The perfect lather
A great lather is a must for a great shave. To get there, you will need a bowl, a shaving brush and a good shaving soap or shaving cream.
A great lather consists of microscopic, dense bubbles that create a firm lather. You should be able to turn the bowl upside down and still keep the lather in the bowl. Think really hard whipped egg white!
Water is the key to the perfect lather, and different shaving creams/soaps need various amounts of water to form a good lather. This means that every time you purchase a new brand of shaving cream/soap, you will need to play with water to find the perfect level. Do like this:
- Hold the shaving brush under hot water. Shake off excess water and load the shaving brush with shaving soap (rub the brush against the soap in circular movements).
- Move the loaded shaving brush to a separate, empty bowl. If you are using shaving cream instead of shaving soap, put an almond size amount of shaving cream in the empty bowl. Lather up!
- Test the lather between your thumb and index finger. Feels sticky? If yes, add a few drops of water and keep whipping. Feel again. Sticky? Add a few drops more. Continue this way until the lather doesn’t feel sticky between your fingers, but smooth and silky. Now congratulate yourself on the perfect lather!
- Because this is a test, continue adding a few drops of water at a time. Whip again. When the lather starts to feel sticky again, you have added too much water. Now you know what a perfect lather feels like, and you know how much water it takes to get there. Why not try to skip the bowl, and lather up directly on your face or with the brush in the palm of your hand?
Additional tips that will make your shave more enjoyable.
- For a lovely warm foam, let the bowl stand in hot water for a while before lathering, for example while you take a shower.
- Apply the lather to a wet beard.
For the man who’s aiming for the perfect lather, Gents recommends:
