Lathering on the face and not making a mess

[Capt America]

Is it possible? Or just wishful thinking on my behalf?

Discuss.

When I lather on my face, I make a huge mess myself.

[Spirit_of_76]

Sure it's possible, in my personal experience I think it's preferable. However, I think this is one of those YMMV things, there are staunch supporters of face lathering and there are equally staunch supporters in the bowl lathering camp.
Often you will find that many people start out with one method exclusively and then as their technique improves they switch and the new method becomes the best thing they've ever encountered. Is this down to cumulative experience or the technique itself? Personally, I think it's the former. When you start with a set routine things improve gradually and you tend not to notice, then once you introduce a new method things have changed and you notice the difference. I think if you read through various face vs. bowl lathering threads you will find more often than not people start with one type and then become devotees of the other method when they switch.
As for benefits I think that bowl lathering is good for a beginner because it allows you to more easily monitor how much water and/ or cream/ soap you are using at any given time and therefore you can develop a better understanding of cream/ soap to water ratios work. Sure you can do this on your face but I find it more precise in a bowl.
Also, like you say it is slightly less messy when using a bowl, particularly when starting out.
As far as face lathering goes I find that I am able to work the lather into my beard much more effectively using this method. Because you are not whipping the lather up in a separate vessel, it emulsifies on your face and helps to raise the individual bristles more effectively.
On top of that, if you have more than a couple days growth, your beard helps further agitate the mix making a better lather IMO.
If you're making a big mess when face lathering you might consider looking at a smaller brush <23mm (if you don't use one already, that is.) Also, try shaking more water out of your brush when lathering and wetting your face, rather than having all of the water in your brush.
Hope this helps,
Alex

[rick]

Ive been working with this lately.
Best results come from a DAMP, not wet, brush.
Soak brush in hot water and really shake it out.
Load brush with soap and build lather on your face.
Lather will be dry so add dropfuls of hot water to the BREECH, not the tips.
That water will send lather down to the tips where you need it.

[Spirit_of_76]

Ive been working with this lately.
Best results come from a DAMP, not wet, brush.
Soak brush in hot water and really shake it out.
Load brush with soap and build lather on your face.
Lather will be dry so add dropfuls of hot water to the BREECH, not the tips.
That water will send lather down to the tips where you need it.

I've noticed this myself as of late. When the brush is slightly drier, the lather tends to stay nearer the top of the bristles, rather than right down in the breech. For me this means that the lather is easier to apply and is less likely to wash out of the brush before I have even finished my first pass.
Regards,
Alex

[Mottern Man]

I never had a problem lathering on the face, when I do it in a bowl I make a mess.

Soap, Cream, it dose not matter.

[Mottern Man]

I never had a problem lathering on the face, when I do it in a bowl I make a mess.

Soap, Cream, it dose not matter.

It may have to do with the water like stated above.

I just take the brush, shake the water out (still wet just not dripping) swirl on soap then of face.

[qhsdoitall]

I like lathering in the bowl. I get to control the variables little better and avoid the face mess. I will however, hand smooth my pre-lather and cleanup passes right on my face without the brush. The cleanup lather is all that nice lather I gently squeeze out of the brush. There's never a shortage of bowls unoess I am on a trip. That's where a shave stick comes in real handy.

[msandoval858]

I lather on the face with all my soaps and have had nothing but good results. I usually start with the brush a little on the dry side (soaked for 1 - 2 min then shaken out), get it loaded up on the soap, then go directly to the face. If I need additional water I lightly dip the tips of the brush in hot water and then back to the face. That technique keeps it from overloading with water and making a mess or cutting the lather too thin.

I prefer to lather creams in a bowl as they require a little more attention to get the water right, at least for me it does. I probably only use creams a few times a month when I'm trying out something new.

Of course with Method Shaving there is some variation. I start the lather process in the open palm of my left hand to get the mix of paste and cube slag consistant before finishing the later on my face.

[TraderJoe]

When I lather on my face, I make a huge mess myself.

Its like cooking/baking.......those who make the biggest mess produce the best result.

No joke.....

Personally, I lather on the face 97%+ of the time, and admittedly, I make a HUGE mess. Lather and water splashes everywhere, including but not limited to:
My body
The mirror
The Sink
The toothpaste tube
Anything else thats in a 5-foot radiusRemedy: I keep a hand towel in the bathroom specifically for "cleaning" up after the shave.

[Mottern Man]

Always knew you were a messy baby :rofl

[Capt America]

Personally, I lather on the face 97%+ of the time, and admittedly, I make a HUGE mess. Lather and water splashes everywhere

Haha, good to know someone is in the same boat as me atleast...

[qhsdoitall]

Personally, I lather on the face 97%+ of the time, and admittedly, I make a HUGE mess. Lather and water splashes everywhere, including but not limited to:
My body
The mirror
The Sink
The toothpaste tube
Anything else thats in a 5-foot radius

Me too, that's why I don't do it. It's not my bathroom!

[Mottern Man]

Me too, that's why I don't do it. It's not my bathroom!
Isn't that more of a reason to do it?

[qhsdoitall]

Isn't that more of a reason to do it?

