The slow feed bowls have big nubs that just get in the way. Foamy lather is usually a sign of not enough soap, and my experience with that style bowl is it's hard to pick all of the soap up.

Is there usually soap left when you're finished rinsing out the bowl? Try spreading the soap on the sides of the bowl where the nubs ding get in the way of your brush.

Another method is using the lid from another tub of soap to do the brush loading.

Firstly. You're right face lather is best lather. That means for samples it's about how to load so you can face lather properly.

DJ and Walden make good points but my tuppence is the most important because it has a cheese based bonus.

You see the lid from another tub will workbut what works just as well is the little ceramic dish that comes with baked Camembert. It's a good size, and the glazed ceramic is nice and smooth and easy to load from. Plus you get the added benefit of having to eat a baked Camembert to get one.

The slow feed bowl doesn't work for me either. The nubs get in the way of picking up the soap. It's me general criticism of most lather bowls. The ridges are counterproductive.

I suspect that if you use a smooth-bottomed bowl to create a big surface of soap (like in the tub), then you'll load just fine

I usually face lather. I treat samples as pucks of soap, but in the wrong container. To lather with a sample I take about 1/4 teaspoon of soap and spread it thinly in the bottom of a Captain’s Choice lather bowl, or if I’m traveling, I use a curved portion (dry and clean) of the sink that I’m shaving over.

I take the brush that’s been soaking, squeeze most of the water out, then start building a soap paste with it in whatever container I’m using. I only add water if a thick paste is not forming. When a paste has been created from most of the sample, I take what’s not in the brush, put that on the brush, then just face lather; adding water as necessary to build the wet, slick lather I want.

So, basically, I always face lather.

I cannot speak for your bowl, but I have this one, and it works well.

I don't spread the soap out evenly, and not very thinly. How do you add water? And how lang do you lather?

Maybe check out sgrdddy or Kevy Shaves (on youtube) on how they do it.

Give up and grow a beard?

😱

Sample lathering is quite a PITA for people who prefer to lather directly on their face/head, I feel your pain.

I'd also suggest another minimalist alternative to make it as close to face lathering as possible. Small glass or porcelain ashtrays (cleaned ofc) or candle coasters make for a good solution if the only camembert available in your area doesn't come with a cool porcelain dish. You can easily find those, even vintage ones if you prefer thrift stores/flea markets. Spread the soap evenly with a guitar pick or wide popsicle and simply load as if it was a soap puck. Any sample that isn't by Stirling Soap is only designed to give you 3 to 5 uses max anyway, so be generous with the amount of soap you're spreading in there.