Great video. I measure a level 1/8 tsp of soft shave soap and mash it into the bottom of my marble lathering bowl. I add 1 1/4 tsp of warm water. I then turn the water/soap mixture into a slurry. Then with a slightly damp brush, I rotate the slurry in a counterclockwise fashion, slowly at first, and it turns into an incredible lather in less than 2 minutes. I rarely have to add more water to the bowl. I have plenty of soap for a 3-pass shave plus a face wash. The reason I bowl lather, is I want to use the same amount of soap every time and I tend to use softer artisan soaps that don't lend themselves to tub loading. Once I get the lather onto my face, I continue to add water as needed to the brush, a few drops at a time. I work the lather with a vigorous "back and forth" motion to get even more lather production. It is the combination of bowl lathering and face lathering that allows me to extract so much lather with so little soap. A 4 oz. tub of shave soap will last me almost a year, shaving every other day.
Totally agree, WALK AWAY ... that's a great way of putting that. Synths are sooooo much better than they were a few years back. I have some budget badgers that are nice...but those are my LUXURY items, even though they were cheap, i call them my LUXURY ones because they were a want and not a need by any means.
True. I never want new people to get the impression that the cost of entry is high. A lot of them will never start if they think they need a $300 brush, $250 Razor, and a $70 soap.
Great tutorial, Chris. My favorite bowl is the Pereira , followed by the Timeless. I learned to shave from my Dad using Old Spice in a mug and his Fat Boy. Life interrupted and I got into Carts. Then I retired and decided to go back to traditional about 4 years ago and am loving it and having a blast spoiling myself. Have a safe and great week.
Great story Claude. The first person I remember seeing shaving in the traditional style was my grandfather. He had an old spice mug with a puck of soap in the bottom of it and he used a brush. I can remember hearing the brush clack around in the mug:) I'm so glad you're back enjoying this tradition. Have a great week!
For anyone new: I got one of the $6 collapsible silicone bowls from Stirling last week and they kick butt. Lather explodes from whatever brush I'm using, just put a teaspoon of water or a squirt or 2 from the mister bottle in it and your good to go. I do load the brush from the puck BTW. I let the soap jar air out upside-down for at least 24 hrs before putting the lid back on to store it. Good luck to anyone new to bowl lathering and remember not to get upset or frustrated, and have fun. If you mess up just start over, no big deal 😎💈👍 Steve
Very good sir and I agree. You don't need to spend a ton of money on brushes and/or soaps to get a phenomenal shave. My best shaving brush has been my Starcraft Roswell 24mm synthetic from PAA which I got for $15 dollars. My 6 year old Omega 10049 Pro boar brush was and still is available for less than $10 dollars. In fact, I think all of my soaps that I have in my collection is less than $25 dollars. Derby is also a great alternative to Arko that has the same price point but a much better scent.
IAMCDB it helped very much. I ordered and received a proraso soap as well as a soap from 345 soaps. I had better luck w the proraso but I did get a bit of a lather out of the 345. I think I wanna invest in a bowl like you were using. Seems to make it a bit easier. I actually wear a beard so what I’m shaving is my head and then my neck n cheek lines.
@@mick_man2405 Just keep practicing and you'll get it. When I first started I'd put some in a bowl and practice while I watched TV. After a while you get a feel for how much product to use and how much water to add slowly.
Excellent video Chris. Lot's of detailed information for the new wet shaver or someone struggling with bowl lathering. I appreciate you recommending synthetic brushes over natural due to the ease of use. And also dismissing the snobbery that one needs expensive gear to shave.
Thanks so much for watching EJ, I appreciate it. Yes, they'll be no snobbery on this channel. I like a finely crafted piece of gear as much as the next guy but it's never essential to get a great shave:)
Maggards has the Timeless bowl in black for $12 today. It's always educational seeing someone else do something similar to what you do when making a product which in this case is lather. Everyone works differently and I'm fond of work smarter not harder. Any tips that help you get there is great.
@@IAMCDB Yes, but slightly varied. If I bowl lather which is rare I'll work it up until it's like a thick cream and then thin it out slowly on the face as I go through my three pass shave. I guess more like PaulH does.
Good post, Chris. I’ll have to give this method a go sometime. Like someone here previously said, I usually brush load directly from the puck and then take that product to the bowl. Creams? Yep. They’re getting scooped into the bowl directly. I always air dry my pucks afterward to prevent mold growth. This would make that unnecessary.
