How to Make Shaving Lather
Shaving with a straight razor and warm, thick lather, to protect the skin from irritation, was once a daily ritual. In 1847, William Henson invented the T-shaped safety razor similar to what is used now. In 1895, King Camp Gillette expended on Henson's idea and created the safety razor that had a removable double-edged blade. With the implementation of the disposable razor and canned shaving cream, eventually, the art of building a lather for a close shave was no longer passed down from father to son. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
Prepare the Brush
-
1
Turn on hot water.
-
2
Place shaving bowl in sink.
-
-
3
Turn water off when water level is just below the rim of the bowl.
-
4
Submerge shaving brush in bowl of hot water. Soak brush while you shower.
-
5
Place a teaspoon of water on the cake of soap and allow it to soak while you shower.
Prepare Your Face, Make A Lather
-
6
Shower in hot water to soften your whiskers and open your pores.
-
7
Take the brush out of the water. Drain the bowl.
-
8
Squeeze the brush to remove excess water.
-
9
Pour the water off of the cake of soap.
-
10
Move your brush in a circular motion on the cake of soap until you notice a white paste on the soap and ends of the brush.
-
11
Swirl and plunge the brush, working the lather until there is enough to shave with or move to the bowl. Add water to the soap as needed.
-
12
Look at the bristles of your brush, if they are clumped together, you have started a good lather.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Apply hot water to your face, while working the lather, to keep it from drying. The wetter your face is, the closer and more comfortable the shave will be.
Instead of caked shaving soap, you can use cream if you choose. Use only an amount the size of an almond in the bowl or your hand and work it just as you would caked soap.
Keep in mind that too little water will not lather well or too much water will make the lather too thin.
Hard water (water with a high content of minerals) can cause it to be harder to get a good lather. In some cases, with extremely hard water, try heating bottled water in the microwave for the lather.
Use caution when using hot water to avoid burns. Water should be hot, but not scalding.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit razor and foam image by Jeffrey Zalesny from Fotolia.com
