i was wondering what would be the best way to load your brush with murphy and mcniel soaps as it is a much softer soap if i try to load it straight off the puck it doesnt seem to load right. for those of you who use this soap how exactly do you load your brush. any thoughts or tips would be helpful and aprecaited, i seem to be stuck on getting a good lather with soap atm.
murphy and mcniel lathering
- Thread starter newwetsahver
- Start date
I’ve got a little butter knife I use to scoop about a tsp or less of soap I either put directly on brush tips or in a scuttle and then lather up.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Hannah's Dad
I Can See Better Than Bigfoot.
I’ve got a very effective process:
1. Soak synthetic brush in hot water while you shower (or for a minute or so)
2. Shake briskly several times, leaving only a damp brush
3. Very gently swirl just the tips of the brush on the puck of soap, maybe only 3-5 times
4. Start painting/swirling on the face — it will seem very dry and pasty — apply to entire face and neck
5. Dip tips of brush in water and swirl around face and neck - I use a wooden salad bowl for the hot/warm water for dipping my brush
6. Repeat 5 till you’ve achieved a glorious lather
This process works 100% of the time for me, and I have hard water. The key is not to overload the brush with soap, and to slowly add water and friction.
Good luck and let us know your results!
1. Soak synthetic brush in hot water while you shower (or for a minute or so)
2. Shake briskly several times, leaving only a damp brush
3. Very gently swirl just the tips of the brush on the puck of soap, maybe only 3-5 times
4. Start painting/swirling on the face — it will seem very dry and pasty — apply to entire face and neck
5. Dip tips of brush in water and swirl around face and neck - I use a wooden salad bowl for the hot/warm water for dipping my brush
6. Repeat 5 till you’ve achieved a glorious lather
This process works 100% of the time for me, and I have hard water. The key is not to overload the brush with soap, and to slowly add water and friction.
Good luck and let us know your results!
Last edited:
I bowl lather rather than face lather as I like using a heated bowl for warm lather. For soaps soaps and creams, I use a demitasse spoon to scoop out the right amount of soap for the shave (about 1.5 grams). I then add 15 ml (1 Tablespoon) of hot water to the bowl and whip up a lather with a damp brush. It takes less than a minute to get a wonderful lather.
If I were to face lather, I would still scoop out the soap and apply it to the center of a damp brush and then add water slowly as I built the lather on my face.
Although Murphy and McNeil is a rookie artisan soapmaker, the soaps they have released are some of the best available in the market. I have evaluated a lot of soaps and rank M&M as one of the top artisans.
If I were to face lather, I would still scoop out the soap and apply it to the center of a damp brush and then add water slowly as I built the lather on my face.
Although Murphy and McNeil is a rookie artisan soapmaker, the soaps they have released are some of the best available in the market. I have evaluated a lot of soaps and rank M&M as one of the top artisans.
I take dry brush directly to tub and swirl about 10 seconds. Run loaded brush under warm water and go straight to my face. The lather literally explodes onto the brush. Did this exact thing just 2 hours ago with a tub of st James Gate. Between that and the the tub of claddagh, I should be set for a few years. It takes shockingly little soap to get 4-5 pass load on my 24mm yaqi 2 band st.
Hannah's Dad
I Can See Better Than Bigfoot.
Agree 100% about how little soap is used per shave. What an incredible soap.
Hannah's Dad
I Can See Better Than Bigfoot.
I agree that it’s important to let soaps dry out for 24 hours before replacing the lid. Just another step in the ritual!
With a soft soap, there is no need to bloom the soap. You can also scoop out some with some type of spatula, spoon, or even your finger. Thus, there is no need for water to ever contact the soap remaining the tub.
I am on day 3 of my M&M sample of the Trinity scent. I pressed the sample into an empty tub and began loading up per my usual with softer to medium firm soaps. Using a brush that had been soaking, I shake off excess water and begin loading directly from the soap. I was worried at first due to the softness of the soap on the first use, but it was fine. Once loaded to satisfaction, then I began to face lather. Adding water throughout to build the lather. I rinse of the soap quickly and leave out to air dry. It firms up a little more if you leave it out until the next days use. I probably have another 3-5 shaves left on this .5 oz sample. Not too bad considering the softness of the soap.
Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk
Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk
- Thread starter
- #11
so what would be the proper amount of soap? 1/4 of a teaspoon 1/2 a teaspoon. i dont believe i have a demitasse spoon anywhere. i do have measuring spoons tho
In liquid measure, a quarter teaspoon is about 1.25 ml. Thus, 1. 5 grams of product is going to be about a heaping quarter tsp. The reason I like a demitasse spoon rather than a teaspoon is that it is a lot easier to get the soap out of the demitasse spoon. A Popsicle stick works as well, but it is not as elegant.
- Thread starter
- #13
i tried using a 1/4 tsp to 1 tbsp of water today but my lather came out foamy, so i added to more 1/4 teaspoons to the mixutre and it seemed to thicken up, do you only use a 1/4 teaspoon in your mixture?
I find that boar brushes do a great job with these soaps. I also find that frequent use of the soap results in it performing best. Today I used a Kent BK8 brush and got a superb lather from it.
I do not try to measure accurately as I have gotten where I can eyeball it. The reason I say about 1.5 grams is that most soaps are about 4 oz per tub which is about 115 grams. However, Murphy & McNeil tubs contain 5.5 oz or 155 grams. Most soapmakers say you should be able to get about 90 shaves from a 4 oz tub. That works out to about 1.25 grams per shave. I always make enough soap for 4-5 passes, so I normally load something like 1.5 grams and get about 75 shaves per tub of most soaps (not that I have counted). That is why I said a heaping quarter teaspoon of soap per 1 Tablespoon of water. That is a 10 to 1 water to soap ratio. However, if you brush is too wet when you start lathering, the water in the brush might make the ratio higher. I do soak my brush while I am showering, but then I squeeze out a shake out as much water as I can so there is no excess water in the brush.
The 10 to 1 ratio is a guideline that seems to work for me, but you may need to adjust that for your preferences.
- Thread starter
- #16
ok, this makes sense. ill try to get most of the water outta the brush next time. i had my boar soakin while i showered and maybe there was too much residual moisture left in it. if i still get poor results after a few more shaves. ill up the ratio to half a teaspoon and see how that works out.
Remember that soap is expensive while water is cheap. Thus, rather than increasing your soap to 1/2 tsp, just start with less water. You can always add more a few drops at a time if you need it. You only need more soap if you do not have enough lather to make it through your entire shave. I normally have enough for three full passes, a fourth clean-up pass and then a little left over to use for face conditioning while I wash out my razor, bowl, and brush.
- Thread starter
- #18
thats a good point, will give that a try and see how it works out
