Just got these bad boys in the mail today :) Any suggestions which to try first or what to expect?
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Just got these bad boys in the mail today :) Any suggestions which to try first or what to expect?
Attachment 158811
Well, I shaved with MWF this morning so the memory of a great shave is fresh; therefore it gets my vote. T&H rose is a nice scent and I also like the Limes scent. Perhaps you should use one for each side of the face. :)
rs,
Tack
Tough call. If you are confident in your soap lathering skills I'd say go for MWF first; if not then try the T&H. JMO but in the end just pick the one that speaks to you the loudest lol
From what I've been reading, I better keep the MWF for the weekend. Everyone's praising it but not without caution for its 'difficulty'.
Do you guys do the MWF in a bowl or just off the ceramic?
I do the MWF straight to the face. Granted I face lather a good portion of the time.
Water does seem to make a difference with MWF, I have very hard water here in New Mexico so it doesn't face lather well for me at least, but once you get it dialed in in a bowl or on the face, it's a great lather. A good weekend soap for me :)
Yeah use the T&H Rose first, in the mean time do some test lathers with MWF so you can get it dialed in. TIP: load a lot longer than other soaps.
Chuck the MWF in the shower, its great to wash under the arms but is pretty rubbish as a shave soap unless you have hours to read how to improve it… I got great lather, but just think its massively overrated…not any slicker or more moisturising than many other soaps…Duck!!!!! lol The ceramic container is a great place to keep your Alum...
Now the T&H Rose, thats a different story, pleasant on the nose, produces a thick glorious rich lather with lots of slick. Creams are so easy to use especially if you're new to the wet shaving world.
Here is a little tip for the Rose cream. Add hot water to a mug or bowl and sit it in the sink full of hot water. Put your shaving brush in the mug. let it sit while you shower…. now after the shower, tip the water out the mug/bowl and add a almond sized squeeze of cream to the bottom of the hot mug. Shake your brush just a little to remove some of the water then mix the cream. The smell will be glorious!!!!!!! The heat just brings the scent to life... Whip to soft peaks and if you need to add a little water to the tips of the brush and continue swirling until soft peaks appear…… Add to your wet face and lather away…...Oh happy day…… Now thats the best bit of the shave….excluding the following BBS and the next AS / cologne scent of course…..
Kevinred I tried your advice to the letter. The warm bowl etc it was a beautiful shave with the T&H Rose.
It was nice, all my other soaps are whey natural smelling.
Will do the MWF on the weekend and probably with a DE first time give me more concentration with lathering :)
Quote:
Originally Posted by ffarouki
I'm glad you enjoyed the shave. I really do love bringing scents to life like this, I'm glad I could help.
A good tip with the MWF is to grate the puck (with a Cheese grater) it into the container and press it down with a glass. It will help it lather and the puck won't spin in the container. Don't be too disappointed if the MWF isn't that great for you, many soaps and creams people rate on here are at best average, however you may love it. Now days I don't muck about, if it doesn't perform after a couple of uses I give it away or use it in the shower if its a soap. Life is just to short when there are so many good soaps and creams to try.
As you like the rose, I can really recommend TOBS Lemon and Lime and the TOBS grapefruit for the same explosion of scent…
Enjoy :)
To be honest I only got the MWF because it seemed like it's all people talked about here and in other forums. Thought there must be something to it. The ceramic bowl looked cool too. I didn't open it yet, but I'm.. Hopeful?
I got the T&H Rose because I wanted something fougere or aromatic. It was a pleasant distraction from my other mostly natural dailies :)
Thing is I'm not a big fan of citrus so I try to avoid anything lime based thought the West Indies like keeps on whispering to me.
Any particular scents you feel that people 'just got to try'?
That's what I have so far:
Attachment 158940
I have a larger range but a very similar collection. I quite like subtle scents mostly, but I do love matching soaps / creams to AS or colognes or occasionally a balm.Quote:
Originally Posted by ffarouki
For example, the Proraso white sensitive pre shave and shave soap is great when added to the Proraso AS balm in that range, not for going out, but its a great smell for a late night shave before bed.
Tabac is far from Subtle but when used with the cologne, it is a good going out scent, although after a few hours the scent smells a little like stale tobacco to me. I prefer to use Tabac soap followed by Pinaud clubman Bay Rum, but not always.
