Thread: Question about lathering between passes

Been straight shaving for a few months now and wet shaving for almost a year. Lately I'm using Mama Bear Soaps pretty much exclusively. Love the lather I'm getting but I did notice something.

Typically I will splash my face with water inbetween passes just before I relather. However with the Mama Bear Soaps I'm finding that when I do the quality of the shave seems to go down with each pass. First lathering (which is after a splash of water then some pre-shave oil) goes great, nice thick, slick lather. Splash some water and lather for the second pass but the lather starts to seem a bit thin with larger bubbles. Splash some more water and lather for the 3rd pass and the lather seems even thinner. However if I don't splash water between passes then the shave goes much better.

With this observation I ask: Do you splash your face with water inbetween passes?

Thanks,

Charlie

If I splash water on my face in-between passes with the razor, then I don't relather. There is enough residual soap or cream on my face to make one pass on a small area.

If I am reshaving a large area of my face, however, I will simply apply some additional lather without splashing water on my face.

I hope this information helps.

I relather right after my last pass, I don't splash water. I found that Mama Bear soap is a little on the light lather side maybe the extra water is thinning it out? Thry using less water on your initial mixture of soap and water making it a little thicker and resiliant to the extra water on the second pass.
You could also try whipping the lather up a little before second application. Hope this helps.

try drying your face after you splash water on it. I find no problem in lathering on a dry face, especially after the first pass, there's nothing to break up the lather as your only left with stubble.

If your lather ever gets that thin, I would wash all lather off my face and start a new lather, and if mama bears light on lather, add some glycerin, it'll stiffen it up.

regards Alex

I re lather between each pass, but I do not add water unless the lather needs it, it sounds like when you are re-wetting your face you are overhydrating the lather (the bubbles you mention are the clue here)

I used to rinse between lathering for multiple passes but tried it without rinsing and found the lather sticks better so I gave up on the rinse until I'm done with the shave.

I started to do hot water rinses between passes to keep my skin moist. Sometimes the lather is a bit runny on my face, but there is enough for the pass. I have found improvements in my shave from the between pass rinses.

I don't use MB soap but I do rinse my face between passes and have never had a problem with thinning lather. I don't put the lather on as thick for the second pass because I don't find it necessary. Try a tallow soap and see if that has a different outcome for you, or just do what was recommended above and skip the rinses.

Originally Posted by pmburk

I started to do hot water rinses between passes to keep my skin moist. Sometimes the lather is a bit runny on my face, but there is enough for the pass. I have found improvements in my shave from the between pass rinses.

Do you soak your brush while you're doing the hot water rinse?

Gentlemen,
I make three passes and rinse and lather before each. Obviously by the third pass the soap in the brush will thin out somewhat. If I feel I need a bit more soap, I will swirl the brush over the puck again. As a rule, though, whether using the glycerin-based Mama Bear or another soap, I load the brush heavily at the beginning and add water as necessary.