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Hi, I live in London (UK) and we have hard water
I want to try out Mitchell's Wool Fat shaving soap. Will I still be able to acheive a good lather with some experimenting, despite the hardness of the water?
Are there any tips for acheiving a good lather with hard water...
Thanks
Hotter water :p , I live in the wilds of Nth Idaho and use well water (very hard) The water you start with should be as hot as your fingers can handle that seems to help, so does putting a few tablespoons of the hot water on top of the puck of soap for a few minutes before starting....
You could use distilled or deionized water to form your lather to asses the effect of your tap water on lather formation.
Al raz.
Soften the puck with some water prior to loading your brush. Leave the brush pretty wet and then load. I prefer face-lathering and never have a problem creating a nice lather with MWF using this method.
I had trouble with MWF at first (Londoner here too). But two completely different methods worked well when I tried them:
1) After soaking the brush, squeeze it dry, flick it to make it even drier. Then work the brush vigorously into the soap, loading it up like crazy. Then you can add water and make the actual lather in a mixing bowl/hand/face.
Or:
2) After soaking the brush keep it really wet. Just allow any excess to run out while you hold the brush still. Maybe a tiny flick if you must. Then work the brush into the soap while pumping the brush frequently. You need the water to dissolve the soap and then suck the soapy water back into the brush. So keep pumping, the brush will load with soap eventually. Then make the actual lather in a mixing bowl/hand/face.
What DOESN'T work is running a wet brush gently around the puck of soap.:gl:
Never run any brush gently around any puck of soap!!!:nono:Quote:
Originally Posted by Rajagra
Load her up boys!
I know this sounds ignorant but what does 'pumping the brush' mean??
Pushing the brush into the soap so the bristles splay out, then lifting again.Quote:
Originally Posted by newstraight
Roughly what Mantic59 does 30s into this video (except he's doing it upside-down with the soap in his hand!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8N0C1...e=channel_page
Thanks for starting this post - I found it quite useful.
I have some vouchers to use at John Lewis and am now considering the Kent soap and bowl, which as you know is MWF in a wooden bowl.
Is there any difference between the two?
To the posters from London that have described their lathering techniques with this soap, what do you have - the Kent or MWF in the ceramic bowl?
I have the boxed MWF. I didn't know Kent did a rebranded version.Quote:
Originally Posted by rum
http://www.g-ray.co.uk/pictures/mitchell.JPG
Yep, they sure do:Quote:
Originally Posted by Rajagra
http://www.mistrys.co.uk/images/imag...2.JPG_4132.jpg
Quote:
Originally Posted by rum
Which is what I have. I've also got a boar brush on order to experiment with. Thanks for the thread also. Very helpful.
I had no idea MWF/Kent was that popular. I wonder which of the two labels people tend to recognise more? Hmm... might be time for a poll!!
Ray has it right here - these two extremes work well with MWF in my experience. I personally use no. 1, but no. 2 has worked as well, and method no. 2 is the most reliable way to avoid the tendency of a great starting-out MWF lather to pull it's well-known "disappearing act" during a pass.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rajagra
I used to see a lot of discussions over on B&B about MWF not working in hard water. and I used to believe it at one time. MWF is a great soap that provides tremendous closeness and slickness, and it's in my top handful of soaps. For pure closeness, it may even be the very best.
But to be honest, in my experience, MWF just plain requires more brush work and soap charging than other brands, and needs more water than you'd expect to hit it's sweet spot. The two approaches Ray lists are perfect bookends, approaching the problem form both the "dry end" and the "wet end." I don't think water hardness really enters into it at all. Follow the good suggestions I've seen throughout this thread and you'll whip it into submission, no worries.:tu
I just had my first "test lather": with MWF last night.
One thing I noticed about MWF is that it seems to be different in regards to water ratio.
What I mean is that with most soaps, if you are under hydrated, the soap won't "peak", and it will be more "pasty" and thick, and then if you over hydrate, it gets very bubbly.
With the MWF it seems that it quickly gets to a frothy bubbly state, which would normally indicate that it is fully hydrated. I painted some on my cheek to see how it held up--and it dried out fairly quickly. However, I found that by adding more water, it then added richness as fullness to the lather.
So, play around with your water ratios, as it seems that MWF is a beast of a different sort than the others I've tried. Try a bit more water than you usually would and see what that does to the lather.
I certainly had no issues getting mounds of lather with the Fat. I liked the clean, soapy scent too.:tu
For me, the scent is the best thing going for it. I think there's a lot of hype as to how well it works on your skin, etc. that isn't justified, but the scent is a strong point for me. That said, once my puck is gone, the scent won't be worth the price for me to re-order again. Tabac is cheaper, works just as well and while some hate the scent, I love it just as much as the MWF even though they're entirely different.Quote:
Originally Posted by Seraphim
Eric
I agree that MWF isn't a wonder-soap, head and shoulders above all others. But it does rank up there alongside the best soaps. For me, Tabac, Irish Moos, Valobra, and MWF are all top notch performers with only slight differences in texture, cushion, closeness, etc.
