Mitchell’s Wool Fat – A Recap

[Wtd1911]

I gave up on Semogue boar brushes and switched over to Omega boar, because, they’ve performed far better than Semogue (YMMV) I prefer a bit stiffer boar hair, that’s Omega boar not Semogue boar

I will give Omega a try. Thanks!!!!

 

[HarryAU570]

I will give Omega a try. Thanks!!!!

Be very patient with Omega when broken in because they’re fantastic for face and bowl lathering.

 

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Or used a boar brush, the stiffer the brush is also better for MWF

My humble opinion, based on my experience with MWF, it's not so much about product loading but actually more related how it builds a lather counter intuitively. It looks frothy and airy and most users think it has failed but actually it just needs to be worked up more, until it thickens up, at which point more water may need to be added.

A boar brush is likely to cause more issues for the very users that are already struggling, given their tendency to "eat lather".

I would definitely +1 the synthetic brush recommendation. Once the technique is dialed in, then any type of brush can be used.

 

[HarryAU570]

A boar brush is likely to cause more issues for the very users that are already struggling, given their tendency to "eat lather".

I would definitely +1 the synthetic brush recommendation. Once the technique is dialed in, then any type of brush can be used.

I have no issues at all with MWF using the Omega boar brushes, the magic rule is loaded like you really hated the living crap out of the MWF.

 

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I have no issues at all with MWF using the Omega boar brushes, the magic rule is loaded like you really hated the living crap out of the MWF.

I've been using MWF for a decade and never "load it like I hate it". No issues at all and I get wonderful lather from it.

This is why I had mentioned that MWF is not so much about product quantity but method.

If it works for someone without issue, they can use any type of brush. The suggestion of synthetic for those struggling is what I was agreeing with.

Just like people that had issues with mystic water until they tried a synthetic and then fell in love with the soap.
I had no issue with my boar so I never gave it a second thought. The same could be applied to MWF.

 

[Duke of Buckingham]

I find it interesting that MWF is so polarizing when I personally don't have trouble with it. (I hope that doesn't sound sarcastic or arrogant.)

Having said that, I've got fairly soft water. I also bloom the puck, use cool water, a synthetic brush and palm lather. It's a cranky soap, which sulks if you don't use it for a week or two, but to me, it's all redeemed by the post-shave.

It's a soap that's up there with Tabac on the love-it-or-hate-it scale.

 

[Noodles]

I'm liking my PIFd sample of MWF more and more, although I'm far from dialing in the lather. I am getting very close shaves with minimal irritation and it appeals to my perfectionism. Post-shave feel is fantastic with an ASB in our incredibly dry winter weather. OTOH, it is the only soap that has extracted a hair from my previously non-shedding Duke 3!!

 

[wimbouman]

It's a cranky soap, which sulks if you don't use it for a week or two, but to me, it's all redeemed by the post-shave.

I noticed that too. Love MWF, and I am getting excellent results with it.
That is, after one or two uses and in a continuous streak.

Leave it alone for a couple of days, and it feel like you need to re-dial it in.

But besides that quirky behaviour, a magnificent soap with stellar performance and a great aftershave feel.

(Oh, and it comes in ceramic dish )

 

[Duke of Buckingham]

The ceramic dish! It's in pride of place on the bathroom counter.

If you have reasonably soft water and a vintage esthetic you will make any excuse for MWF's cranky behaviour. . .

 

[Steve_in_CT]

The last time I had a puck of MWF I had trouble getting consistently good lather until I started using it as a stick. Recently I picked up a new puck and began bowl lathering with it. In the bowl it does start out with the frothy lather that folks complain about, but with additional whipping in the bowl I can produce a very satisfactory lather. It doesn't seem to matter what type of brush I use; I've had success with boar, badger, mixed boar/badger and synthetic. So it does take a little more effort than many other soaps, but it's only a matter of an extra 30 seconds or so of whipping up the lather.

 

[Noodles]

The ceramic dish! It's in pride of place on the bathroom counter.

If you have reasonably soft water and a vintage esthetic you will make any excuse for MWF's cranky behaviour. . .

I'm not sure if this has been discussed before, but I wonder if that bowl is a secret to good performance. The reports seem to indicate that a hydrated puck gives better results. I'm not sure how much moisture the ceramic bowl retains, but surely more than plastic/wood/aluminum etc.

