I was exchanging comments yesterday with a guy who can’t get a good lather from his D.R. Harris shaving soap, which for me has always produced excellent lather. He has no trouble lathering shaving creams, and when I first resumed wetshaving, I had the same problem: fine lather from creams, poor lather from soaps. Finally, I just put all the creams aside and started using only soaps, figuring that would enforce learning to lather—which it did.
He also noted that he uses a boar brush, so I tried replicating the shave with my trusty Omega 20102. I wet the knot well under the hot-water tap before entering the shower, and the brush was ready and waiting when the shower was done.
I rewet the knot to warm it up, gave it a couple of good shakes, and started loading, brushing the tub of soap briskly and firmly—my usual procedure. The loading went well, but just looking at the knot showed that the loaded soap was all nearo the tip of the knot, may 1/4-1/2″ “up” the knot. That is not enough for a knot this size, so I added a driblet of water to the knot and resumed loading. The soap moved further up the knot, and one more driblet, with brisk brushing of the soap, fully loaded the knot: enough soap for a good lather for all passes. Perhaps it was this that he missed. With large knots, you can observe the degree of loading, and you will need to load enough soap for the knot.
I’m on a “comfortable razor” kick, so I chose this morning another extremely comfortable razor, the RazoRock Baby Smooth: three very comfortable passes, no nicks, and a perfectly smooth face. It’s a great little razor, and its comfort and efficiency are very close to the Dorco PL602.
A splash of Arlington aftershave finished the job on a good note.
Filed under: Shaving
