First shave with Mitchell’s Wool Fat

[esoteric]

I’ve been using MWF for years and have been through several pucks. It is definitely more idiosyncratic than other soaps but once you figure it out it is a top performer. Here are my tips:

The pucks start out dry and get even dryer without constant use, hydrate it by soaking in water until it expands a good bit and softens (might take a day or two and 30-50 ml of water).

Use a damp, not wet brush - squeeze and shake until no water comes out.

Loading off the puck should create a paste, if you get suds or lather the brush is too wet.

Start lathering and add water as you go, like a lot of water, I will typically dip my brush in water 4-6 times. If you start with a good paste it’s really hard to add too much water.

Keep lathering until the bubbles get so small you can’t see them and you have a very shiny, thick and cushiony lather.

Practice a lot, not just when shaving, until you get a feel for how much water to add - try to add water right up to the breaking point.

 

[Timeclo]

Just to reiterate my findings, I've had two different samples of MWF with vastly different results. I didn't need to bloom or grate for my better result but all I did was use a different sample. Here are the pictures of two comparisons.

 

[Ravenonrock]

Hey, that looks like what I whipped up today, and yesterday and the day before that, the inferior lather. I keep working at MWF, but it’s not going my way. I’ve been reading the thread and have taken much advice under advisement. I think I get the basics of making a decent lather, but this is confounding me. I want that lather, that other lather....the good lather. Im telling myself, it’s not the puck, it’s me, I’m not worthy. Other guys got the bad puck, I just need to double down, keep at it. It’s going to happen, glorious MWF lather, the stuff of legend, it’s within my grasp, one more day......tomorrow. I’ve buried my Cella container, can’t stand the old man laughing at me.

 

[Timeclo]

Hey, that looks like what I whipped up today, and yesterday and the day before that, the inferior lather. I keep working at MWF, but it’s not going my way. I’ve been reading the thread and have taken much advice under advisement. I think I get the basics of making a decent lather, but this is confounding me. I want that lather, that other lather....the good lather. Im telling myself, it’s not the puck, it’s me, I’m not worthy. Other guys got the bad puck, I just need to double down, keep at it. It’s going to happen, glorious MWF lather, the stuff of legend, it’s within my grasp, one more day......tomorrow. I’ve buried my Cella container, can’t stand the old man laughing at me.

That was same for me. I gave the benefit of the doubt to the soap and kept lathering and trying it in many different ways. However, there comes a point where I have to think there's something wrong with the soap when I can lather 30 other soap perfectly fine. I was lucky to have a chance to try the Well-working MWF sample.

It just sucks to know that people struggle with this soap and follow 50 different methods when the puck itself could be compromised. When it works, it works really great. When it doesn't, it's not enjoyable at all. It's a confusing soap for me.

 

[dieselfuel79]

Just my experience, but I don’t water or bloom my soaps, and that includes MWF. I do have the ceramic bowl it comes in. I wet the soap right before I shave, and dump the water out. Simply put, the more I use MWF, the better it works. It‘s almost like you need to break through the first layer (metaphorically speaking) before it starts to give up the good lather.

 

[vates]

Just to reiterate my findings, I've had two different samples of MWF with vastly different results. I didn't need to bloom or grate for my better result but all I did was use a different sample. Here are the pictures of two comparisons.

View attachment 1125314 View attachment 1125315

View attachment 1125316 View attachment 1125317

Great comparison, thank you! The puck used on the left is obviously a dud.

 

[Ted Danson]

Just to reiterate my findings, I've had two different samples of MWF with vastly different results. I didn't need to bloom or grate for my better result but all I did was use a different sample. Here are the pictures of two comparisons.

View attachment 1125314 View attachment 1125315

View attachment 1125316 View attachment 1125317

Mine has ALWAYS looked like the one on the left...

 

[Timeclo]

Great comparison, thank you! The puck used on the left is obviously a dud.

I think so as well but many people seem to get the result to the left. I'd say the result is pretty 50-50 from what I see on the forums.

 

[Ravenonrock]

I haven’t given up on MWF despit my consistent poor results. I grated the puck into a nice bowl I had and packed it down hard again. I hydrated it with plenty of warm water and left it for about 20 minutes. Poured the water off and attacked it with a just damp badger brush. Loaded plenty I turned to my bowl and tried to create lather. Still getting the airy stuff, so I went to my face instead. Started adding water to the tips of the brush and back to face. Thicker lather started to appear in streaks between the foamy stuff, the thick lather, the good stuff. Kept at it, a bit more water, thicker slick lather etc, etc. I ended up with the best lather to date with this soap. I’ve been moaning about getting a dud puck, glad I tried a few suggestions in this thread. I’m not sure what I did right, but I’ll give it another shot for Sunday morning shave and see if I can get similar results. Happy shaving!

