Post by SharpSpine on Feb 26, 2013 19:47:56 GMT -6
So what started out as a simple PM between BrianK (ShadowsDad) and I started me on a lather quest. BrianK mentioned something he noticed when lathering his beloved P.160 that he termed "UltraLather". The concept intrigued me and we set out to test it some. It seems that the best UltraLathers come from the super-fatted soaps but other soaps can achieve it as well though they might not have as good of skin care. Since adopting this lathering technique my shaves have reached the next level. I can easily and consistently get the best out of any and all my soaps. After all, it is the goodies in the soap that we're after, not the water, right?
So what is UltraLather? UltraLather is all about soap solids, not loads and loads of saturated lather. Instead it's an ultra-dense lather that is very creamy, provides great cushion, and has enough water incorporated into it to be very slick. If you were to fully saturate the soap solids with water you would end up with heaps & heaps of lather, but that's not what we're after with UltraLather. Instead we want the most soap solids around our skin & hair as possible with just enough water for some great lubricity.
To accomplish this a drier brush approach (damp, not dripping) is needed. Once the brush is loaded you only add enough water through dipping the tips to prevent the lather from drying out & sticking to your razor.
The Marco Method will not produce an UltraLather. There is just too much water involved to realistically get the abundance of soap solids required for an UltraLather. So while you can still create a rich, creamy, slick lather that shaves well, it won't be the UltraLather that is possible.
While I've tried to describe this in previous posts, BrianK and I have gone back & forth discussing it via PM & email, there just is too much that can't be expressed in words. So I've decided to make an attempt at some lathering videos comparing the two techniques (UltraLather & MarcoMethod) using both a badger & a boar brush.
1st video (hopefully in a series to come):
Soap: Cella
Badger: Vulfix 2234 Super
Boar: Semogue 820
Video 1 - Vulfix 2234S UltraLather
Vulfix 2234 UltraLather
Video 2 - Vulfix 2234S MarcoMethod
Vulfix 2234 Marco
Video 3 - Semogue 820 UltraLather
Semogue 820 UltraLather
Video 4 - Semogue 820 MarcoMethod
Semogue 820 Marco
These videos represent my very first attempt at any type of demonstration. Please bare with me & don't tear me up too bad. I didn't take the time to dub any music over it nor is there any sound as I found that preferable over hearing me breathe in the background. :winky:
Thank you & please let me know if it's worth seeing these comparisons with some other soaps. If I have it, then I'll make it happen... eventually!
So what is UltraLather? UltraLather is all about soap solids, not loads and loads of saturated lather. Instead it's an ultra-dense lather that is very creamy, provides great cushion, and has enough water incorporated into it to be very slick. If you were to fully saturate the soap solids with water you would end up with heaps & heaps of lather, but that's not what we're after with UltraLather. Instead we want the most soap solids around our skin & hair as possible with just enough water for some great lubricity.
To accomplish this a drier brush approach (damp, not dripping) is needed. Once the brush is loaded you only add enough water through dipping the tips to prevent the lather from drying out & sticking to your razor.
The Marco Method will not produce an UltraLather. There is just too much water involved to realistically get the abundance of soap solids required for an UltraLather. So while you can still create a rich, creamy, slick lather that shaves well, it won't be the UltraLather that is possible.
While I've tried to describe this in previous posts, BrianK and I have gone back & forth discussing it via PM & email, there just is too much that can't be expressed in words. So I've decided to make an attempt at some lathering videos comparing the two techniques (UltraLather & MarcoMethod) using both a badger & a boar brush.
1st video (hopefully in a series to come):
Soap: Cella
Badger: Vulfix 2234 Super
Boar: Semogue 820
Video 1 - Vulfix 2234S UltraLather
Vulfix 2234 UltraLather
Video 2 - Vulfix 2234S MarcoMethod
Vulfix 2234 Marco
Video 3 - Semogue 820 UltraLather
Semogue 820 UltraLather
Video 4 - Semogue 820 MarcoMethod
Semogue 820 Marco
These videos represent my very first attempt at any type of demonstration. Please bare with me & don't tear me up too bad. I didn't take the time to dub any music over it nor is there any sound as I found that preferable over hearing me breathe in the background. :winky:
Thank you & please let me know if it's worth seeing these comparisons with some other soaps. If I have it, then I'll make it happen... eventually!