It all comes down to personal preference. If I'm going to use a soap a lot and don't intend to keep it for years, then I won't lather in the tub or introduce contaminates. If it's something I intend to keep for a long time I scoop it and eliminate any possibility of trouble:)
Fantastic video Chris. I prefer to face lather because it’s quicker but this technique works very well, I’ve used it a few times since you did your original tutorial a while back. 👍🏻
Thanks so much for watching Christian, I appreciate it. I try to freshen up the tutorial every once in a while. This weekend I'll put one out on Super Lathering:)
That pareira bowl looks awesome. I reached out to WCS concerning shipping and taxes but import taxes for Europe are ridicules. You pay more on taxes and shipping then the item is worth. I’m jealous of the great products you have available in the US, great video Chris as always. Have a great day and shave. Greetings
So sorry to hear about this David. You might try the company directly to see if it's any better shipped from their location. Have a great day yourself David.
My only complaint of pressing soap in a bowl is sometimes u don't get all the soap out with agitation. Creams are best for that. I have had a couple times where there was a little left behind that didn't come out. So I only put creams in there so I don't have to worry about it.
@@IAMCDB are u going to video the shave with the black hawk? Or jsut report back lol i jsut need it to be as agressive as the variant on 3.. or more is all.
I would have like to have seen the old coffee mug lathering method cause that's a easy starter item great video by the way great job teaching us how to bowl lather
@@IAMCDB yeah that's true not everyone by the longer handle brushes like I do probably most wet shaving youtubers don't care for them which funny cause the were the first style of brush
Great tutorial Chris! What would you say is your absolute favourite bowl out of the ones you presented? I’m starting to favour bowl lathering myself lately.
I went to your bowl lathering method after i found out the the last of my Mudder Focker puck which I use 2x a week,, has hard as a rock. I never wanted for this to ever happen again. Now bowl lathering especially after a hard days work, releases a lot of tension for me. I am still having a little trouble dialing in just how much soap to put in the bowl. I almost have it. Now, Michael Freedberg is preaching against blooming as the water messes with the soap.
Hi sir. Thanks so much for the kind words and your story, I appreciate it. Yes, I'm generally with Michael as well, I don't really like introducing water into a soap container. That said, if someone likes to do it they should do whatever works best for them. If it's a rare soap or something I know I can't get anymore, I won't do it:)
I've been watching way too many of these videos. Last night I had a dream I used Williams mug soap to practice my lathering skills. I only got two shaves out of it. Dream or nightmare?
There's way too many people in wet shaving that turn making lather into a complicated thing. They add oils, they microwave the soap they do this and that and it turns into an overly thought out waste of time. It's not rocket science it's just you learning how to develop lather. It's a really simple process.
What’s your method for scooping from the puck to your bowl? Do you still use those little cosmetic scrapers? I always just load my brush on the puck then lather on my face, but now I’m wondering if I’m shortening the life of my soaps by always introducing that bit of water when I load up.
I use these: www.amazon.com/Onwon-Disposable-Cosmetic-Spatula-Plastic/dp/B01G57QPMS/ref=as_sl_pc_qf_sp_asin_til?tag=iamcdb05-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=4ae52ab1e38a2e245b9bf3e4fc0695e3&creativeASIN=B01G57QPMS. Note: I just wash them after use, no use in throwing them away.
@@charlie8brown The biggest risk IMO is water making its way under the puck and being trapped. Additionally, you have to let the soap dry for a day or so and it's exposed to dust and contaminates during that time. It's really a minimal risk but it's one I don't take with soaps that are rare or very special to me.
To all the new people reading this, I can tell you as an owner of a Simpson’s chubby 2 super I can confirm that its not worth it. You can get many great brushes for a great price as he said. I also own MDC and it’s also not worth it simply because it’s expensive and also it has no slickness whatever (for me at least).
Thanks for the PSA:) It's true. None of these things are essential. It doesn't mean you won't want and enjoy them but they are certainly not essential.
