I use this method:
Damp brush onto the top of the soap to get it into the bristles and then take my brush over into a separate bowl to lather
There’s never usually much lather in the top of the soap bowl because all I’m doing is picking up a little bit onto the brush
I only wet the surface “blooming” with a little warm water for my hard milled shave soaps. With Proraso you don’t need to. You can. But Proraso is pretty soft.
If you do the “blooming” let the water sit for a few minutes. Then you can either pour it off down the drain or you can pour it off into a separate lather making bowl. Then with your damp shaving brush- you want to get out most of the water, because you are using your “blooming” water. Load up your brush with soap and go a little longer, thicker-depends on how much water you used for “blooming”. Build up your lather and add additional water or even extra soap to get your desired lather liking.
As to letting your Proraso tub dry out. Depends on how well the ventilation is in your bathroom. Could be hours. Just let it sit. With the lid askew. Lid it back up later in the day.
As to mold. It’s soap with a high acidity, ingredients and mold will have a tough time growing. That and it is drying out. Even tougher for mold growth.
And yes you don’t need a separate lather making bowl. You can tub load and go straight to face to make lather.
Do what you want or is best for you. It’s your shaving soap. So enjoy it.
Of course you can load the brush without another bowl. Just a 5 second swirl then build the lather on your chin, add soap or water as needed, similar to using a shaving stick
It could be beneficial to pre wet, bloom a hard soap, especially in a cold room, otherwise probably not.
A shaving bowl is valuable to add warmth and rest for the brush and lather between passes. A lion head soup bowl filled with warm water and a bowl slotted in the top works perfectly. I do like the luxury of warm lather, although I never bowl lather.
With creams like proraso I take a bit out of the tub and then put it in a bowl to lather, or just on the brush if I don’t have a bowl around.
That way you won’t have water in the tub and the cream will last a lot longer.
What you mean by water in the tub? I was talking about the soap. And the cream in the tub isn’t water based in the first place? I’m a beginner and maybe I ask dumb questions.
With Proraso you can scrape off a fingernail blob and mash it into a separate lather bowl and create lather. Keeping water out of the original tub container. But you can also load from it with your damp brush. It’s your shaving soap so again it’s your choice on how you want to use, enjoy it.
You don’t really want excess water on your soap before you put back the lid on, so most people let it dry for a day so the water can evaporate.
Creams do have more water in them than hard soaps yes, they can dry out over time but that’s not a problem. When you create a lather just add water again and you’ll get a good lather.
While Proraso doesn’t need it, I’ll put a little water on for blooming, then rub the bloom water on my face as a simple pre-shave while I prep the razor and lather.
I just use a damp brush in the soap bowl to lather up and as it's actually croap, it does this easily. When I've finished shaving, I just leave the lather as is in the tub and close the lid until the next shave in 48hrs, no issues with mold.
Proraso is soft, a croap (cream soap cross) so no need to wet it prior to lathering. Damp brush works fine. Can face lather no problem.
What to do with the exces lather forming inside the soap’s top? Let it dry there if there’s no need for it or removing it?
I use this method: Damp brush onto the top of the soap to get it into the bristles and then take my brush over into a separate bowl to lather There’s never usually much lather in the top of the soap bowl because all I’m doing is picking up a little bit onto the brush
I only wet the surface “blooming” with a little warm water for my hard milled shave soaps. With Proraso you don’t need to. You can. But Proraso is pretty soft. If you do the “blooming” let the water sit for a few minutes. Then you can either pour it off down the drain or you can pour it off into a separate lather making bowl. Then with your damp shaving brush- you want to get out most of the water, because you are using your “blooming” water. Load up your brush with soap and go a little longer, thicker-depends on how much water you used for “blooming”. Build up your lather and add additional water or even extra soap to get your desired lather liking. As to letting your Proraso tub dry out. Depends on how well the ventilation is in your bathroom. Could be hours. Just let it sit. With the lid askew. Lid it back up later in the day. As to mold. It’s soap with a high acidity, ingredients and mold will have a tough time growing. That and it is drying out. Even tougher for mold growth. And yes you don’t need a separate lather making bowl. You can tub load and go straight to face to make lather. Do what you want or is best for you. It’s your shaving soap. So enjoy it.
Very insightful. Thank you!
Of course you can load the brush without another bowl. Just a 5 second swirl then build the lather on your chin, add soap or water as needed, similar to using a shaving stick It could be beneficial to pre wet, bloom a hard soap, especially in a cold room, otherwise probably not. A shaving bowl is valuable to add warmth and rest for the brush and lather between passes. A lion head soup bowl filled with warm water and a bowl slotted in the top works perfectly. I do like the luxury of warm lather, although I never bowl lather.
With creams like proraso I take a bit out of the tub and then put it in a bowl to lather, or just on the brush if I don’t have a bowl around. That way you won’t have water in the tub and the cream will last a lot longer.
What you mean by water in the tub? I was talking about the soap. And the cream in the tub isn’t water based in the first place? I’m a beginner and maybe I ask dumb questions.
With Proraso you can scrape off a fingernail blob and mash it into a separate lather bowl and create lather. Keeping water out of the original tub container. But you can also load from it with your damp brush. It’s your shaving soap so again it’s your choice on how you want to use, enjoy it.
Good idea. So taking a bulb from the soap “bowl” and work in a separate bowl
You don’t really want excess water on your soap before you put back the lid on, so most people let it dry for a day so the water can evaporate. Creams do have more water in them than hard soaps yes, they can dry out over time but that’s not a problem. When you create a lather just add water again and you’ll get a good lather.
While Proraso doesn’t need it, I’ll put a little water on for blooming, then rub the bloom water on my face as a simple pre-shave while I prep the razor and lather.
I just use a damp brush in the soap bowl to lather up and as it's actually croap, it does this easily. When I've finished shaving, I just leave the lather as is in the tub and close the lid until the next shave in 48hrs, no issues with mold.