I love TOBS lemon and lime shave cream, followed by Trumpers Lime Skin food and then TOBS No74 victorian limes cologne, very subtle, not overly citrus. The wife's favourite. However when it's hot and humid I do like to face lather with ARKO instead of a cream. Arko has a lemony smell, thats not overpowering with cold water.
Some things are classics of course, a good sandalwood soap and AS/cologne is a must for example, but there are many more.
I guess experimentation is part of the fun. In the beginning I loved all the strong smells, but nowadays I prefer subtle, and most of my favourites were unexpected like TOBS No74 victorian lime. One of my absolute favourite AS is Cussons original. Amazingly cheap here in Australia. I also like Col Conks bay rum, it may not be a classic bay rum smell but it is very nice.
Oh so many to try…..lol
Oh and of course the other thing to remember is that most soaps or cream scents are gone by the end of the shave so you can use a different smelling AS/or cologne.
Variety is the spice of life…..
My friend.. You are an artist! Lol
You know I have this matching thing always in the back of my mind.. Even before I really got into wet shaving. With fragrances. I think certain EDTs go with certain weather conditions, hours of day and even color of clothing.
But now in shaving, from the beginning I always liked subtle smells so now I'm trying to do the opposite and find a couple interesting smells to spice things up.
I also almost stopped using my EDTs and like everyone obsess with A/S. So far got the Floid Amber, VIBR and Old Spice.
I live a couple of miles away from Green Park, ie Bond Street, Jermyn Street etc. maybe should go pay T&H, TOBS and Trumpers a visit on the weekend.
Wow, My great problem is I have to buy before I try. Not much in the way of retail here. You're a lucky man being able to try the scents in a store before buying.Quote:
Originally Posted by ffarouki
I certainly agree with you regarding the use of scents and weather conditions etc.
Sound like we are both artists that are on a mission to discover the beauty of scent…. :)
Once you "figure out" MWF, it is great. Buy an extra puck and spend an hour practicing with it. You may be one of the lucky ones that have success right off the bat.
Ya, I think Wayne is spot on here.
For every product, even the creme de la creme, some will say Brand X is great and others will say it belongs in the shower or trash. I always recommend using a new product for AT LEAST a week straight (or 7 shaves) to learn how to use it properly. At least if you give it a fair shake you can honestly say it's not for you and move on.
Incidentally, I intend to try the MWF tomorrow for the very first time. I have 2 nice badgers and one synthetic. I forgot to ask, any risk ruining the badgers by 'trying to hard' and should use the synthetic? Or are the badgers up for the task?
Badger will be up to the task. You don't have to mash the bristles into the puck but do load the brush for twice as long as you would with any other hard soap. It also helps to have the puck pre-soaked so the surface is soft prior to loading.
Ryan82 and Wayne1963 are right of course.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ryan82
I have several soaps and creams I just don't use much and I don't rate for me. One is Tabac, is a great soap, a fantastic performer and I even like the smell mostly, but I'm not drawn to use it as much as I once was. Is it a bad soap?, of course not, but for me for some reason its not the best, for some it's the best thing since sliced bread, but not one of my favourites I guess.
MWF was a similar story, we use rainwater here which is the softest water and the lather was amazing, but for me the smell was so, so and I felt it dried my skin more than others, so it is no more for me. I must admit I got fed up with all the "make your MWF better" posts, cos to me it's not worth a dime to throw good money after bad… If it doesn't work move on...
I'll know if I love a soap straight off the bat, the smell, the performance, the feel. If it makes me feel great, it is great…
Some soaps /creams like Tabac come into season and go out of season, some like MWF are no more, some like Proraso Green, or TOBS Lavender / grapefruit / lemon and lime are used every other week, and some like Arko are used on several days a week. All of these make me feel great but Im not "a one soap kinda guy", I like variety.
Most of my favourite soaps / creams didn't take me long to learn to use, sure they are all slightly different, but for me if it's difficult I will give it several days to work it out, and at the end I will either keep it or move on.
Life is to short to be worrying about shaving soaps….love it or leave it….
In anticipation of tomorrow's shave I just unpacked and opened it. I actually lived the smell, but of course I haven't lathered it yet.
As I said, I bought it as an impulse but because so many people raved about it. Only after did I come across the critiques lol
That being said.. We'll see :)
I love Tabac btw and use it every chance I get. Only had it for 2 months didn't tire yet from it.
