Really looking forward to receiving mine, as this will be my first ever shaving soap (I've only used creams in a tube). Trying to understand all the do's and don'ts from this thread and it's all over the place.
Mitchells Wool Fat first impression
- Thread starter samhain666
- Start date
I have no trouble lathering MWF and get excellent shaves with it. I don't have to do anything special to prepare the soap, just treat is like other hard soaps. My water is medium hardness. I put a thin veil of water on top of the soap for a few minutes while getting ready to shave. I use a large, firm 27mm boar brush that is damp, not sopping wet, loading about 30 to 40 swirls. Face lathering or bowl lathering is straightforward, just add water gradually several times to get a very well hydrated lather.
Key ideas seem to be: 1) make sure to load enough soap and 2) do not add too much water too quickly. The lather may seem thin at first. 3) Work the lather with the brush to build up thickness.
Whatever you do, don't soak the puck for very long or at all. Some have recommended soaking it overnight, I tried this and it ruined a puck as it was unusable for shaving. I'd almost recommend not soaking at all as repeated soaking will cause the lanolin to leach out, lowering the quality and performance of the soap.
Maybe a few drops or a teaspoon of water on the puck but not much. Just load with a damp brush, till it's paste-like then slowly add little bits of water. You will be rewarded.
Maybe a few drops or a teaspoon of water on the puck but not much. Just load with a damp brush, till it's paste-like then slowly add little bits of water. You will be rewarded.
Also, use it as a soap base for a super lather, you get an unscented soap that doesn't conflict with any cream scent along with the moisturizing properties and slickness and the cushion and scent of a cream. It's what I do for nearly every shave.
My first use, lathers fine and very slick indeed. Will use this for all straight razor shaves from now on.
My first go with MWF was nothing remarkable. Looking back, I'm glad I stuck with it - it did need a bit of a kick start in my eyes.
I dropped it into a puck case from Maggard's and built a few test lathers to season it if you will.
FFWD to today, it has swollen into the container and lathering it is pretty automatic these days.
Nothing out of the ordinary to make a dreamy foam.
I dropped it into a puck case from Maggard's and built a few test lathers to season it if you will.
FFWD to today, it has swollen into the container and lathering it is pretty automatic these days.
Nothing out of the ordinary to make a dreamy foam.
This is good info, as I just finished my first shave with MWF. It lathered just fine and provided very good cushion. Pretty slick, too. I noted that when I was done and washing off with cold water, my face felt very “grippy.” Like there was residue. I rinsed/washed three times and it persisted. I eventually dried off and put on my aftershave lotion. Curious if anyone has insight into my grippy aftermath.
That’s a good looking brush. I love my Trotter Handcrafts brushes.New Fat Day! Got a new brush, too. Looking forward to the test drive!!
That would be the Lanolin, fairly certain it lessens over time; with use
I only ever experience the "grippy" feeling he speaks of with MdC which has no lanolin. I've never had that happen with any soap containing lanolin. So I'm going to have to disagree with lanolin being the culprit.
Personally, I haven't experienced this in any way. I can tell you that there are number of sites (which I cannot link here) around the internet which convey lanolin soap to leave a waxy film or residue; increasingly so relative to concentration used in the recipe.
The only thing I can suggest to alleviate this (for any soap) would be to perform a thorough water rinse using a fresh wash cloth, followed by a splash of toner or astringent prior to applying balm or aftershave.
I haven't experienced it either.
In fact, I do a light rinse after my shave so I can get the residual benefits of the lanolin on the skin.
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