Thread: Frustrated with "THE FAT"

I have become pretty competent with a shaving brush and soaps. I have several quality soaps and enjoy them all but MWF has become my nemesis as of late. The scent is an intoxicating addiction and the performance is hit and miss for me.

I have experimented with different brushes and settled on my Semogue 2000 boar because it burns through hard pucks with ease and holds a lot of lather. Living in Idaho, I know I have fairly soft water and have had no problem lathering the FAT. I have settled on a 90 second brush to puck lather time. Soak the 2000 in warm water and then shake it out. Face lather to a sticky paste and add water by dipping the brush until I get a bubble free, thick lather.

The results:

Sometimes slick and wonderful. Sometimes it's all show and no slickness.

I have had some fantastic shaves and some of the worst shaves ever. It is obvious that I need to dial in my procedure but am currently at a loss as to "HOW".

I want to love this soap but am at the end of my patience. Any suggestions?

Try loading the brush for only 60-70 seconds and add more water. When a cream/soap isn't as slick as it should be, the reason is usually a lack of water. IMO, lather is too wet only when it starts running down your face.

I agree with CZ. I sometimes do not get enough water to the soap and it goes on pasty. I know then I need to really add the water to get it up to that fluffy creamy texture it should be.

My MWF is a staple in my soap collection. Between that and Poraso I could be happy alone. I do have some artisan soaps that I like too but the MWF like I stated a real nice soap to have on hand. And yes, I too love that soft subtle scent it emits for sure. Almost smells like a baby powder to a degree and gives one that tranquil well being feel.

Originally Posted by CZMark

Try loading the brush for only 60-70 seconds and add more water. When a cream/soap isn't as slick as it should be, the reason is usually a lack of water. IMO, lather is too wet only when it starts running down your face.

I have used THE FAT for the last 3 shaves and I believe I have dialed it in. CZMARK, you called it! With every shave I started with a slightly wetter brush and last night's shave was awesome. Not quite as slick as my beloved Tabac, but slick enough and tons of cushion. Probably my favorite scent of all the soaps I have tried. I believe that a finicky soap such as Mitchell's Wool fat needs several consecutive uses to figure out. It is obvious to me that using it once a week in rotation has hampered my ability to dial it in.

Some people love it, whatever. I personally found MWF to both smell terrible and perform worse. With all the absolute soap/cream gems out there to choose from, I don't have the patience or the need to figure out the nuances of it. Besides, I can't stand the scent. Unless you are in love with the scent, I say dump it if you're having trouble with it. There's a lot of other stuff out there to choose from that won't test your patience.

Originally Posted by OCDshaver

Some people love it, whatever. I personally found MWF to both smell terrible and perform worse. With all the absolute soap/cream gems out there to choose from, I don't have the patience or the need to figure out the nuances of it. Besides, I can't stand the scent. Unless you are in love with the scent, I say dump it if you're having trouble with it. There's a lot of other stuff out there to choose from that won't test your patience.

I completely understand your view on the matter, although I personally like the scent. Fragrance is obviously a very personal matter. We are all different. As for figuring out the "nuances", that's part of the attraction for many of us. If I didn't appreciate a challenge I would not have gone through the trials and tribulations of learning how to shave with and maintain straight razors.

To each their own.

Had the same reaction to MWF and could not figure out what everybody saw in it, until I soaked it in water over night.

Filled the tub with water and put the lid on, the next morning it worked fine. After that just flooded with water as soon as it started to dry out and not perform as easily.

I am sure water hardness plays a big part, but soaking works for me. I don’t like the smell though, MCD is much better…

It's no secret MWF needs more water then most soaps. Once you realize that you shouldn't have any trouble getting a proper lather from it. As to the scent, it's no designer scent just a pleasant one unless you don't like it of course. I think what sets it apart from other soaps is it's a really good performer but it's scent doesn't match the performance.

MWF doesn't lather very good with hard water, but it needs lots of water to make lather. Swirl, add water, swirl, add water.

I just used the fat today. First off grate it like cheese and press it. That will help immensely.

Second, I have found that hot water is counterproductive. I use cold water but I am sure warm would still be fine. I think it has something to do with the lanolin not being able to handle the heat.

Third, it is a stiff soap so it needs a stiff brush. You can use a very soft awesome badger if you want but you should choke up on the knot to give it some backbone.

Fourth: Use less soap. I swirl for maybe 20 seconds with a somewhat moist brush. I will start to build lather in my bowl and then when I figure it has gotten as get as its going to get at the current water to soap ratio I add a few more drizzles from the tap. I repeat this process till I get it to where I want. Sometimes it takes forever to get a good lather sometimes it doesn't but regardless it is worth it. I never use MWF if I am in a hurry though so it has become my relaxation shave soap.

Remember test and experiment with the amount of soap you load and water you use because YMMV. Hope all works out.