foam.

I think y’all are onto something with the bowl recommendations. I’m going to try something smoother next time.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

Yeah, probably try another bowl!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 hours ago

I just tried a smooth (bamboo) breakfast bowl. I'm not sure whether it's the material or the ridges, but I get a thicker lather faster in my Yaqi bowl, FWIW.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

Firstly. You're right face lather is best lather. That means for samples it's about how to load so you can face lather properly.

DJ and Walden make good points but my tuppence is the most important because it has a cheese based bonus.

You see the lid from another tub will workbut what works just as well is the little ceramic dish that comes with baked Camembert. It's a good size, and the glazed ceramic is nice and smooth and easy to load from. Plus you get the added benefit of having to eat a baked Camembert to get one.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 hours ago

I just had a baked Vacherin Mont d'Or for lunch, but now I want to add a baked Camenbert 🤤

[–] [email protected] 6 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

The slow feed bowls have big nubs that just get in the way. Foamy lather is usually a sign of not enough soap, and my experience with that style bowl is it's hard to pick all of the soap up.

Is there usually soap left when you're finished rinsing out the bowl? Try spreading the soap on the sides of the bowl where the nubs ding get in the way of your brush.

Another method is using the lid from another tub of soap to do the brush loading.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 hours ago

There isn’t usually soap left when I rinse the bowl, but regardless I suspect you’re right that the nubs are just getting in the way.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 13 hours ago

The slow feed bowl doesn't work for me either. The nubs get in the way of picking up the soap. It's me general criticism of most lather bowls. The ridges are counterproductive.

I suspect that if you use a smooth-bottomed bowl to create a big surface of soap (like in the tub), then you'll load just fine