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Another little trick to try for those who are still struggling with this soap... one that I've used a few times if my puck is in a huff due to not being used for a while (regular Mitchell's users will know what I mean).

If you shave in a rush before heading off for work, this isn't going to be much use to you. If you have time to spare though, it's certainly worth a try. If you start loading and are just getting the airy froth instead of a desireable lather, load the brush up with it anyway, then return the brush to its stand. This works better bristles down, than bristles up.

Then go and make a coffee. Or make the bed. Or iron a shirt.

After five minutes or so, go back, wet your face, and start to face lather. No bowl needed. That additional time to allow the water and soap in the brush to meld, seems to work wonders for me. If you try working it straight away, you'll just end up incorporating even more air, but giving time for the water to soak in, and the bubbles to burst, really helps (me) get the best from the soap when it's not in a cooperative mood. You may well need to add a little more water as you lather, but it shouldn't froth back up on you providing you only add a few drops at a time.

Maybe it'll help those who only use this (or any soap for that matter) occasionally, or who haven't yet managed to unlock the best from it.

 

[Terp]

I hydrated it with plenty of warm water and left it for about 20 minutes. Poured the water off and attacked it with a just damp badger brush.

I have no evidence to prove or disprove a theory I read floating around, but I can't help but wonder how many people who soak their pucks (some overnight, so the size expands to fill the ceramic dish) are having issues.

Some argue that the warm water 'leaches' the lanolin out and as users pour out the water, they are pouring out a considerable amount of its lanolin each and every time...again, no clue if true, but makes me wonder.

I started following the advice of the 'soak all night' camp, but 5 minutes into it, a little voice in my head said no, don't do it...poured it out and never applied warm water to the puck again...and MWF is now easily one of my favorites.

 

[TexOkie Shaver]

I have no evidence to prove or disprove a theory I read floating around, but I can't help but wonder how many people who soak their pucks (some overnight, so the size expands to fill the ceramic dish) are having issues.

Some argue that the warm water 'leaches' the lanolin out and as users pour out the water, they are pouring out a considerable amount of its lanolin each and every time...again, no clue if true, but makes me wonder.

I started following the advice of the 'soak all night' camp, but 5 minutes into it, a little voice in my head said no, don't do it...poured it out and never applied warm water to the puck again...and MWF is now easily one of my favorites.

That could very well account for my puck no longer having the skin softening properties it started with. I soaked the puck in the sink while I showered and then poured some of the water off the top into my lather bowl. The rest went down the drain. But, I did this because it wouldn’t lather and that was what the crowd said to do.

 

[Terp]

My bowls don't look as good as @Timeclo's yet, but I am getting closer and closer to the MWF holy grail...

 

[TexOkie Shaver]

My bowls don't look as good as @Timeclo's yet, but I am getting closer and closer to the MWF holy grail...

View attachment 1128323

That looks great to me. I’d me very happy with that.

 

[rally]

Another little trick to try for those who are still struggling with this soap... one that I've used a few times if my puck is in a huff due to not being used for a while (regular Mitchell's users will know what I mean).

If you shave in a rush before heading off for work, this isn't going to be much use to you. If you have time to spare though, it's certainly worth a try. If you start loading and are just getting the airy froth instead of a desireable lather, load the brush up with it anyway, then return the brush to its stand. This works better bristles down, than bristles up.

Then go and make a coffee. Or make the bed. Or iron a shirt.

After five minutes or so, go back, wet your face, and start to face lather. No bowl needed. That additional time to allow the water and soap in the brush to meld, seems to work wonders for me. If you try working it straight away, you'll just end up incorporating even more air, but giving time for the water to soak in, and the bubbles to burst, really helps (me) get the best from the soap when it's not in a cooperative mood. You may well need to add a little more water as you lather, but it shouldn't froth back up on you providing you only add a few drops at a time.

Maybe it'll help those who only use this (or any soap for that matter) occasionally, or who haven't yet managed to unlock the best from it.

