What is lather "cushion"?

rbscebu

rbscebu

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Sep 10, 2020
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Atherton Tablelands, Queensland, Australia
@bald as posted elsewhere:

"Hi guys define what you perceive as cushion and its role and glide or slip and its role. Also how is that achieved in a soap?
I make soap so I have my own ideas. And like all ideas they may well be delusional."

Although I am not a soap maker, I have often heard the term "cushion" used my safety razor shavers when discussing lather quality. When I DE razor shave, I prefer a thicker less hydrated lather than what I prefer with a SR shave. I don't know why. It just seems to work better. Maybe that is the "cushion" some speak of. Other safety razor shavers say their is no such thing as "cushion".

What do you perceive this "cushion" to be?
 
@bald as is quite possibly right to describe it as a perception, rather than an actuality. I think it's perceived as some sort of a barrier that helps keep the blade at a "safe" distance from the skin. I'm not sure why anyone would need it, since that's what the bar or comb on a safety razor is for. I gather that's why some soap makers add bentonite or other clay to the mix, but I'm happy to be informed otherwise.

Glide or slip seem to be terms reflecting the lubricating capacity of the soap, and it's always been this latter that makes most difference to my shave...
 
I can't imagine any cushion with a straight razor.

When you hone a blade, the blade pushes the slurry forward & none gets under the blade (assuming your blade is straight). Thus the blade is in contact with the hone the entire time. When placing a blade on the face the skin deforms under the blade and again, I can't imagne any soap getting between the blade and skin. If you think of shaving as scraping foam off your face (simplistic view) then I can't see how soap would get under the blade as it is being removed from the leading edge of the blade.

I'm open to be proven wrong, this is just my theory...that is it is mine...ehhhem...Anne Elk
 
https://www.soapmakingfriend.com/soap-making-recipe-builder-lye-calculator/
http://soapcalc.net/calc/soapcalcWP.asp
Both of the above links are dedicated calculators to formulate soap. I prefer the first one as it allows structuring a recipe and providing the amounts for a dual hydroxide soap. SoapCalc will get you there but needs a bit more fiddling around.
The important figures in a shaving soap are ---

Bubbly Lather - This is the large bubbles when you first add water to the soap and start working the brush. If there is a high percentage of stearic Acid in the soap you will move to the Creamy lather stage and that will be stable and "hopefully" retain enough moisture and stability during the shave. Not enough stearic acid and the bubbles will remain large and fairly unstable never really progressing to the next stage of lathering.
Creamy Lather - This is the thick portion of the lather that builds as you work your brush. A high percentage of stearic Acid is needed to get and maintain this lather.
Cleansing - A shaving soap is not a bath soap and as such should be low on the cleansing scale.
Conditioning. - Because of the way a shaving soap is formulated it will normally be low on conditioning as well. Artisan soap can overcome a lack of conditioning by adding "super fats" at the end of the process. These are added after the Hydroxides have converted the fats and oils to soap. EG. Adding up to 10 gms of say Shea Butter or Kokum Butter will add conditioning to the soap, sometime though at the expense of the lather.
I think cushion comes from the Creamy Lather - This is the thick portion of the lather that builds as you work your brush.
Glide or slip - also from the Creamy Lather but sometimes with the addition of Bentonite or Kaolin Clay [no they don't ruin your blades.] Silk strands added to the soap can also provide slip. The important thing for an Artisan shaving soap is a high [close to 50 or above] level of Stearic acid. Most oils and fats contain some stearic acid. Stearic acid is also added as a stand alone ingredient to help make up the higher percentage in the soap. Everything with a shaving soap is a juggling act to achieve the basic qualities.
A SR shave needs a wetter lather so the higher stearic acid % is advantageous to help maintain stable lather even when it is more diluted.
This is the recipe for a soap I made yesterday:
Stearic acid 35% [stand alone ingredient] : Tallow 26% [some stearic] : Cocoa Butter 20% [some stearic]: Coconut oil 12% : Lanolin 5% : Castor oil 2%
Potassium/Sodium Hydroxide 60/40%
Creamy lather - 63
Bubbly lather 12
Cleansing 10
Conditioning 21
Added 2 gms Bentonite clay : .6 gms Silk fibres.
 
For me, cushion means the lather is well aerated and you have a layer of lather >5mm on your skin.

By well aerated I mean fluffy peaks, as much air as the lather will hold while still not really having visible bubbles.

For me it's often much easier to get a cushony lather built up on my face when the soap is not at its peak hydration. But I find this type of lather doesn't usually perform as well as more slick fully hydrated lather, which tends to not build up as thick and "cushony" due to its slightly runnier nature.

I do however think of all the soaps I've tried Craig's Blue Devil Shave Co soap tops my list of achieving great slickness while still being very cushony.

I love a good cushon, nothing beats painting soft clouds on my face but it's not always the most ideal lather for the shave ;)
 
I always thought of 'cushion' as the level of aeration in the foam and the texture made when lathering up. When you squeeze a bit of lather between the fingers and have that tiny bit of 'give', that's cushion for me. Cushion determines how well the lather stays on the face (so it doesn't slide off like melted meringue off the top of a hot tart). And the mount of cut stubble it hoovers up when stroking with the blade. That's important too.
 
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