oh.. that's a deal..
Printable View
oh.. that's a deal..
Hmm, I've got a sample of MWF that I have yet to use. Maybe I'll break it out for my next shave.
I just received my first bowl of MWF yesterday from Bullgoose. I'll give it a try asap.
I bought the refill version to start out with ( to save $$ ). I actually like MWF so much that I may buy the bowl version next time. I was just starting out, so I learned how to lather with MWF. It has a mild scent, does not irritate the nostrils if some gets in there, seems to lather up well. What else can you ask for in a shave soap? Maybe lower the price some.:)
Rather than start a new thread, I figured I would ask my MWF questions here:
1. Can Mitchell's Wool Fat be melted into a soap dish I have or is that a no-no with this soap?
2. Can Mitchell's Wool Fat be used to make uberlather. For instance, mixing some CarrieM cream with the MWF to give it a better fragrance?
I finally got my puck of MWF in the mail yesterday from SRD. Lightning fast shipping by the way. :tu
Anyway, I built a lather with no problem and off I went. I'll just say that I am totally hooked! I can see what all the hype is about with this soap. The razor just slid over my skin with no biting at all.
I will say that my lather was drying on my face a little bit, so that could be my bad. I'll also say that my skin felt kind of dry after whereas mamabear's soaps leave my skin moist.
No matter, I can't see myself using another soap any time soon.
I've noticed that MWF works better for me with a bit more water than other soaps, as long as I add that water very gradually.
Now, here's where you'll all think I've gone crazy unless you're that sort of crazy, too - I normally, by reason of body mechanics or perhaps personal peculiarities, rotate the brush in a counter-clockwise direction because I hold the bowl low and the brush with the bristles sticking out the thumb side of a fist. If ... I find myself at the point that I seem to be creating fizzy froth, not lather, and I reverse rotation of the brush, the lather smooths out in a few circuits like magic. It works so well that if with any soap or cream I seem to be creating froth, I instinctively change direction of the "beating" regardless of which direction I'd started.
You know you're going to try it next time you shave, don't you? :rofl2:
A correction, wherein I quickly refute in toto my previous post:
I happened on a video narrated in Spanish (which I do not speak or understand past picking up some words occasionally, thankfully none of which words were used in the production of that video), and the demonstrator gently but firmly squeezed the brush nearly dry after soaking and proceeded to produce a lather deserving of praise. I tried it and found that he was right, and I dead wrong.
Suffice to say that a bit of tinkering with MWF can yield rewards exceeding the effort you expended. I'll still hold to the swirl/counterswirl being worth the effort, as it works with both methods. I'll be sending off an order to Connaught for several pucks of MWF, but first I must let my credit card rest as it's showing signs of fatigue. It's a wise man who considers the health of his servants as foremost.
+1 on tinkering. Heck +101 on tinkering...
Just before tossing what seems like a second rate
soap tinker, tinker, tinker. Each time I do I learn something
and generally find that it is not second rate soap but that my
method was. This is not to say that all shave soaps
can rise to the heights of the best but all can be improved
and sometimes the old dog soap teaches me something that
makes a premium shave soap or cream work even better.
BTW:
I am looking for some spare Boddingtons to lather with.
If anyone has a couple ten cases to send my way please do.
I am sure that anything that foams up so well can improve
a lather. For some reason I never seem to have any
left over to tinker with.
If someone could come up with a soap that performs like MWF but actually smelled good it would be my wish come true. I realize that the appreciation of scent is highly subjective. To me it smells like the 60's. And not in a good way. Nevertheless, I use it at least a couple of times a week because it's just so darn nice to shave with. It Ubers nicely too.
I am thinking I need to buy a puck of MWF. I think I recall seeing somplace where one can get samples of it.
Don't bother with the sample of this one. Get the whole puck, you will not regret it.
If you are new to soaps (judging purely by your join date, correct me if I am wrong) another popular soap is Tabac. I would also recommend a cream such as Castle Forbes or the Bomb.
Even a single puck of MWF lasts ages. I have had one for nearly 3 months and hardly made a dent with regular use. If you're going to get 2 types remember variety is the spice of life.
Thanks.. I am not new DE razors been doing that for a long time now. I am just new to SRP and using straight razors. I have several soaps and creams I am trying.. I am not so wild about Williams.. I can say I do like the Arko , Llider and Musgo Real creams very well.
Richard
Williams is 180 degrees away from any shave cream.
If you like shave creams Williams is not going to meet
expectations quickly or at all. Williams is sort of like a Huffy bicycle
that you get for kids before they are old enough to get a
skinny tire bike.
If you are a fan of shave creams then you should know that MWF is
not a shave cream. It is a fine well balanced tallow based soap
with additions that make for a very fine shave soap. It is also not
alone in this regard.
