So kris_kringle was very generous and sent me a jar of MdC for Christmas. I have twice tried using this soap, and for some reason it seems as if I can't get it as slick as other soapsi have tried. is there something I am missing, or is MdC just not as slick as others? I've tried Williams and mwf, and have some haslinger that I haven't tried yet.
Martin de Candre
- Thread starter hudson_macbeth
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Which MdC did you get? I just received Fougere and it was easier to lather than my old unscented jar. They both love a wet brush, six swirls clock and counter clock and I have more than enough lather. The slickness is there also.
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- #3
Fougere I think
If you are having problems with slickness with MdC, add a tiny bit more water. I've always found MdC to be a little thirsty but maybe it's just me.
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It's horrid stuff, it'll never work for you, send it to me and I'll dispose of it for you 
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- #6
I actually tried that, gradually adding water a few drops at a time trying to make it slicker, but eventually all I ended up with was a soupy mess
Some products work best for me as a soupy mess. Musgo Real especially. Sometimes my Tabac SuperLather winds up that way, too, but it doesn't prevent me from getting a great shave from it.
Use more product. I have the regular & fougere & 6 swirls don't get it. Load for 45 seconds or so.
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- #9
Just seems a bit odd to me that I can lather Williams, mwf, proraso, as well as super and uberlather between those, and a soap that is supposed to be dead easy to lather is kicking my butt
Check the ingredients on the bottom of the jar. Under scent it will say Fougere. I have soft water, I know with different waters it lathers differently.
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- #11
in the ingredients it says aroma Fougere
Try soaking the top of the soap in hot water for a full five minutes. Then, dump the water out and load heavily with a slightly-damp brush. Then, add water gradually. I've been getting some very slick test-lathers by doing that (I'll try shaving with that lather once I've finished trying out the soft and slick Pre de Provence).
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Steve56
Ask me about shaving naked!
It likes a wet brush and hot water. It will lather with a too-dry brush but it will be less than impressive.
Cheers, Steve
Cheers, Steve
I'm a noob with MdC Fougere as well. Only have 4 lathers (3 tests) with it so far. My last attempt had really good results. I did not soak the soap at all. I just loaded with a lightly wet brush (wetter than damp, dryer than dripping) for 30 seconds. Then I take it to the bowl and swirl aggressively for about a minute, adding water until the lather popped. I can't say the performance is better than all of my other soaps yet but it seems like a nice soap and I will keep at it.
It's just a matter of adjusting technique. Getting excellent lather with A & B doesn't guarantee excellent lather with C using the same technique. I find face lathering helps me make better small adjustments. If you're going from dry to soupy mess you might want to give it a shot or just try making smaller incremental adjustments when adding water. It's also possible that you're not quite loading enough but difficult to say for certain based on lack of information/photos.
I'd suggest starting off by loading more. Once you get it you can work on loading less to reduce waste.
I wouldn't recommend doing this with MDC unless maybe it has really dried out. It's not a triple milled soap.
I load with a fairly dry badger and add water while face lathering. A boar may need to be more wet to load but it has been ages since I've used a boar and I've never used one with MDC.
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I really don't count much , I just load a lot of soap making lather good enough to shave with on the puck itself. Then I proceed to face lather and might add a touch more water as needed.
I may be in the minority here, but I really don't think that MdC is as good as most people make it out to be. Sorry.
Anyway as far as what to do, give it a shot with different brushes. I had some soap that I could not get to lather at all with a certain brush, and then the minute I tried a different brush everything worked out fine.
Anyway as far as what to do, give it a shot with different brushes. I had some soap that I could not get to lather at all with a certain brush, and then the minute I tried a different brush everything worked out fine.
First off, no need to soak MdC, it's a softer soap.
Use more product, load lightly (not mashing) for a full minute and see what happens.
If you way way too much product, next time load for 45sec and go from there.
I didn't see it mentioned, but face lather it and see what happens. if you are face lathering already, try bowl lathering. But I recommend face lathering it. Start with circular strokes, then go to paint/slapping.
Self promotion of my thread: My top 10 General Lathering Tips
Use more product, load lightly (not mashing) for a full minute and see what happens.
If you way way too much product, next time load for 45sec and go from there.
I didn't see it mentioned, but face lather it and see what happens. if you are face lathering already, try bowl lathering. But I recommend face lathering it. Start with circular strokes, then go to paint/slapping.
Self promotion of my thread: My top 10 General Lathering Tips
In my experience it is just not as slick as mwf or Williams. I agree with the suggestion of more product and more water to max out mdc's slickness but it may not reach the same level as the others
I concur. Traded mine for a kilo of Cella. It was an ok soap, but my mileage definitely varied.
