Thread: Did Mitchell's Wool Fat change its formula?

I bought a new puck of MWF before christmas. From the beginning, it started drying out immediately on my face. It also didn't last half as long as it normally does. I only shave every 3-4 days, so one puck of MWF usually lasts 6 months, easily.

Last week I got a refill, and the same thing has been happening. By the time I lift the brush up off the puck and start face lathering, it's already dried out completely. I have changed nothing else about my routine. I'm really disappointed, because MWF is (was?) hands down the best soap. Now I really don't think I can use it....

Has anyone else experienced this recently with MWF? Part of me wonders if westcoastshaving.com just got a bad batch from the manufacturer, but I think that's unlikely since I ordered them 5 months apart. Could be my water got extremely hard all of a sudden, but I don't know how hard it was before. Is it even possible for a major city's water supply to change it's hardness almost overnight?

Does the box still say "Original 1893 Formula?"

I haven't heard about any re formulation, and supposedly they've been using the same formula for over a century. But then again they probably wouldn't admit it if they did reformulate lol.

It's possible that you got a bad batch but unfortunately you wouldn't be able to tell unless you had another (presumably good) puck to compare it to.

I've gotten a new replacement puck within the last few months and it is the same old, same old ............ which is to say ......... GREAT ! Perhaps add a bit more water to your mix ? After the shave definitely cover the puck leaving a bit of moisture in it. I ruined a puck of MWF years ago by letting it dry overnight before covering it.

Since I rarely take anything for granted I usually add a few drops of glycerin to my lather. Some of the soaps I've used also dry out too fast and I now rarely use one singly. I make up an uber lather of basically MWF, Macca Root and a little of any of the other soaps I have plus a few drops of glycerin and maybe a dash of tree tea oil or Vit D. But I will say that when winter rolled around I found even the uber's were a little dryer than I expected. So, maybe when the weather warms up again things will revert back to preferred status.

Originally Posted by Druid

Does the box still say "Original 1893 Formula?"

Yes, but I really don't think that means anything. Companies learned long ago how to get around statements like that.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

I've gotten a new replacement puck within the last few months and it is the same old, same old ............ which is to say ......... GREAT ! Perhaps add a bit more water to your mix ? After the shave definitely cover the puck leaving a bit of moisture in it. I ruined a puck of MWF years ago by letting it dry overnight before covering it.

I've tried more water, including not shaking the brush all the way out, dipping the tip of the brush back in water and spreading it around the lather on my face, and using a spray bottle to spritz a little water directly on my face. Nothing has had an effect. I got the ceramic tub from westcoastshaving, it does have a lid and I always cover it.

Originally Posted by Razorfeld

Since I rarely take anything for granted I usually add a few drops of glycerin to my lather. Some of the soaps I've used also dry out too fast and I now rarely use one singly. I make up an uber lather of basically MWF, Macca Root and a little of any of the other soaps I have plus a few drops of glycerin and maybe a dash of tree tea oil or Vit D. But I will say that when winter rolled around I found even the uber's were a little dryer than I expected. So, maybe when the weather warms up again things will revert back to preferred status.

That's possible I guess. Here in Oklahoma it's already warmed up quite a bit, but the humidity is still low.

Adding glycerin is a good thought. I have some under the sink that hasn't been used in a while. I'll try that next time I shave.

I've always thought MWF had that quality. it seems I'm always adding more water to the brush as I use it. it can dry on the face pretty fast.

Out of the box thinking here..........Did you change shave brushes by chance? Just a thought, I just bought a finest badger knot and for whatever reason it doesn't seem to produce the lather that my other finest badger does. After I load it and lather, I will have to go back to the soap. Something about it kills lather.