@@IAMCDB exactly, and not for me at the moment, but I guess we'll see, I may be tempted sometime. The thing is, in Europe it's quite difficult to find all the American soaps (and the alcohol-based aftershaves especially) so we use French, Italian and British ones, which is not really a large choice compared to yours
Great video. I measure a level 1/8 tsp of soft shave soap and mash it into the bottom of my marble lathering bowl. I add 1 1/4 tsp of warm water. I then turn the water/soap mixture into a slurry. Then with a slightly damp brush, I rotate the slurry in a counterclockwise fashion, slowly at first, and it turns into an incredible lather in less than 2 minutes. I rarely have to add more water to the bowl. I have plenty of soap for a 3-pass shave plus a face wash. The reason I bowl lather, is I want to use the same amount of soap every time and I tend to use softer artisan soaps that don't lend themselves to tub loading.
Once I get the lather onto my face, I continue to add water as needed to the brush, a few drops at a time. I work the lather with a vigorous "back and forth" motion to get even more lather production. It is the combination of bowl lathering and face lathering that allows me to extract so much lather with so little soap. A 4 oz. tub of shave soap will last me almost a year, shaving every other day.
Great clarification between need and want. Thanks Chris, loved it.
Thanks so much Alfred, I appreciate it sir.
@IAMCBD Awesome tutorial and breakdown of shaving soaps and lathering. I look forward seeing your other contents.
Totally agree, WALK AWAY ... that's a great way of putting that. Synths are sooooo much better than they were a few years back. I have some budget badgers that are nice...but those are my LUXURY items, even though they were cheap, i call them my LUXURY ones because they were a want and not a need by any means.
True. I never want new people to get the impression that the cost of entry is high. A lot of them will never start if they think they need a $300 brush, $250 Razor, and a $70 soap.
Great tutorial, Chris. My favorite bowl is the Pereira , followed by the Timeless. I learned to shave from my Dad using Old Spice in a mug and his Fat Boy. Life interrupted and I got into Carts. Then I retired and decided to go back to traditional about 4 years ago and am loving it and having a blast spoiling myself.
Have a safe and great week.
Great story Claude. The first person I remember seeing shaving in the traditional style was my grandfather. He had an old spice mug with a puck of soap in the bottom of it and he used a brush. I can remember hearing the brush clack around in the mug:) I'm so glad you're back enjoying this tradition. Have a great week!
Really good recommendations for bowls and brushes. Wonderful tutorial. Must see video for every wet shaver new or old. Thank you!
Thanks so much Fernando, I really appreciate it.
Yesssss an uncooked meringue consistency. Incredible video brother
Thanks Mick, I appreciate it.
For anyone new: I got one of the $6 collapsible silicone bowls from Stirling last week and they kick butt. Lather explodes from whatever brush I'm using, just put a teaspoon of water or a squirt or 2 from the mister bottle in it and your good to go. I do load the brush from the puck BTW. I let the soap jar air out upside-down for at least 24 hrs before putting the lid back on to store it. Good luck to anyone new to bowl lathering and remember not to get upset or frustrated, and have fun. If you mess up just start over, no big deal 😎💈👍
Steve
Good tips Steve!
Great looking lather there. Thanks for sharing the video, Chris.
Thanks very much for watching sir.
Excellent info. Thanks Chris. Have a great day.
Thanks very much for watching sir.
It’s like “All roads eventually lead to… “CDB!” 😳😆😉
Thanks for yet another informative, to-the-point clip (video?)! 😁
Thanks so much Mike!
Very good sir and I agree. You don't need to spend a ton of money on brushes and/or soaps to get a phenomenal shave. My best shaving brush has been my Starcraft Roswell 24mm synthetic from PAA which I got for $15 dollars. My 6 year old Omega 10049 Pro boar brush was and still is available for less than $10 dollars. In fact, I think all of my soaps that I have in my collection is less than $25 dollars. Derby is also a great alternative to Arko that has the same price point but a much better scent.
Agreed on all counts Steve:)
Ohhhh this was super helpful. I didn’t realize how little soap u actually pressed into the bottom of the bowl to gain so much lather
Thanks very much, I hope this helps.
IAMCDB it helped very much. I ordered and received a proraso soap as well as a soap from 345 soaps. I had better luck w the proraso but I did get a bit of a lather out of the 345. I think I wanna invest in a bowl like you were using. Seems to make it a bit easier. I actually wear a beard so what I’m shaving is my head and then my neck n cheek lines.