I would have you look at some of the finer shave creams instead.
Do check out: Proraso Shaving Cream, Taylor of Old Bond Street
Shaving Cream, Castle Forbes Travel Size Essential Oils
Shaving Creams and D.R. Harris Shaving Cream and more.
The travel size shave products are important to hunt down in this day
and age.
If you want to try shave soaps (and you should) take advantage of
the fact that the refill pucks are less expensive than the puck
in the fancy ceramic or wood bowel. At the low price end you will
find Williams, Col. Conk (glycerin) and Van Der Hagen soaps all of which
can be worked into a good lather. Many folk ``uberize'' them with
the addition of a dab of shave cream and glycerin.
On sale Tabac is not expensive and is one of the easiest to
lather soaps. Put it on a list....
There is a long list of glycerine based shave soaps. These are
inexpensive and have the richest range of fragrances. The better
ones use better essential oils and such. Some of these lather
like a dream. Check the sponsors as they pop up on the sides of
this forum. These soaps melt at a temp lower than boiling water so the
container can be your choice. Just do not cook off the fragrance
with too much heat or time. Just melt enough to glue the
remaining lump in place.... Some come in a plastic tub, some
are in a puck.
At the higher end are the hard triple milled soaps. Some of
the fragrances are classic tried and true: D.R. Harris Shaving Soap,
Mitchell's Wool Fat, Truefitt & Hill, Penhaligon's, Taylor of Old Bond Street
and more. The sleeper in the hard milled soap race for me was
the Art of Shaving (fragrance free) in the local mall.
Because there are so many choices I first give the
fragrance free version a try. If the soap base
lathers and shaves well then I try more versions or a
sampler.
A puck of quality triple milled soap lasts and lasts and lasts...
and lasts.
Thanks for the help on soaps and creams. I like using different kinds when I can. There is so much to choose from out there it can get a bit overwhelming.
I do like to use both soap and creams depends on the day and my mood. Some months ago I did try some samples of Truefitt & Hill. Fantastic stuff I must say..... MWF is obviously on the to try list next.
Richard
i think it's been said before.. but why bother with the sample? i can't think of anyone ever not liking mwf... i think the closest to a complaint i've even seen has said something along the lines of "doesn't smell as exciting as i'd like it to"
i suppose you make a good point.. is lanolin ever known to irritate anyone's skin? or would it just be preference?
Yes.... not too many but yes some do not do well with lanolin.
It is use in a lot of products so it is not a common or big time
problem but since skin gets abused by shaving what might be fine
on hands may not be OK as a shave soap.
In the case of MWF lanolin is added in moderation. But if
you are allergic any can be too much. Since lanolin is so
common most folk with a problem have already discovered
that fact and that some lotions do not give relief. These folk
for the most part are now precise students of reading lists
of ingredients.
A web search will turn up some "horror stories" .....
Short answer is yes. Plenty of irritation in my case. MWF was quite a bad offender, although it didn't appear to be so.
I've used other soap containing lanolin, such as Creed and the overall effect was less serious than MWF. I don't know why but perhaps my skin got used to the Creed after a while.
Finally ordered some MWF, it should be here by Monday.
Richard
I lived in London for thirty years, and was convinced all soaps were useless. It was only when I moved back to Lancashire (next door to Yorkshire) where the water is unbelievably soft, that MWF came into its own. The water here makes better tea too.... as long as you don't use the same mug!
If you live in a hard water area, maybe a drop or two of glycerin, which is distilled fat, in the hot water will help. If you miss an exotic smell with MWF, a couple of drips from an eyedropper of sandalwood essential oil or geranium/rosemary/verbena/etc in the mug makes everything "sensually gratifying"
:OTDoes anyone know if the Mitchell's Wool Fat ceramic tub can be purchased anywhere without the soap? I purchased a MWF puck and have it in my own ceramic soap dish, but I just really like the looks of the MWF tub. In retrospect, I should have just sprung for the two together.
save up and get the package.. that way you'll have a backup puck once your initial puck finally gives in.. i've heard that could take a year or something.. but at least you'll be prepared.
Gentlemen:
To my knowledge the Mitchell's Wool Fat soap container is not sold individually; rather, only with the soap.
I suggest, therefore, to save the money and the next time to buy the two as a set. It is good soap and worth using.
Regards,
Obie
That is what I did.
I tried the refill and liked it so much I bought the
package and and an extra refill too. I moved the puck
I had in a plastic tub into the nice new ceramic dish
after moving the new puck out into a zip lock bag.
I did not need to get the refill so soon it does last.....
and last and....
Same is true for Tabac. Both are great soaps in a
fine little dish.