After much trial and error I have reached some conclusions about MWF that I would like to share.
Recently, I read a forum post about Mitchell’s Wool Fat. I had a puck that I had last used (struggled with?) more than a year before that was shrunken and cracked. I decided I would do whatever I could to make it work for me or give up in sorry defeat, admit that I was beaten, and toss the puck out.
The first thing I did was research posts here and elsewhere on the web. I found many conflicting ideas and also a lot of common threads. The things that struck me were:
· Use lukewarm water rather than hot because lanolin has a low melting point. Since lanolin was one of the primary reasons for using Mitchell’s, this sounded logical
· Use soft water if possible since hard water would make lathering harder. Since hard water has been shown to be the culprit behind poor lathering with many shaving soaps, this also made sense. I live in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and
“Edmonton has moderately hard water averaging at about 9.9 grains per gallon (170 milligrams of calcium carbonate per litre)”
according to a local web site. I therefore concluded that I would have to make it work with “moderately hard water” or I would not use it.
· Start with a barely damp brush and add water as you build the lather. I tried this and could not get it to work. The closest I came to a good lather was using the Marco Method and building the lather in a bowl.
· Soak the puck. I could not decide if this made sense or not. With other soaps, I just wet the surface of the puck while I shower and I found it makes lathering easier to get started. I did not, however, see the need to completely submerge the puck for several days, as some had suggested.
HOWEVER:
I then came across an old blog by a guy named “Bruce” from back in 2010 from which I will take the liberty of quoting a passage that I found both informative and humorous:
“The thing about Mitchell’s is that it doesn’t do what other soaps do, it acts almost as if it is a living thing. Use it on consecutive days and it gets better and better, as if it appreciates the attention. Leave it for a week and it will have a sulk and try and give you a bad time. Left for a while it becomes a loner, forming a hard skin round itself. Too long and cracks appear in the surface as it displays its displeasure.
So how do you manage your puck of Mitchell’s so that it gives a brilliant lather every time? Firstly don’t expose it to the air between shaves, it need to live in its own microclimate. The best way to do this is keep it in a hermetically sealed container such as a Tupperware box … you need space above the soap to form the lather. After each shave the residue of lather left on top of the soap adds to the microclimate keeping your Mitchell’s ready to perform optimally next time it is used.”
So, I followed Bruce’s advice and used it day after day for almost three weeks. I found that it did, in fact, improve the longer I used it. After each shave, I squeezed some of the remaining lather on top of the puck and sealed the container. I used only lukewarm water as suggested. I used the Marco method using lots of water and lots of product and I was able to get a bowlful of very nice lather – leaving lots leftover to store on top of the puck.
So I have concluded that, with a bit or research, a bit of extra preparation, and a bit of effort; it is possible to lather Mitchell’s in “moderately hard water”. I then promptly ditched the remainder of the puck in the garbage. I was about to store away the puck along with the 30-or-so other soaps I have and it struck me that I do not have to work that hard to make any of the other lather. Many (most?) of the others perform as well and smells lots better than Mitchell’s, so I could not justify the extra effort and time.
Goodbye Mitchell’s
Recently, I read a forum post about Mitchell’s Wool Fat. I had a puck that I had last used (struggled with?) more than a year before that was shrunken and cracked. I decided I would do whatever I could to make it work for me or give up in sorry defeat, admit that I was beaten, and toss the puck out.
The first thing I did was research posts here and elsewhere on the web. I found many conflicting ideas and also a lot of common threads. The things that struck me were:
· Use lukewarm water rather than hot because lanolin has a low melting point. Since lanolin was one of the primary reasons for using Mitchell’s, this sounded logical
· Use soft water if possible since hard water would make lathering harder. Since hard water has been shown to be the culprit behind poor lathering with many shaving soaps, this also made sense. I live in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and
“Edmonton has moderately hard water averaging at about 9.9 grains per gallon (170 milligrams of calcium carbonate per litre)”
according to a local web site. I therefore concluded that I would have to make it work with “moderately hard water” or I would not use it.
· Start with a barely damp brush and add water as you build the lather. I tried this and could not get it to work. The closest I came to a good lather was using the Marco Method and building the lather in a bowl.
· Soak the puck. I could not decide if this made sense or not. With other soaps, I just wet the surface of the puck while I shower and I found it makes lathering easier to get started. I did not, however, see the need to completely submerge the puck for several days, as some had suggested.
HOWEVER:
I then came across an old blog by a guy named “Bruce” from back in 2010 from which I will take the liberty of quoting a passage that I found both informative and humorous:
“The thing about Mitchell’s is that it doesn’t do what other soaps do, it acts almost as if it is a living thing. Use it on consecutive days and it gets better and better, as if it appreciates the attention. Leave it for a week and it will have a sulk and try and give you a bad time. Left for a while it becomes a loner, forming a hard skin round itself. Too long and cracks appear in the surface as it displays its displeasure.
So how do you manage your puck of Mitchell’s so that it gives a brilliant lather every time? Firstly don’t expose it to the air between shaves, it need to live in its own microclimate. The best way to do this is keep it in a hermetically sealed container such as a Tupperware box … you need space above the soap to form the lather. After each shave the residue of lather left on top of the soap adds to the microclimate keeping your Mitchell’s ready to perform optimally next time it is used.”
So, I followed Bruce’s advice and used it day after day for almost three weeks. I found that it did, in fact, improve the longer I used it. After each shave, I squeezed some of the remaining lather on top of the puck and sealed the container. I used only lukewarm water as suggested. I used the Marco method using lots of water and lots of product and I was able to get a bowlful of very nice lather – leaving lots leftover to store on top of the puck.
So I have concluded that, with a bit or research, a bit of extra preparation, and a bit of effort; it is possible to lather Mitchell’s in “moderately hard water”. I then promptly ditched the remainder of the puck in the garbage. I was about to store away the puck along with the 30-or-so other soaps I have and it struck me that I do not have to work that hard to make any of the other lather. Many (most?) of the others perform as well and smells lots better than Mitchell’s, so I could not justify the extra effort and time.
Goodbye Mitchell’s
.
