When in doubt, add water.

I've always had a hard time making a good lather with Tabac, Arko, and Cella.  Mixed up what I thought was a good lather but never really got the volume nor smooth shave most of you talk about.....  How did I figure this out?  After completing a shave I started adding water slowly to the leftover soap in my bowl and low and behold I started getting some fantastic lather.  So today I used Cella and slowly added what I knew would be too much water and again got a fantastic lather with a great shave to follow.

Live long enough and eventually I do learn something!  

Adding water in small amounts until the lather is shining has always worked well for me.

In the past, I would start a lather with a relatively dry brush just wet enough to load then slowly added drops of water into my bowl one or two at a time. Recently I changed over to a wet brush (one gentle squeeze after soaking), I allow the suds that occur while loading to drip into the bowl then whip up a lather. Sometimes I add a few extra drops but really just a few.

When I first started wet shaving with a brush, I did a lot of experimenting to see how much water I should add to different soaps and creams. I was always amazed at how much water it took to get a good lather! I also learned that you can get a good shave even if the ladder isn't great, so long as that particular product still gives you a good protective layer against your skin. Sometimes lots of lather is visually impressive but not actually "value added."I still wearing stuff all the time too, which is what makes this wet shaving so much fun!
-Bax

I’ve found that benefits face lathering as well. It probably takes me a good four minutes to accomplish a sufficiently hydrated lather that provides the right blend of cushion and slip. A few drops at a time is key imo.

(09-02-2021, 07:35 PM)chazt Wrote: I’ve found that benefits face lathering as well. It probably takes me a good four minutes to accomplish a sufficiently hydrated lather that provides the right blend of cushion and slip. A few drops at a time is key imo.

+1