@@mick_man2405 Just keep practicing and you'll get it. When I first started I'd put some in a bowl and practice while I watched TV. After a while you get a feel for how much product to use and how much water to add slowly.
Awesome lather and great tutorial!
Thanks very much for watching Randall, I appreciate it.
Great tutorial. I've used creams so far and Will be using soap for the 1st time this weekend so very helpful👍
Nice, I hope you enjoy it. Just take your time and work the lather, it will be just fine.
Excellent video Chris. Lot's of detailed information for the new wet shaver or someone struggling with bowl lathering. I appreciate you recommending synthetic brushes over natural due to the ease of use. And also dismissing the snobbery that one needs expensive gear to shave.
Thanks so much for watching EJ, I appreciate it. Yes, they'll be no snobbery on this channel. I like a finely crafted piece of gear as much as the next guy but it's never essential to get a great shave:)
A helpful video! Thank you!
Goddamn dude probably makes the best lather I've seen
Great stuff, I’m working on my bowl lathering game and this was very helpful.
Thanks so much Brother!
Maggards has the Timeless bowl in black for $12 today. It's always educational seeing someone else do something similar to what you do when making a product which in this case is lather. Everyone works differently and I'm fond of work smarter not harder. Any tips that help you get there is great.
Agreed J5. Is this similar to your method?
@@IAMCDB Yes, but slightly varied. If I bowl lather which is rare I'll work it up until it's like a thick cream and then thin it out slowly on the face as I go through my three pass shave. I guess more like PaulH does.
@@Johnny-Five Nice.
Thanks for the link, Sir!
My pleasure!
Good post, Chris. I’ll have to give this method a go sometime. Like someone here previously said, I usually brush load directly from the puck and then take that product to the bowl.
Creams? Yep. They’re getting scooped into the bowl directly.
I always air dry my pucks afterward to prevent mold growth. This would make that unnecessary.
It all comes down to personal preference. If I'm going to use a soap a lot and don't intend to keep it for years, then I won't lather in the tub or introduce contaminates. If it's something I intend to keep for a long time I scoop it and eliminate any possibility of trouble:)
Fantastic video Chris. I prefer to face lather because it’s quicker but this technique works very well, I’ve used it a few times since you did your original tutorial a while back. 👍🏻
Thanks so much for watching Christian, I appreciate it. I try to freshen up the tutorial every once in a while. This weekend I'll put one out on Super Lathering:)
That video will help the new too traditional wet shaving people. Good job bud. ( Keto)
Thanks so much Keith, I really appreciate it.
Great video! This will help me
Excellent sir, I'm so glad ot be of service.
That pareira bowl looks awesome. I reached out to WCS concerning shipping and taxes but import taxes for Europe are ridicules. You pay more on taxes and shipping then the item is worth. I’m jealous of the great products you have available in the US, great video Chris as always. Have a great day and shave. Greetings
So sorry to hear about this David. You might try the company directly to see if it's any better shipped from their location. Have a great day yourself David.
Cool man. My favorite bowl is from shave nation. Handle on the bottom
Gotta love the legendary Geobowl:)
My only complaint of pressing soap in a bowl is sometimes u don't get all the soap out with agitation. Creams are best for that. I have had a couple times where there was a little left behind that didn't come out. So I only put creams in there so I don't have to worry about it.
True, this can happen. I usually just leave it there for the head shave.
@@IAMCDB are u going to video the shave with the black hawk? Or jsut report back lol i jsut need it to be as agressive as the variant on 3.. or more is all.
@@AverageReviewsYT I'll do a shave with it.
Ok
I appreciate the favor
I would have like to have seen the old coffee mug lathering method cause that's a easy starter item great video by the way great job teaching us how to bowl lather
Thanks sir. Yes, a mug is a great starter item as well. It's not as easy to make a lather in the mug these days. with the size of the brushes though.
@@IAMCDB yeah that's true not everyone by the longer handle brushes like I do probably most wet shaving youtubers don't care for them which funny cause the were the first style of brush
I like the old rubberset style handles.
Very informative
Great tutorial Chris! What would you say is your absolute favourite bowl out of the ones you presented? I’m starting to favour bowl lathering myself lately.
I would say this one is it. The other two that I really like are the Timeless Bowl and the Captain's Choice Bowl.
