Wet Face Shaving: Face Lathering >> Bowl Lathering
During a recent week-long trip to India, I chose to travel light and left my lathering bowl at home. Out of necessity, I switched to face lathering—and to my surprise, the results were outstanding. Despite using a blade that had already seen multiple shaves, I experienced some of the closest and most comfortable shaves in recent memory.
Back in Singapore, I continued using the same technique—and the results held up just as well. That ruled out any influence of regional water quality and led me to one conclusion: face lathering itself was the difference-maker.
🔍 Observations & Insights
Superior Lather Quality:
Face lathering produced a denser, creamier, and more stable lather directly on the skin. In contrast, bowl lathering often gave me more volume, but the foam tended to be thinner and airier.Better Skin Prep:
The direct brush movement on the face offers mild exfoliation and lifts the beard more effectively. This seemed to translate into improved blade glide and overall comfort. Keeping this in mind, I’ve recently ordered a Yaqi Silvertip Badger brush (awaiting delivery). Until now, I’ve been using a synthetic brush—which has worked well—but I'm now convinced that face lathering may most likely benefit further from a better brush type, especially in terms of face feel and lather coating. While badger brushes are on the pricier side, I felt it was worth the investment since I already own a reliable synthetic one. Looking forward to seeing how much of a difference it makes in daily use.Reliable Across Products:
I tested this method with both Proraso White cream and Stirling Sandalwood soap—two very different products—and got consistently excellent results in both cases.
🧪 Personal Experience
Using my Rockwell 6C with its included Swedish blade, I got multiple smooth, irritation-free shaves via face lathering. I also replicated this using the Merkur 42C. In both setups, the performance was noticeably better than with bowl lathering—especially in the post-shave feel.
📝 Conclusion
Face lathering has been a surprising and welcome discovery. It’s more efficient, requires less gear, and delivers superior shave quality—especially in terms of lather consistency, blade feel, and skin preparation. It's now my default method, and I’d highly recommend it to anyone still relying on a bowl.