First shave with a soap (Mike's Natural)

[P_Manahan]

Hey all,

Today I had my first go-round with a shaving soap. I used Mike's Natural Lemongrass & Eucalyptus, the scent of which is AWESOME. In the last couple weeks I've purchased my first DE (EJ 89LBL), a healthy selection of creams and soaps- Jack Black Supreme Cream, TOBS Cream Sample Pack from MensBiz, 10 QCS samples, 2 tins of Mike's (Lemongrass/Eucalyptus and Peppermint/Rosemary)- a Semogue 1305 (my first brush), and based on what people have said on here I grabbed a 1949 Gillette SuperSpeed for a very reasonable price on eBay. That said, it's been a great time and I'm happy now to relax and enjoy it all.

Regarding today's shave, using my brush I wasn't able to whip up the ideal meringue-y lather, and would love some pointers from experienced Mike's users as to the best way to achieve that. Had a very enjoyable shave anyway, it was my first time using the soap, brush and '49 SS. Can't wait to do it again! Thanks for the input, glad to be a member of the community

 

[noahpictures]

Congrats on the great gear! It takes a while for a boar brush to break in. I just bought a Semogue 620 and have been using it this way until it breaks in:

1. Soak most of the brush bristles in warm water for a few minutes.
2. Pour a teaspoon of warm water on the soap.
3. Load up the brush for about 20 to 30 seconds.
4. Face lather.
5. Load up brush if necessary after each pass.

It takes about a month to break in most boar brushes.

 

[FreddyG]

Take the brush, soak it in hot water for 30 seconds and shake it twice. I use a badger and 20-30 seconds of loading the brush works out fine. Less water and more product is the key. Don't worry so much about the looks of the lather just get enough product on your face to provide slickness and comfort. Even the worst lathers with Mike's beats some of the best lathers of other brands.

 

[FreddyG]

Congrats on the great gear! It takes a while for a boar brush to break in. I just bought a Semogue 620 and have been using it this way until it breaks in:

1. Soak most of the brush bristles in warm water for a few minutes.
2. Pour a teaspoon of warm water on the soap.
3. Load up the brush for about 20 to 30 seconds.
4. Face lather.
5. Load up brush if necessary after each pass.

It takes about a month to break in most boar brushes.

+ 1 hahaha

 

[Mandina]

Great soap to start with! Of course it depends on the characteristics of your water and brush, but I have to load Mike's for about 60 seconds (as I do for MWF and Pre de Provence, 10-25 seconds more than for, say, Cella, Razorock XXX, D.R. Harris, or Tabac). The pay off is very well worth it. Common B&B advice is to load a lot of product during the learning curve with a soap, and then adjust downward as you figure things out. I've loaded Mike's successfully with both the drier and wetter brush approaches, with the drier approach taking less time and using less soap for Mike's. Best of luck!

 

[mistercitizen]

Good advice here.... I'm new to using soaps too so I'm taking this all in.

Ben

 

[Cochese2323]

Welcome aboard. Looks like you're off to a great start with some quality products. As for tips with Mikes, I prefer to start with a wetter brush. Sure you might use more product than necessary, but I will gladly sacrifice extra product for a quality shave vs saving a couple cents and having my lather dry out or be too thin.

Don't be afraid to practice making lather either. Again could be considered a waste of product but, if a couple practice lathers save you a couple sub-par shaves, I think it would be worth the maybe $0.50 cents washed down the drain.

 

[jazzguy]

You got some good advice here. Remember that soap is cheap so load a lot of it. I know I've probably got more than enough when I see lather starting to form on top of the puck. Don't be afraid of lather that's more like yogurt than meringue. I found I like that better but that's YMMV territory.

 

[shave~extacy]

Mikes is the best soap I have ever used and will be the only soap I use after the others run out.

 

[P_Manahan]

Thanks for all the pointers, my next shave is sure to be far more successful and enjoyable. Thanks!

 

[redrako]

You're off to a great start with both hardware and software. As other's have said your Semogue 1305 will take time to break in. You should see noticeable improvement from week to week as the knot opens up and the bristles split.

Regarding Mike's Natural soaps, I too am a big fan. I almost always lather with Semogue boars (1305, 1800, 1250, 1470) which are well soaked, 4-5 minutes while I shower, apply a glycerin soap pre-shave and brush my teeth. IMO, It's worth soaking your new boar brush for a bit longer to help soften the bristles. Additionally, but sure to only soak the knot and not the wood handle.

I'm off the camp to start off with a dryer brush, spinning the brush for about 60 seconds while dipping the brush tips in sink water once or twice. I then swirl and paint the lather on my face continuing to build lather and sometimes adding a bit more water. The key for me it to add water slowly to a well-loaded brush.

My experience with boars is that they are not pleasant to build lather with in the beginning, but once broken in are simply superb with a lovely mixture of backbone and soft face feel. Good things come to those who wait.

Congratulations on starting with such a good kit, take your time, reflect on how your lathering and you'll see marked improvement.

 

[brucered]

Mikes is the best soap I have ever used and will be the only soap I use after the others run out.

let us know how that goes when some new artisans or soaps hit the market and everyone says how amazing they are Jabonman comes to mind, but there will be others, guaranteed

 

[shave~extacy]

Ill gladly try them