It's a great job we are all slightly different or their would only be a couple of soaps to buy… Long live the difference, long live lots of soaps and creams to try…Quote:
Originally Posted by ffarouki
enjoy :)
I just tried it.. I really want to contain my excitement lest I regret it later. I really liked it. I think the smell is wonderful and it lathered effortlessly.
I believe I have hard water. But with a badger just gave it a few swirls and.. Cream. Strange huh?
Reason I say contain my excitement is maybe that's because it's first use? Could soaps lather less over time?
Thing is just as I opened wrapping paper I felt that the puck was soft not hard at all. It eve. Flaked a little in my fingers. So I had a feeling it wouldn't be trouble to lather. Performed just like my Tabac or any other soaps.
But I found it to be thirsty. So much for those who said use a drier brush etc.
Anyway, I am happy. Will try it again tomorrow.
Ok.. What's next?
If you are on a soap kick and are asking what to buy next the possibilities are endless. You could go for broke and try the pricey MdC which gets just rave reviews. I have the regular scent version and it is good soap, smells a bit like Noxzema to me.Quote:
Originally Posted by ffarouki
Fitjars makes some very nice soaps too in a variety of scents. Their Slatteroy has a warm and spicey scent to me which is not overbearing and lathers well.
Just got some of the new Vallobra puck soap in Patchouli. The scent again is not overbearing and it too lathers well. Think I'll put that on deck for tomorrows shave come to think of it.
Have fun.
Bob
Folks.. It's evening now, spent the whole day outdoors in the sun walked sweated and my face has NEVER felt better!! Zero razor burn, so smooth and supple and I am not imagining it because I had low to no expectations. This MWF is one special soap I am excited to be trying again.
BobH I looked up MDC luckily I doubt it is in sale in the UK hehe strange I just came across it now, you're right I read about them seems like got everyone talking.
That's good that the MWF worked out so well for you. Yea, MdC is all the rage right now for sure. I have and use it but still have reservations on the cost of it. I find it is very good soap but I believe I will stick to others soaps in the future that offer almost the same performance at 1/3 the cost. That is just me though.
Bob
I agree with you.. I wouldn't spend that much on 1 soap when I can have the opportunity to try 2-3 instead. But I am also new, only have the ones pictured above.. So the guilty feeling didn't set yet, although I must say I bought them in very quick succession I should slow down.
But yes, please recommend more lol
I like them both , I guess I know how to use the MWF because I'm not chucking it in the shower. Tc
Load the brush for about 30secs then I lather in a Dirty Bird scuttle use plenty of water as well. I also have hard water here so add a couple of pinches of citric acid to a wash basin full of water. I find this one of my best soaps but others disagree if you find it doesn't work for you i'm willing to accept a very early Christmas present!!Quote:
Originally Posted by ffarouki
Haha you seem not to have read entire thread. Tried it, lathered easily like any of my soaps, loved it and I'm keepin' it
Yep need to read in detail before answering, reminds me of my school exam results, soooo long ago!!Quote:
Originally Posted by ffarouki
by the way don't know where you get your MWF from but this is where I get mine
MITCHELL'S WOOL FAT SOAP RANGE
You want a real eye opener of how good some inexpensive shave soaps can be? Then you owe it to yourself to get a Palmolive shave stick and an Arko shave stick. You can't go wrong for 50p Palmolive Shave Stick 50G - Groceries - Tesco Groceries .Quote:
Originally Posted by ffarouki
Bob
Yes to both, really good value I think for me the ARKO just edges it. They are great for travel they both fit in a shaving brush tube.Quote:
Originally Posted by BobH
You know if I could wander down to my local grocery store and buy a Palmolive shave stick for less than $1.00 CAD to use with a $10.00 CAD Omega 10066 boar brush I could easily shave the rest of my life with just that combination. Sometimes I think/know we get just a little carried away with our hobby. Then again variety is the spice of life but costly if it involves divorce.
Bob
Not liking to have to make too m any decisions early in the morning I would first put a few drops of glycerin in a shave bowl and then use a little of each for a great lather and shave (depending on your water hardness or softness.) Half of my enjoyment shaving is concocting an uber lather with MWF as the only stable soap. Some lemons, but generally a lot of fun.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Anthony1954
I just got rid of all my soaps yesterday, the only one I kept and will continue to use is ARKO. Made by the Turkish god of soaps himself…lol
Got my eyes on Le Pere Lucien any approvals?
