Do you use a shaving bowl / mug?

[waine]

Do you use a shaving bowl / mug?

Since discovering the wonderful world of “Wet shaving”, I had never tried a shaving bowl before.  My favourite shaving soap comes in a plastic container which I use to whip up my later directly inside the container until it puffs up nicely.  If I use the “Williams” shaving stick, I would simply rub the stick on my wet stubble and then rub it into a lather with my brush.  If I used the Palmolive like shaving creams in the tube, I would squeeze a blob in the bristles then lather on my face.  How wrong I was?

After extensive Wet shaving research, the other day I decided to buy a little glass bowl that is shaped like a shaving mug, but not the real deal.  I squeezed an almond size dollop into the bowl, wet my trusty Tweezerman brush and whisked away.  After applying the lather to my face, I let the remaining cream on the brush rest in the bowl for the second pass.

What an experience, I have been missing out on this old technique for so long.  It takes a bit of experimentation to know how much water to put on the brush, and how long to “whip” for etc, but that’s part of the fun of discovery.

Now, I love this technique and I highly recommend that if you are a DE shaver, you try it, if you have never before.  Completely convinced that this is the way to go, I am on the hunt for a nice shaving bowl, and I will get one eventually!

Does anyone else use the bowl?  What “brand” do you use? What is your experience? 

[Mikekoz13]

I have an old "Burma Shave" mug that I tried using a couple of times but it's too small to get a good whipping motion going. I'm going to find a nice bowl to use.

[Stevie Hood]

Hi Waine,

yes, you're right, it's a great experience to use a bowl or mug. Even if I prefer lathering directly in the face, mostly using stick formed soaps. But every now and then I like to celebrate the shaving procedure a little bit more...and then it's "mug time". I tried some ceramic bowls and now found one that has a little rough inner surface. This gives a good lather, I think it has to do with the contact of the brush bristles with the roughness of the bowl.

But the best foam I get out of my homemade coconut bowl...




It has good space for a lot of foam...and there is no need to fear that it cracks when touching the sink or something else. It's only polished, no varnish or something else. The aluminum ring works as a stand and is applicated by a lot of hot glue.

Works good for me, was fun making it and the cost was almost nothing...

Best wishes from Germany

[Bluebriz]

I use a bowl with creams and soaps most of the time.  Even when i use soaps in little tubs i usually move the brush to my bowl so i can add more water if needed, as i feel it gives me more control than I get if just preparing in the soap bowl or face lathering.

[Frontier Guy]

Stevie, the bowl looks great ... and it's a nice personal connection that you crafted it yourself. Well done!

[R o b 6]

I have an old "Burma Shave" mug that I tried using a couple of times but it's too small to get a good whipping motion going. I'm going to find a nice bowl to use.

This one is decent and unbreakable! I use it but see how a larger bowl would work even better.
http://www.appletonbarbersupply.com/store/shopexd.asp?id=48

[tomgallagher]

I use an old "Old Spice" shaving mug. I don't even think they make them any more.

[warhawk]

Currently... I am using my trusty regular shaving mug.

@Stevie... that is a beautiful shaving bowl.  On a side note... I love that chrome razor rack in the background.  Where did you get that?  That is beautiful.  I'm hoping to find a ceramic place and possibly make my own personal shaving mug.

WARHAWK

[Hingatao]

I used to use a bowl but drifted away from it for some reason. Now that I've gone sly and I'm shaving every day I'll probably go back to it.

[Sir Harry]

I use the one that came with the shaving brush that I bought from Wally World back around the Winter Holidays.

[waine]

Thanks for sharing guys.

The only decent shaving mug I can find in stores here is one by Tabac.  A nice Tabac shaving soap in a Tabac mug.  I think I will treat myself to this in the near future to complete my awesome Wet Shave journey.

[Stevie Hood]

@Stevie... that is a beautiful shaving bowl.  On a side note... I love that chrome razor rack in the background.  Where did you get that?  That is beautiful.  I'm hoping to find a ceramic place and possibly make my own personal shaving mug.

WARHAWK

OT on....

Hi Warhawk,

the rack is homemade too. I searched for a way to store the razors but couldn't find something fitting. So I took some aluminum sheet, a bit of threaded steel rod with nuts and some aluminum pipe....and there we go. Was about one hour in the workshop and it takes up to 8 razors.

I found some more pics where you can see a little bit more of it:



OT off....

Best wishes and sorry for OT....

[sailor61]

I agree with Rob ...I love my hard rubber mug.  It's great for clumsy me in the shower...no fear of it breaking.  Have a stainless bowl (looks almost like an ice cream shop serving bowl) that I got on Amazon...works nicely for soaps that come in a tub.

But what I want is a shaving scuttle.....it's a double walled shaving bowl.  You fill the void between the bowl and wall with scalding water for HOT lather.   There are several makers ...check BadgerandBlade.com for more info...I'm avoiding thinking of the potters that make the good ones since it's not in the budget at this moment....

[Slynito]

I use an old "Old Spice" shaving mug. I don't even think they make them any more.

I have one of those mugs, too. I got it a very long time ago..it works!

 

[-Doug-]

This is my shaving bowl set up / scuttle. I started out with the white bowl on the right (from Bed, Bath and Beyond) and used that for a while with decent results. Then one day I came upon the metal bowl in the cooking section of a local farmers market. I thought it might just rest inside the white bowl and I would have a make shift scuttle. Well, I was right. It rests inside the white bowl quite well and helps to keep my later warm.




My sudo scuttle

It's a cheap setup too! The white bowl cost $2-$3 and the metal bowl set me back $4-$5.