First shave with Mitchell’s Wool Fat

[TexOkie Shaver]

I used MWF for the first time this morning. While the lather was an epic fail, I was very surprised by the slickness and more importantly how my skin felt all day. I’ll. Give it a shot again tomorrow but load more soap in the brush and use less water.

I used an oil preshave, which may have contributed to the fail, and my Rockwell 6S with the #4 plate and a Feather blade. I really felt like I could have used the #6 plate as slick as the soap was.

 

[Ad Astra]

It gets better with use! MWF thrives when it is the only soap in the rotation!

Skip that preshave and fire it up tomorrow. Load it like you hate it, and beat it like a gummint mule. It's a purely awesome soap.

AA

 

[Tomo]

The scent won’t win any prizes but it sure does give a good shave. My technique, for what it’s worth, is to grate a couple of weeks worth into a lather bowl and smash it down tight. Stir vigorously with a half wet brush until the right consistency is achieved. Works every time. The lather can go a bit dry with resting so you may need to wet the tips of your brush a bit before going back for more passes.

 

[MntnMan62]

MWF is a great soap. And because it's so hard, you need to load it for a bit. I load my brush for about 90 seconds. It's also great when you grate it down and combine it with another soap that is sort of similar (or used to be), Haslinger Schafmilch. 50%/50%. Better than the sum of the part. I call it Fat 'As.

 

[ScottChapin]

I think I bloomed mine on the second go around and never had trouble after that. It’s one soap where a boar brush is my go to, because it digs the soap out of the bowl.


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[rockviper]

..., I was very surprised by the slickness and more importantly how my skin felt all day....

Those two factors are BIG reasons, especially the latter, why so many people love da Fat. As mentioned already, MWF shines with continued daily usage.

 

[rally]

I'm around 25 shaves in with the Fat and I've learned a lot in my journey. The two big takeaways are 1) it is only foamy when it doesn't have enough water, and 2) you need to add an insane amount of water. I used to use very dry brushes and it would take 15 minutes for me to get a creamy lather because it needed that much water.

My most recent shave however, which was also my best lather to date, I used a pretty wet brush where it was just barely not dripping wet. 40 second load, painted it on my face, splayed the brush, added a lot of water, worked the water into the foam, and repeated until the foam thickened and got heavy. Took about 4-5 minutes and a whole lot of water and I had my best MWF lather to date.

I cannot stress enough how much water you need to add.

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[Rustyshackelford]

My recipe for success includes the following:

If you have the ceramic dish, leave it by the sink and water it weekly like a houseplant. I just turn the lid over and fill it with water then drip that onto the puck. In about3 weeks you will find the puck has swollen and packed tightly into the dish. At this point less water each week is needed.

Even more foolproof is to use a boar brush, old and broken in or new, it seems to be the best tool for the task. And like other

Despite having a hydrated puck, keep adding water.

Painting more than swirling/scrubbing is also key when face lathering.

Overall, not difficult but discovering these variables is a frustrating process for the uninitiated.

 

[never-stop-learning]

I keep The Fat in a Schöne covered metal container.

Before each shave, I put a handful of water in the bowl and let it bloom while I soak my brush.

Pour what's left of blooming water into whatever bowl I'll either be dipping the brush tips (face lathering) or building my lather (bowl lathering). Then proceed to bowl/face lather and enjoy the shave.

Works for me with any type of brush.

YMMV.

 

[ElonsMusk]

I've lathered it at least 3 times now. I don't like the scent. Yes it is masculine and natural smelling but I just don't enjoy it. I've tried blooming it, using lots of water, very little water, splaying the brush, bowl lathering, face lathering, painting it on, loading upside down, using lukewarm water. I can't get a good lather. Its foamy and fades away fast. Way too much work
I've read that even if foamy it can still produce a great shave. That may be, but I've tasted the forbidden fruit already, other soaps are thick dense creamy and luxurious and super slick and MWF just doesn't do it for me like these other soaps do.

 

[ScottChapin]

I've lathered it at least 3 times now. I don't like the scent. Yes it is masculine and natural smelling but I just don't enjoy it. I've tried blooming it, using lots of water, very little water, splaying the brush, bowl lathering, face lathering, painting it on, loading upside down, using lukewarm water. I can't get a good lather. Its foamy and fades away fast. Way too much work
I've read that even if foamy it can still produce a great shave. That may be, but I've tasted the forbidden fruit already, other soaps are thick dense creamy and luxurious and super slick and MWF just doesn't do it for me like these other soaps do.

Must be your water.


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[Herne]

Maybe I am in a minority here but I just love the scent of this. Absolutely one of the best I have scentwise. Also I am just yet learning to tame this soap. But that superior slickness and scent keeps me going. And like said earlier, add water if foamy. This is a thirsty soap and keep adding water until lather looks good. It needs a lot of it.

 

[ScottChapin]

Maybe I am in a minority here but I just love the scent of this. Absolutely one of the best I have scentwise. Also I am just yet learning to tame this soap. But that superior slickness and scent keeps me going. And like said earlier, add water if foamy. This is a thirsty soap and keep adding water until lather looks good. It needs a lot of it.

By foamy do you mean bubbly? Mine is thick enough, but I do get bubbles and don’t use a lot of water.


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[GNR]

It took me awhile to figure out The Fat. In fact the fine gentlemen on this board are the ones that offered advice and got me through the frothy, disappearing lather. If you like it, don’t give up, once you figure it out the slickness and face feel are so worth it. Good luck, ask questions if you are struggling and stick with it, it gets soooooo much better. You have made me change my mind about today’s shave. I will use The Fat in solidarity! Bring on the shave.

 

[BigJ]

MWF is an awesome soap, once you ‘dial’ it in!!

For me the key issues are:
#1. It likes to be used frequently.
#2. More soap!
#3. More water (the fat likes a lot)!!

Enjoy!!

 

[Jim99]

Once I’m off of the 2020 sabbatical, I’ll be buying a tub!

 

[rockviper]

Once I’m off of the 2020 sabbatical, I’ll be buying a tub!

Once you buy a tub, you'll be off the Sabbatical! See, easy to fix

 

[BigJ]

Once you buy a tub, you'll be off the Sabbatical! See, easy to fix

BAD BOY!!

(That did not work with my dog either! Post of the day!!)

 

[Gringo_Chulo]

I would not blame the pre shave oil. I use coconut oil and have no problems.

I love the scent and how MWF makes my face feel. Everyone says something different about how to make MWF work.It is worth learning how to make MWF work for you.

WATER is the key to MWF. I have never had dissipating soap but when you first lather MWF it is airy. You need to continue to add water to your brush and work it into the lather. It does take more work than regular soaps but so does DE shaving compared to carts. You have to enjoy the process.

 

[TexOkie Shaver]

Thanks for all the feedback. Rest assured, I’m not giving up. I’ll use this soap daily until I get it dialed in. As for the aroma, it’s the first soap I’ve used that fills my shave den with its scent. Yes, it’s a clean soapy scent, but I am loving it.

I will update the thread from time to time on my results, especially if something dramatically changes.