Shaving Creams / Soaps / Bowl Lathering / Face Lathering

Soaps - Creams are problematic having to squeeze them into the brush then smoosh around on my face. I prefer to load and add water on the soap until I see what I like. If I bowl lathered, I'm sure I would use creams.

Face - I've tried bowl lathering. It's just an extra thing I don't need cluttering up, needing cleaning up, have to not drop etc. Right on the face is great and I get to enjoy the feeling of my brushes longer. If I wanted hot lather, I would probably be leaning toward a bowl.
 
Shave Sticks. Face Lather.

Creams don't seem to go very far when I use them. Sticks just seem to give a lot more mileage per $. Other than that I have no problem with creams. Although I might try that Lea Professional 250g tube at some stage... seems to be decent value and I've heard good things - I've found the Lea stick to be a stand out. For creams I just smear it on my wet face as I do for sticks.

What Sxot said about bowls. Rubbing soap from a puck is a bit hit and miss for me on getting the right amount of product and water mixed up. I'm sure practice helps but the main thing is it just takes longer. I actually have to spend considerable time loading / mixing and then lathering. Whereas it's easy to get the right amount of product from a stick (just rub it all over until your face is covered) and lathering from there is simple - just add water along the way as required. Harder to get wrong - and quicker. When the lathering is finished it's already on your face...

For those products that don't come in a stick (eg MWF), I just rub the puck on my face just like a stick. I doubt I'll be buying croaps again. I also like my soap to smell like soap so don't need any fancy scents etc.
 
Soaps and face lathering for 99% of my shaves.
If I use a shaving cream on the rare occasion, I use a lather bowl.
 
Soaps - the only cream that I have tried so far, that can give me the same quality lather as my favourite soaps is Esbjerg - I will stock up in Vienna next week

Face lather - why waste precious face-brush time on a bowl :D :D :D
 
Soaps mainly, just more enjoyable for mine and easier.
Having said that, St James of London Cedarwood and TOBS Jermyn St creams are among my favourites.

Face latherer for sure. I've tried bowl lathering a bit, but it always produces airy, foamy lather. I'm sure there's an art to it, but even my $10 synths hold 5 passes worth of lather. Bowl is just unnecessary for me.
 
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Soaps mainly, creams when i go tradional, mainly on a Sunday when i do a proper 3 pass with touch ups, the calming therapeutic benefit of a good bowl lather is pretty good. Soaps definitely monday thru friday for the ease. If i am using a cream without the bowl i generally just smear a little on each cheek and then work the lather from there. I have been doing a lot of cream lately since i bought the beautiful Stray Whisker bowl. It lathers TOBS like a demon.
 
Creams and soaps. There are top performers in both. Face lather when I'm in a hurry, bowl when I can take my time.
 
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This has been awesome reading face lathering seems to be the preference and soaps to along with. Thanks guys appreciate the input real interesting, keep it coming lads
 
I prefer soaps, and I face lather.
Never really knew much about brushes and lathering when I started using them.
I only ever lathered on my face because I didn't have (or know that I needed) a bowl.
Now that I have some more knowledge about the subject, I'm too far gone to start bowl lathering now.
I have got 2 or 3 creams, and I can't get used to smearing a bit on my cheek and creating a lather.
I find it a little harder to get the consistency right with creams and water.

Might use a bowl every now and then if I'm in the mood for a super/uber lather.
 
Being that I am new to the whole wet shaving thing using a razor and all the other stuff that goes along with it I am finding that I enjoy the whole process or the whole shave experience.
I am tending to lean on the side of bowl lathering and enjoy the whole process of loading the brush then lathering in the bowl adding a touch of water then another touch of water until I get the lather how I want it. I have tried the face lather too and whilst I never really had any issue with it I do at this stage have a preference for the bowl. Never used any cream, but loving the choice in soaps so I think I will keep it that way and continue using soaps.
Cheers
Tony
 
Well, this seems to come at an apposite time. Just this week I started experimenting with hand lathering again as I wasn't happy with the results I was getting from bowl lathering.
I guess only time will tell if I stick to it or try something else.

Oh, and both I guess. I have both soaps and cremes and enjoy both.
 
I use soaps and bowl lather most of the time. I have recently bought some smaller badger bulb brushes so have started to face lather, still from a soap. I seem to get better lather in a bowl.
 
A face lather probably requires more skill/is more difficult maybe?
To be fair though, I kinda do bowl lather because of the way I load. I have the lather over 50% to where I want it in the tub on top of the soap. Then go to the face for finishing final build and finishing touches. For me, that's the best way to get the thick dense, shiny lather I like the best.
 
I always face lather with shaving soap, and IF I'm in a hurry I used shaving cream which I've only got one shave cream is the The Body Shop Maca Root.

And only when I'm tired to face lather I used a bowl ;)
 
Bowl lathering for me. I like to observe the properties of the soap or cream very closely and the changes it undergoes, I also like the concentration of the scents of the soap/cream and how it unfolds and transforms as the solution is emulsified in the bowl.

I do face lather on occasions as with a good quality brush it is very enjoyable, but bowl lathering in my hand made pottery bowl will always be my preference.
 
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