I went to your bowl lathering method after i found out the the last of my Mudder Focker puck which I use 2x a week,, has hard as a rock. I never wanted for this to ever happen again. Now bowl lathering especially after a hard days work, releases a lot of tension for me. I am still having a little trouble dialing in just how much soap to put in the bowl. I almost have it. Now, Michael Freedberg is preaching against blooming as the water messes with the soap.
Hi sir. Thanks so much for the kind words and your story, I appreciate it. Yes, I'm generally with Michael as well, I don't really like introducing water into a soap container. That said, if someone likes to do it they should do whatever works best for them. If it's a rare soap or something I know I can't get anymore, I won't do it:)
I've been watching way too many of these videos. Last night I had a dream I used Williams mug soap to practice my lathering skills. I only got two shaves out of it. Dream or nightmare?
Cris sent me to you good channel I'm staying :-)
Thanks so much Doug, I really appreciate it. Thanks to Cris as well, he's a gentleman and a scholar:)
Honest question. Everyday shaving, do you actually bowl lather or mostly load a brush in the bowl? I guess what do you mostly do is the question.
There's way too many people in wet shaving that turn making lather into a complicated thing. They add oils, they microwave the soap they do this and that and it turns into an overly thought out waste of time. It's not rocket science it's just you learning how to develop lather. It's a really simple process.
True, I agree, it doesn't need to be a complex thing.
What’s your method for scooping from the puck to your bowl? Do you still use those little cosmetic scrapers?
I always just load my brush on the puck then lather on my face, but now I’m wondering if I’m shortening the life of my soaps by always introducing that bit of water when I load up.
charlie8brown I was wondering that myself.
I use these: www.amazon.com/Onwon-Disposable-Cosmetic-Spatula-Plastic/dp/B01G57QPMS/ref=as_sl_pc_qf_sp_asin_til?tag=iamcdb05-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=4ae52ab1e38a2e245b9bf3e4fc0695e3&creativeASIN=B01G57QPMS. Note: I just wash them after use, no use in throwing them away.
See answer above:)
IAMCDB awesome thank you! I’ll have to order a pack. In the mean time, do you think loading on the puck is detrimental to the soaps life?
@@charlie8brown The biggest risk IMO is water making its way under the puck and being trapped. Additionally, you have to let the soap dry for a day or so and it's exposed to dust and contaminates during that time. It's really a minimal risk but it's one I don't take with soaps that are rare or very special to me.
To all the new people reading this, I can tell you as an owner of a Simpson’s chubby 2 super I can confirm that its not worth it. You can get many great brushes for a great price as he said. I also own MDC and it’s also not worth it simply because it’s expensive and also it has no slickness whatever (for me at least).
Thanks for the PSA:) It's true. None of these things are essential. It doesn't mean you won't want and enjoy them but they are certainly not essential.
@@IAMCDB having said that I really wanna try that super expensive soap you mentioned.
How much soap do you add? Did you say 1/4 teaspoon?
Usually it's somewhere around that amount.
do you scoop out triple milled soaps too, or just lather the puck?
On those I cut a sliver off with a knife. It doesn't take very much for those soaps.
Amen
Even in France we feel like Martin de Candre is overpriced. Other french soapmakers are as good and not so expensive, like Le Père Lucien
How much does it run you in France?
@@IAMCDB if I'm doing the maths correctly, it's around $55 shipping included to my door for 7 ounces (50€ for 200g)
@@malop.2941 Yea, that's still pretty darned expensive. It's a great product but it's expensive.
@@IAMCDB exactly, and not for me at the moment, but I guess we'll see, I may be tempted sometime. The thing is, in Europe it's quite difficult to find all the American soaps (and the alcohol-based aftershaves especially) so we use French, Italian and British ones, which is not really a large choice compared to yours
@@malop.2941 I totally understand. You have some great products but that smaller artisan stuff that is made here isn't widely available I'm guessing.
Van Der Hagen hard puck soap 1.99 at my local grocery store
Nice. Does it lather well for you?
@@IAMCDB yes very good
@@paulinevalley501 I'll check it out sometime, thank you.
My products or choice are:
Thiers Issard razor
Porasso shaving cream, sandalwood
Locally Hand made brush
Captain’s Choice after shave, Bay Rum of Lime
Nice stuff there. Nothing at all wrong with that.
First
You're fast Matteo.
@@IAMCDB thanks cris!
@@Matteo-sc2lz Thank you sir.