Or, it could just be that I'm making up reasons to purchase the fancy container...

 

[Wtd1911]

I'm not sure if this has been discussed before, but I wonder if that bowl is a secret to good performance. The reports seem to indicate that a hydrated puck gives better results. I'm not sure how much moisture the ceramic bowl retains, but surely more than plastic/wood/aluminum etc.

Or, it could just be that I'm making up reasons to purchase the fancy container...

Don't know the answer. Doesn't matter if I use the GP 20 scuttle, GP bowl or the Captain's Choice bowl. I always get a great lather. Doesn't matter the brush, although I don't care for the Semogue 830 yet. My Silvertip and Chubby 2 Synth are fantastic. I bloom it for 20 min while in the shower, use the bloom as a preshave. Always the best shave and lather. Like it's been said... YMMV. Everyone is different.

 

[SilentTuba]

I'm not sure if this has been discussed before, but I wonder if that bowl is a secret to good performance. The reports seem to indicate that a hydrated puck gives better results. I'm not sure how much moisture the ceramic bowl retains, but surely more than plastic/wood/aluminum etc.

Or, it could just be that I'm making up reasons to purchase the fancy container...

Well, I can tell you in no uncertain terms, the bowl is in no way the secret to getting great results with MWF.

I had a ceramic bowl, then I broke it. Bought another one. It came with a weirdly warped lid. Bought another, and PIF'd the soap and bowl, along with my warped lid; kept the new lid. Then I broke it again. Finally gave up, and bought a nice wooden bowl from Italian Barber, that is a much more "snug" fit for MWF. Still performs great (and I haven't broken it, 4ish years later!)

 

[FloorPizza]

My humble opinion, based on my experience with MWF, it's not so much about product loading but actually more related how it builds a lather counter intuitively. It looks frothy and airy and most users think it has failed but actually it just needs to be worked up more, until it thickens up, at which point more water may need to be added.

Completely agree.

I found an 11 year old half used puck last night in one of my shaving storage boxes from our last move. Had a great shave with it last night. I build it up just like you do.

 

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Completely agree.

I found an 11 year old half used puck last night in one of my shaving storage boxes from our last move. Had a great shave with it last night. I build it up just like you do.

It's a unique soap and lather process when compared to pretty much anything else out there.

The only other soap that behaves just like MWF in this regard is LEA classic puck soap (I have the old tallow version). It loads up frothy then thickens up as it's worked with the brush. Even the post shave is awesomely similar to MWF!

I have 7 pucks of MWF and 4 of the LEA. Both are awesome and are also a part of my travel kit in the form of DIY shave sticks.

 

[w_mcnabb]

I don't have the time needed to use MWF on it's own but I do often use it to super lather creams or vegan soaps with. Just scrub it on your face like a shave stick and then face lather the cream. Tallow cream!

 

[Theaspicioway]

Here’s a random question then - MWF also make a ‘normal’ soap for washing / showering etc - has anyone tried using that as a shaving soap? It works out roughly 50% cheaper, but does it do a good enough job to replace my puck?

 

[Wtd1911]

I use it for shower and wash with it as a preshave followed by a warm towel. I find it not drying for my skin type of very dry in the winter. Seems to help plus I like the scent.

 

[steveclarkus]

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

I just got my first puck last week and it lathered up just fine - ricky ticky. Lathered it like all my soaps. Damp brush, work up a nice pasty lather slap it on my face and add water as I lather my face. Must be the water.

 

[Shavely Manden]

Here’s a random question then - MWF also make a ‘normal’ soap for washing / showering etc - has anyone tried using that as a shaving soap? It works out roughly 50% cheaper, but does it do a good enough job to replace my puck?

I think it probably wouldn't work out too well...I remember an old thread about accidentally lathering bath soaps where someone mentioned having mistakenly lathered MWF non-shave soap as one such mistake, which would seem to imply that it worked about as well as other bath/hand soaps...i.e., probably very foamy and airy with little to no body. I kinda doubt there're any bath soaps out there that'd double as shave soaps, if for no other reason than the kind of lather you need out of a shave soap would be strange at best and undesirable at worst from a bath soap...could you imagine soaping up for a shower and getting a thick, slick, full-bodied lather covering your body?