No, because, I'm the only one that shaves in the morning and it's too easy to point fingers especially with badge records and video records to back up when I was in there. :D Besides there are signs posted near the sinks that say, "Please clean up after yourself." :(

[Mottern Man]

No, because, I'm the only one that shaves in the morning and it's too easy to point fingers especially with badge records and video records to back up when I was in there. :D Besides there are signs posted near the sinks that say, "Please clean up after yourself." :(

You need a security clearence to use the restroom. :confused: Must be one nice place.

[DragonBoy]

I basically lather directly on my face everyday - without any mess.. I think the secret lies in - less water in brush.. As other gents have pointed out..

What I do is to add water into the brush by dipping the point.. And contiusly work the brush - and not pressing too hard on the brush (if you press you just squeze the water out) Gentle circular motions is the key..

I dont even make a mess in my soap-bowls..

Just my thoughts about the subject..

[qhsdoitall]

You need a security clearence to use the restroom. :confused: Must be one nice place.

Just to get in the building but there are monitored cameras everywhere except the Fit Zone and locker rooms. The cameras are in the hallway leading to the Fit Zone though. :D

[Mottern Man]

Just to get in the building but there are monitored cameras everywhere except the Fit Zone and locker rooms. The cameras are in the hallway leading to the Fit Zone though. :D

For a second I thougt a security guard may C.U.P :rofl

[qhsdoitall]

For a second I thougt a security guard may C.U.P :rofl

Nah, one look at my naked hairy back shaving at the sink is enough to traumatize them for life. Would you want to see that in the monitor? :rofl

[fritz]

Well, to get back to where we were... I lather BOTH in the bowl and on my face. So there! And I don't mean in alternate shaves, either. I start the lather in the bowl, and at the "right" point I apply the brush to my wet face and continue lathering. At least another 45 seconds or so on the first pass; subsequent passes a little less is needed. Helps to soften the beard and rub the lather in good, forces you to waste some time while it soaks in, and just feels good, too! Especially with my BK12!:happy108

[Capt America]

Hmm, interesting fritz. I may end up trying that method sometime...

[Rufus]

I lather directly on my face and don't make a mess; the secret is not to have a very wet brush. I've stopped lathering in a bowl because that's where things really get messy for me. Each to his own.

[jramire2]

The soap I'm using usually determines whether I lather on my face or in a bowl. Mama Bears and HBS I can lather in a bowl, L'Occitane Cade and Ogallala bay rum soaps I tend to get a better lather if I build it on my face.

IF I'm lathering on my face, I use my Simpson Major, albeit it sheds like mad. I find the short loft and small knot helps keep the messiness down to a minimum. So I'm sure it's obvious, but a small brush helps w/face lathering messiness.

~Joshua

[qhsdoitall]

Going to have to lather on my face for the Ogallala Bay Rum soaps. Doesn't work very well otherwise.

[Capt America]

The soap I'm using usually determines whether I lather on my face or in a bowl. Mama Bears and HBS I can lather in a bowl, L'Occitane Cade and Ogallala bay rum soaps I tend to get a better lather if I build it on my face.

I'm pretty much the opposite... I usually always lather in a bowl, but when I do lather on the face I prefer to do it with my glycerin soaps.

[Scorpio]

I have tried both methods. I achieve best results using a bowl mostly due to the fact that I prefer creams not that you can not lather creams on your face. I do spend time lathering on my face once I create my lather in a bowl. In addition, all of my brushes are soft and fo not work well with soaps. I am working on getting a new brush more suitable for soaps.

Raf

[jramire2]

Going to have to lather on my face for the Ogallala Bay Rum soaps. Doesn't work very well otherwise.

I don't know why I didn't think of this before, but I tried a combo of KMF unscented and ogallala bay rum soap this morning. While I showered, I soaked my brush in a bowl and added water to my soap container so it was just slightly above the soap puck. Then I poured the water off of the soap, shook out almost all of the water from the brush, and then charged the brush up really good. Then I moved over to a bowl where I added 2 pumps of KMF unscented and more water a few drops at a time.

All in all, it was an excellent shave. After the second pass I did have to add another pump of KMF b/c the lather was still disappearing a bit once I put it on my face. But outside of that I got a great shave. Much denser lather than with just the soap, but still had the great scent and excellent slickness. The only thing I would've changed would be to ONLY add a few drops of water to the top of the puck while I showered, instead of covering the entire puck w/water. The water I poured off the puck was brown like the soap, probably wasted a bit.

I also have some bay rum w/lime cream from SCS and some bay rum cream from Olivia that I might try w/the Ogallala soap in the future. But honestly, the scent of this soap is THE best part, and I didn't want to muddy up the scent by adding another bay rum product.

I have several bay rum products, this soap (combined w/KMF to help w/its performance) and HBS bay rum soap are my favorites. The scents and performance are very different, but they both smell great in their own way. I can't put my finger on what's in the ogallala stuff that makes it smell so good, but it's definitely on the sweeter smelling side than the HBS.

Another guy over on B&B gave me the idea, I think he brought this soap back from the dead for me. Yes I know the idea of superlather's been done before, but I don't think anyone's tried it w/this specific soap. I know only a few people have actually tried this soap and were quickly disappointed b/c of it's poor lather. Hopefully this will help out those of us that have already bought it.

I also have some ems place unscented liquid shaving cream. I'll try a combo of Ems and this soap as well and report back.

~Joshua

[qhsdoitall]

I agree with you Joshua. I had posted in another SOS thread that this is a great superlather candidate and had done that in the past. It's a dead lather soap unless you help it out. Glad it worked for you.