ALthough I do have to say there is something a bit different about the lather with MWF, it's just a bit different than the rest.
I may retract my previous statement, as I'm really liking the Fat after a couple of shaves!
Getting loads of lather has never been an issue, dialing in the right consistancy is a biy more tricky.
Last night's shave the first pass seemed like the lather was pretty good, but I added a bit more water for pass #2, and it really helped it hit the sweet spot. The lather went from fluffy (which to me usually means too much water to begin with), to rich and creamy and slick. As Fatboyslim says, it takes a bit more water than most soaps to really get it into "the zone".
I love the stuff!
Fresh washed sheets at a cottage in the English countryside in the late spring when you are just opening your eyes to the dappled sunlight twinkling through the green leafy branches swaying in the morning breeze, as the soft bleating of sheep in the meadow announce the coming of a new day.
http://straightrazorpalace.com/attac...otd-032609.jpg
Had another nice MWF shave last night.
Again, I was a bit too timid with teh water to begin with. First pass was OK, nothing to write home (or SRP) about. After that, I gave it some more aqua, and BAM, the lather was rich and thick and juicey...yes, that's right JUICEY LATHER!
Had a similar experience yesterday, Seraphim. Amazing Friodur, by the way!
I usually face-lather. For the first time in a long time, on a lark I decided to lather MWF in a bowl. Don't know why, it just appealed to me. The first pass was OK, but I was too stingy with the water. Added "too much" water in the 2nd and 3rd passes, and wham! Fat, juicy lather. Lather just packed on the brush, splaying out the bristles.
When I was DE shaving, I preferred a thin, very dense, and fairly dry lather. Face lathering allowed me to control that very tightly. With the straight and the feather-light pressure I've been trying to learn, slickness is at a premium. MWF in a bowl allows me to whip hell out of it to get a great mix, without battering my face, And it holds all that moisture and slickness, with nice volume. Great stuff.
I do like Glen and drop about a tbsp of hot water on my MWF before my shower. After the shower, I dump that water from the MWF into my mixing mug. I shake the water from my brush (it soaked during the shower), wrap my thumb and forefinger around the bristles to keep them tight and stiff, and scrub it on the top of the softened MWF to load. Then I move the brush to the mug and swirl and pump holding the handle, adding hot water a tsp at a time until the lather is just right. I, too, like it a little wetter than normal.
For you guys who love the MWF, you should do a search on the ebay.co.uk when you need a top up.
I've seen it up for sale for £4 but not at present I'm sorry to say.
I prefer Floris but I do agree MWF/Kent its one of the remaining greats in the soap world.
I think that Floris, MWF and Tobac all do what they say on the tin. T&H is hanging in their, but the rest have lost the plot. Either the reformulations are poor soaps or the scents have gone sweet and synthetic.
Their are others out there, AOS and a couple of French soaps but I think they are grossly overpriced. I got my Floris at half price otherwise I would have left it on the shelf. Its only a good bar of tripple milled soap after all.
The worst soap I've found for hard water is the D R Harris product. Another soap loved by many but for me, I go down the local sports centre when I need a work out. I don't expect to have one lathering my soap in the morning.
Happy lathering all.
Hi, I have found the best way to use the MWF is to use it as you would a shave stick; Moisten the surface of the puck with water and rub onto face, re-wetting as needed, followed by face lathering. If the MWF is used conventonally the lather can be stabilised with a small (pea sized) amount of shaving cream - I use Musgo Real, and the disappearing lather syndrome is gone.
I have very hard water and for a while gave up on MWF, lately I have tried a somewhat scratchy pure brush and even a cheap boar brush with good results face lathering. I am still not convinced that it is that much better then other soaps but I'll reserve final judgement until I use it up.... whenever that may be.
Maybe it's because I have a water softener but I just use it like any other soap w/o any problem. I just rub a reasonably wet brush on it then face lather. Works with my Omega boar brush, my Rooney, and my Shavemac.
I am just about out of my supply of MWF and in a scuttle Ive had Valobra soft almond soap which was nearly finished also.I took the Valobra out of the scuttle and shoved it in along with the MWF and I may be wrong but I'm sure I got a much better lather.It was so creamy and lasted for three passes without running out dispite using plenty water dips or maybe I'm just getting better at soaping my brush.I'm looking forward to trying the Tabac soap I've got on order after the reviews Iv'e read here though.
Now I havent shaved with MWF yet but have tried about three practice lathers. I seem to be getting it to lather ok and it goes from...as Seraphim said...bubbly to smooth and back to bubbly if i add to much water. My question is then is the perfect MWF lather a bit thinner and airier than say tabac which when i lather correct is really creamy and thick. hopefully trying it tonight for a shave not just practice.