Thread: MWF puck looks like a dry crakced desert floor.

Originally Posted by zappbrannigan

That being said, I still wasn't too happy with the lather, but that's another story.

I've done the same, grated it up with a fine cheese grater, pressed the shavings into a puck form, and used it. Mine looks like a desert floor too, all cracked and dry. I have the cool looking overpriced ceramic bowl and lid. I know guys swear by this soap, and I've tried every way possible, including loading the brush upside down, so the lather penetrates deep inside the bristles. I was unaware of the heat thing. That's good to know.
MWF is a good soap, I love their bath and hand soap. but was never really blown away with the shave soap, great moisturising, and conditioning, but lather...ehhh. Not like MDC for instance.

9x out of 10, I wind up doing Glen's "Lanolin Overload" with it.
a squirt of Musgo Real + 5 drops of Glycerin. Works great. MWF is just a tad thin for me on it's own. Of course, YMMV.

+1 to the lather issue with MWF.

With other soaps I get what I can describe as "lather." With MWF the best I get is what I can describe as "really runny liquid soap with some bubbles in it." It still works great, but I think some people (depending on their water, etc.) may have to grudgingly accept that the "lather" with MWF just might not be the expanding frothy lather as we've come to expect from soaps.

Actually, when I do get the expanding frothy lather with MWF I know I don't have enough soap loaded because MWF lather that looks like great lather is as ephemeral and fleeting as a Kardashian.

Originally Posted by Jimbo7

+1 to the lather issue with MWF.

With other soaps I get what I can describe as "lather." With MWF the best I get is what I can describe as "really runny liquid soap with some bubbles in it." It still works great, but I think some people (depending on their water, etc.) may have to grudgingly accept that the "lather" with MWF just might not be the expanding frothy lather as we've come to expect from soaps.

Actually, when I do get the expanding frothy lather with MWF I know I don't have enough soap loaded because MWF lather that looks like great lather is as ephemeral and fleeting as a Kardashian.

Obviously factors like water quality and lathering technique will come into play, but that isn't the lather I get from MWF at all. Mine is a dense and creamy as any other soap including Tabac (just not as easy to lather).

When I first started using it I did experience the light frothy foam that you refer to. For me two things helped turn MWF from an okay soap to an outstanding one:

1. Presoak the puck with a tablespoon or more water (on top of the puck) and load the brush. And I mean REALLY load it.
2. The soapy water that sat on top of the puck for the presoak? - Save it and use that to hydrate your lather instead of plain tap water

Try that out and see if it works for you. You can also try Mantic59's upside down trick (I don't bother), but if it just isn't happening it could very well be a water issue.

Originally Posted by Ryan82

Obviously factors like water quality and lathering technique will come into play, but that isn't the lather I get from MWF at all. Mine is a dense and creamy as any other soap including Tabac (just not as easy to lather).

When I first started using it I did experience the light frothy foam that you refer to. For me two things helped turn MWF from an okay soap to an outstanding one:

1. Presoak the puck with a tablespoon or more water (on top of the puck) and load the brush. And I mean REALLY load it.
2. The soapy water that sat on top of the puck for the presoak? - Save it and use that to hydrate your lather instead of plain tap water

Try that out and see if it works for you. You can also try Mantic59's upside down trick (I don't bother), but if it just isn't happening it could very well be a water issue.

Don't get me wrong, I have no complaints with its performance, it just doesn't seem to act quite the same as anything else. I think it's a water thing for me, but I think a lot of people who are disenchanted with MWF are that way because they are looking for it to do something that it doesn't do for everyone. In my opinion, you don't need mounds of gorgeous lather with it (or anything for that matter) to get the job done.

What you say is absolutely true...for anyone having trouble with MWF, the first step in troubleshooting should be to load the brush about 5 times more than you think you need to. Then load it some more. I also get the best results with face lathering. Great stuff.

by soaking the puck then letting it sit out you are causing it too dry out...but no worries cuz it wont hurt it!

While I've had no issues in using the soap I'd bought just a puck and it was too big for the designated container, so, like with the Speick and Palmove sticks I grated to use as pucks, I grabbed my Zyliss grater. This works very well for dry soaps but Mitchell's is so gooey with the lanolin it was a PITA to get it done. Clogged the grater tube but good! I ended up dumping what I'd grated into the container and then sliced the rest of the half puck like cheese and pressed it altogether. Not elegant but worked fine in the end. Meanwhile, I have the other half of the puck re-wrapped in the box. If I had to do it over, I would have simply carved the perimeter to make it fit in the container and pressed the shavings on top.

For you guys with lather problems, just wet the tip of your brush and try face lather. If it's dry, just add a little more. It's a fine line between superb lather and wet bubbles. But it's an easy fine line to stay on the proper side of. I don't know how it would work in a bowl or hand lathering, as I don't do that.

But it is a superb (and fast) face lathering soap in my medium-hard water. I haven't even attemped it in my parents' softened water when i'm visiting, i'm afraid it might explode.

(FWIW, my cake often gets drought-like cracks, too. I don't pay any attention to it.)