Thanks for the tip. I've used it on my two most recent shaves with the Fat. Both times I had good lathers. I went with a damp but not dripping or dry brush and I overloaded just to be safe. About 40 swirls is where I stopped loading. After that I painted on my face with occasional dips in water when the lather started foaming. When I felt like the brush was wet enough to splay, I gently agitated the brush as opposed to strong agitation in my previous attempts. It never once foamed up as a result when in the past I was swimming in foam.

Next time I'll try 20 swirls instead of 40 and medium agitation instead of mild, but I have to say that your tip of leaving the brush on the stand for 5 minutes was a miracle worker.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Thanks for the tip. I've used it on my two most recent shaves with the Fat. Both times I had good lathers. I went with a damp but not dripping or dry brush and I overloaded just to be safe. About 40 swirls is where I stopped loading. After that I painted on my face with occasional dips in water when the lather started foaming. When I felt like the brush was wet enough to splay, I gently agitated the brush as opposed to strong agitation in my previous attempts. It never once foamed up as a result when in the past I was swimming in foam.

Next time I'll try 20 swirls instead of 40 and medium agitation instead of mild, but I have to say that your tip of leaving the brush on the stand for 5 minutes was a miracle worker.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Good to hear!

If you have any issues with less soap, or more vigorous brushwork, try palm lathering for just a few seconds before you put the brush on the stand to "stew". You're not trying to build a lather at this point, just get things started and create a bit of gap between the bristles, so the moisture runs down into the started lather, and not wicked away by capillary action. Having the lather process started, might help it incorporate a little better, if it's struggling or too slow on its own.

 

[SliceOfLife]

I've tried it (As in bought it and tried to get usable lather from it a dozen or more times) 3 times to my memory. Every puck was the stuff on the left. If I got a puck like the stuff on the right, I'd like the stuff.

That said, I resold at least one of the pucks and the buyer never messaged me asking what I did to make the puck so crummy, so clearly plenty of guys are USING the stuff on the left with no problems.

I think I grated a second and wound up integrating it into a frankensoap (which is to this day the only bad frankensoap I've had) that became used exclusively for washing brushes... it was that bad. Even watered down with good soaps, it STILL ruined their lather. Not many soaps have that power.

The Third I suspect was used as a shower soap.

 

[TexOkie Shaver]

Another little trick to try for those who are still struggling with this soap... one that I've used a few times if my puck is in a huff due to not being used for a while (regular Mitchell's users will know what I mean).

If you shave in a rush before heading off for work, this isn't going to be much use to you. If you have time to spare though, it's certainly worth a try. If you start loading and are just getting the airy froth instead of a desireable lather, load the brush up with it anyway, then return the brush to its stand. This works better bristles down, than bristles up.

Then go and make a coffee. Or make the bed. Or iron a shirt.

After five minutes or so, go back, wet your face, and start to face lather. No bowl needed. That additional time to allow the water and soap in the brush to meld, seems to work wonders for me. If you try working it straight away, you'll just end up incorporating even more air, but giving time for the water to soak in, and the bubbles to burst, really helps (me) get the best from the soap when it's not in a cooperative mood. You may well need to add a little more water as you lather, but it shouldn't froth back up on you providing you only add a few drops at a time.

Maybe it'll help those who only use this (or any soap for that matter) occasionally, or who haven't yet managed to unlock the best from it.

I have trouble face lathering. I end up with a rash that lasts about 4 days. I always bowl lather to avoid this.

Do you think your tip will work bowl lathering?

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I have trouble face lathering. I end up with a rash that lasts about 4 days. I always bowl lather to avoid this.

Do you think your tip will work bowl lathering?

It shouldn't be needed if you've got the mix about right.

All (most) of the time that people spend building and working the lather on the face (or in the bowl), is the soap and water doing their little chemical courting dance and getting to know one another. This is just the same thing, for the same amount of time, without all that unnecessary effort. In theory.

Depending on your water, you might need a quick furtle in a bowl to finish it off, but you may well find that it's ready to apply straight away. I'd suggest have the bowl ready, and try painting it on your face. If it isn't quite how you want it, or you need to work some more water in, then by all means take it for a quick dance in the bowl.

 

[Hardrock]

I don't need no stinking photo quality pretty boy glamour shots of my lather. Hehe. I enjoy chasing the ultimate lather like everybody else but have gotten better shaves with crummy looking MWF lather than gorgeous looking lather from other premium brands. I actually lathered up my face the other day then had run off for a few minutes, when I got back to the mirror the lather on my face had all but dissipated. I just wet my razor and went at it as slick and smooth as ever. MWF sure works for me whether it looks good or not.