If you’re a novice, how to lather shaving soap in a mug might be challenging. No worries. Here is the complete guide that you need.
Besides choosing the right shaving cream product, the lathering method also determines the quality of shaving.
Although people often use scuttles to create lather, not everyone wants to invest in it. Instead of scuttles, mugs are a more common item and are also suitable for shaving. Since it helps create the most significant foam per shave, it is ideal for a broad shaving area.
Yet, how to lather shaving soap in a mug is a problem. Keep scrolling down for the quick guide.
Can We Use A Mug For Lathering Shaving Soaps?
Yes, of course you can! Mugs are always the ideal choice for lathering shaving soaps in daily life.
Most first-time wet shavers would have started with an old tea or coffee mug, which is terrific because it’s inexpensive, practical, and intended to maintain heat for hot drinks. On the other hand, a genuine shaving cup is available for those who like something a little more upscale.
Regular mugs have the problem of not being broad enough, which causes your shaving brush to constantly clink against the rim, potentially ruining both the cup and the brush. However, specialty shaving mugs are often a little broader, allowing the brush to swirl about freely. Yet, it’s worth noting that even the larger mugs might cause your brush to strike the side if you’re not careful.
Yet, mugs are still ideal since they are common in daily life and have high edges, which prevents you from losing any of your precious suds when whipping them up. They’re also quite simple to grip because of the side handle, which allows you to grip it tightly if you swirl your brush rather vigorously.
5 Steps To Lather Shaving Soap In A Mug
Before building a shaving soap lather, you need to prepare:
- Shaving soap
- Shaving brush
- A mug
There are many ways to lather shaving soap. Even without a mug, you also have some alternatives, such as shaving bowls and scuttles. With the help of this equipment, it produces the most foam per shave. Thus, using them is perfect for shaving a large area.
Step 1: Soak the shaving soap (blooming process)
Shaving soap hardens when it dries. In addition, the dry soap makes the loading process in step 3 extremely difficult.
Thus, you cannot ignore this step. Soaking the soap means putting little water in it and waiting until it blooms. Here is the right way to do it: simply turn the faucet on at low flow and drop a few drops to form a puddle on your soap’s surface. Blooming for at least 15 minutes allows the water to sink deep into the soap and provide a rich, softened surface.
Step 2: Soak the brush in a mug
You can do this step at the same time as step 1 to save your time.
First, simply place the brush in your mug filled with warm water in one or two minutes. Yet, only covering the bristles, don’t overfill, since overfilling it makes your wooden handle absorb too much water and quickly becomes rotten. Only cover the bristles for not to affect the durability of glue and brush handle
A well-hydrated brush produces a more affluent and faster lather. This step is optional, depending on the brush type you are using. In detail, soaking the brush is a must-have step if yours is made from natural bristles (animal feathers: badger, boar).
Note: You can skip this step when your brush bristle is synthetic. Since synthetic ones cannot absorb water, soaking them is useless. Thus, you only need to use enough water to wet your brush before using it.
Step 3: Load the brush
The primary purpose of loading your brush is to ensure that your brush is moist and that you have enough soap to generate lather.
Take the brush out of your mug. Then, squeeze it to eliminate excessive water, yet make sure your brush is still damp. This helps the forming lather process to be more straightforward at the first swirls. In addition, simply run it under the tap and squeeze some water into it using a synthetic brush.
Remove the bloom liquid off the surface of the soap. Next, begin circularly swirling the brush on the soap. Keep in mind that using just gentle pressure to bend but not splay the bristles.
Repeat for around 30 seconds, alternating between clockwise and anticlockwise motions. This action helps to ensure that the soap completely fills the brush and gets into between all of the bristles. Hard water can need 15 seconds more to lather correctly. When starting to swirl, it might have some big air bubbles. Keep swirling until they disappear entirely.
Now your result is a thick cream. Next, take a “snurdle” of soap (a nut-sized dollop of soap) and put it into your mug.
Step 4: Make soap lather in your mug
After having the amount of soap, press the brush in that mug until the bristles splay. Then, swirl it again for about 30 seconds, alternating between clockwise and anticlockwise movements. Yet, for those using a natural brush, you might be gentle and take care not to harm the bristles due to their sensitivity.
A creamy lather begins to form, but you need to pay attention to its consistency. The perfect foam has soft, smooth, whipped egg-like consistency. The tip for checking it is using your fingertips.
The signs of giving too much water are bubbly lather, which means your lather appears to have some air bubbles, and you cannot get rid of them. As a result, the wet lather is runny and does not give the protection that your cream should provide because it becomes too fluid and dries out rapidly when applied to the face.
To fix it, you need to add more soap. While the cream is too thick, you should put some water drops or wet the brush.
Step 5: Lather your face
Now that the lather is complete, this step is to apply it to your face.
Yet, to begin, properly wash your face with warm water thoroughly. This helps to soften the facial hair and to hydrate the skin. Furthermore, warm water helps open the pores to remove the clogged oil on your skin. Thus, it is always critical to take care of your skin before using a blade on it.
Then, re-wet the brush and load some lather on. As the water begins to flow down your face, continue applying from the sideburns and work your way down. Work your way up to the chin and neck, spinning the brush in tight, circular strokes. This will exfoliate the skin, lift the beard hairs, and lather up each whisker.
The longer you execute this technique, the better since it also softens the beard. Finally, when the face is entirely coated, switch to a painting motion to smooth down the suds and remove the surplus.
4 Benefits Of Using Shaving Soap
Shaving soap is toiletry consisting of soap and fatty acid preparation that creates a thick lather to soften the beard before shaving and provides a creamy foundation that helps the razor blade glide over the skin’s surface. Yet, shaving soap often refers to a hard form of soap that must be whipped into a lather with a shaving brush.
Better shave
The shaving soap removes the natural oils on the face and stubble. AS a result, water can penetrate your whiskers, softening them, resulting in a cleaner cut, closer finish, and a more pleasant shave.
Increase hydration
Shaving soaps create a richer, deeper lather and deliver increased hydration than other shave prep products, such as foams, creams, and oils.
Moisturizing ingredients in shaving soap is the key to keeping the skin hydrated. Moreover, it also softens your facial hair for a more pleasant shave and post-shave sensation. Using shaving soap can reduce discomfort or soreness after shaving.
Lubricate the skin
Basically, shaving soap acts as an emollient and plays a little protection barrier, reducing slight irritation and abrasion.
The combination of a clean, sharp blade and shaving soap decreases the risk of razor burns and protects your blade from cutting or skimming over your face. As a result, you will reduce the risks of skin injury during shaving.
Prevent skin irritation
Natural shaving soaps contain many valuable ingredients for protecting the skin.
For example, avocado oil and vitamin E are highly recommended and suitable for even sensitive skin. These can rejuvenate and relax the skin while allowing for a close shave without irritation or razor burn.
Conclusion
The biggest challenge for those using traditional shaving is learning how to lather shaving soap in a mug properly. There are many common mistakes, such as: adding too much water or using too much force to swirl.
This article has provided a detailed step-by-step guide of how to lather shaving soap in a mug, along with some other relevant information. Hopefully, these will make your shaving time faster and more efficient. Enjoy it!
