SharpSpine
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Post by SharpSpine on Feb 25, 2013 0:25:36 GMT -6
Another face lathering UltraLather, this time w/ Mike's Natural. The Cobra had the honors of delivering a smooth 2-pass DFS. Equipment Used: - Cobra Classic
- Mike's Natural Soaps - O/C/P
- WSP Monarch SuperFine
- Krampert's Finest Menthol - Test Bottle A (not shown)
Cobra & Mike's UL Shave
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Post by razorx on Feb 25, 2013 22:00:20 GMT -6
Good stuff Brian,both this and the Streamline video.
I've recently started doing more with my lather.Without really knowing what I was doing I shot a sample of some shave cream on top of some Williams I'd been working up for about 7 seconds,then worked it up for 5 more seconds....The results were fantastic,after the fact I learned what I did would be called: "SuperLather"
My understanding is that "UberLather" is SuperLather with the addition of Glycerine
"UltraLather's" a new term for me,what steps,ingredients etc define it ?
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ShadowsDad
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Post by ShadowsDad on Feb 26, 2013 0:38:22 GMT -6
Marc, it's a term that Brian and I worked up to describe a lather that has far more soap solids than is required for the "small" amount of lather produced. It isn't dry lather, rather one that is hydrated so that it doesn't dry out prematurely. It simply has more of the good stuff and is like yogurt or sour cream in consistency. It's ultra protective and slick.
FWIW if the same amount of soap/cream was fully hydrated and aerated it would make a HUGE amount of lather, but for an ultralather the aeration is held to a minimum but enough water is added to prevent it from dying prematurely.
It's easier to make than it is to describe or explain. Lots of folks have been making it for years, we just put a name to it so that the community could describe it in one word. Actually, Brian should be given credit for that if any credit should be given. He did the leg work I was in the shadows.
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RocketMan
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Post by RocketMan on Feb 26, 2013 9:52:55 GMT -6
So it is really just one soap ingredient but the difference is you superload the brush with product and minimally aerate??
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SharpSpine
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Post by SharpSpine on Feb 26, 2013 19:43:05 GMT -6
So it is really just one soap ingredient but the difference is you superload the brush with product and minimally aerate?? Yes, for the most part. I'll copy a post of mine from somewhere else that goes into more detail. To summarize though: Lather - standard lather & what is seen in those billowing clouds of lather shots. This lather shaves horribly for me. To much air, no cushion, not slick enough. Super Lather - any lather created by using both a cream & soap at the same time. Über Lather - any lather created by using cream, soap, & added glycerin. UltraLather is a subset of good ol' regular lather. There will not be fluffiness; rather it's quite dense. There is just enough water to give it good glide; & man o' man is it slick stuff.
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Post by razorx on Feb 26, 2013 19:48:13 GMT -6
The consistency of ultralather sounds about right,something I'd like to work with.I'm left wondering how much it depends which soap's being used.
I like the sound of it,work the shave soap so the desired effect's achieved.No shave cream needed,I'm a minimalist and like the sound of that.
I believe I've been able to get my lather to perform similarily solo with good results,but for me it was too hit or miss using Williams and often times too dry,too soon.
I'm in a good place right now adding a bit of shave cream,it's working too well for me to ignore,but somewhere down the line I'm interested in trying the ultralather perhaps with different soap.
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SharpSpine
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Post by SharpSpine on Feb 26, 2013 19:55:39 GMT -6
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Post by razorx on Mar 3, 2013 8:36:33 GMT -6
All I had to work with was some Williams and a VHD Boar brush but gave this a try this morning.Like I said the idea of not needing to grab yet one more item for a shave works for my minimalistic tendencies,so sans shaving cream (no superlather today) I painted a richer than usual wall of Williams and hit it with my recently acquired Shick E-2.
The Brians are surely using better quality soaps to produce ultralather...but by using what I typically lather with I eliminate varaibles and can experience the benefits of a thicker more protective version of the same old stuff.
I see some potential,I'm questioning my newly found habit of using soap & shaving cream "superlather" I may try again tomorrow with VDH.
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SharpSpine
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Post by SharpSpine on Mar 3, 2013 12:46:26 GMT -6
Yes, I really should break out one of my dozen pucks of modern Williams & make a video of it.
Marc, would you say that you noticed any difference in your Williams lather with this approach? I must be honest that I've never tried my normal UL procedure on Williams. In the past I've always relied on stupid amounts of water to get a decent lather. Looking back on it I'm expecting my usual procedure should work well. Now I'm curious.
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Post by razorx on Mar 3, 2013 14:01:46 GMT -6
Yes, I really should break out one of my dozen pucks of modern Williams & make a video of it. Marc, would you say that you noticed any difference in your Williams lather with this approach? I must be honest that I've never tried my normal UL procedure on Williams. In the past I've always relied on stupid amounts of water to get a decent lather. Looking back on it I'm expecting my usual procedure should work well. Now I'm curious. The good news is yes I did notice a difference,it was during a test lather late yesterday with my VDH Boar Brush,it's a rather ratty looking brush,but a legitimate lather monster and produced a really nice surprisingly rich thicker lather with the Williams. The bad news is that my lather for todays E2 shave wasn't as good... I used a different brush,my Omega 11047...plus being in a hurry dove into it too quickly.My successful test lather approach was to leave a wickedly hot layer of tap water over the Williams for a minute or two,then pour off the excess H2O before lathering. What that says to me and I'm not surprised....Is that Williams is Ultra capable,but the window in which it operates on that level is quite narrow and shuts quickly unless everything's optimal.
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ShadowsDad
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Post by ShadowsDad on Mar 3, 2013 21:04:13 GMT -6
Williams is definitely ultra capable. In fact I haven't found any lather producing product that isn't UL capable. So is ARKO and VDH. The higher performing products may be a bit easier, but it's all about loading enough good stuff. Do that and Williams will perform and perform really nicely. You might not believe it's Williams.
I still need to try the hand soap that I sometimes lather with just for shits and giggles. That might not be UL capable.
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Post by razorx on Mar 4, 2013 16:56:04 GMT -6
Mission Accomplished - Williams Ultralather: Cover Williams with a layer of wicked hot tapwater,leave for one to two minutes while washing face.( I've always done variations of this before with all my soaps,what's different here for me is using a generous amount of hot water and letting it sit longer.... at least 2 minutes.) * I think there's an old video about lathering Williams somewhere around Tost that starts out similarly,but unfortunately his water isn't the best for lather creation. The uppermost level of Williams absorbs a good deal of water and has a gooey consistency that I believe retains more water over time and doesn't dry out as easily as I've experienced from Williams during my usual lathering attempts. With excess water removed from brush I spent 3 to 4 times as long as usual loading brush,the result is a thicker more yogurt-like consistency with multiple pass potential. The resultant dense thick,rich UltraWilliams performed well,I'm reconsidering the value of using additional products such as shaving cream for "superlather" when I can get similar benefits by simply altering my technique, Less Is More
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