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Mitchells Wool Fat first impression

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.
 
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.
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.
 
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.
 
The soap is as easy or easier to lather as another. I suspect it someone got a bad batch and the reputation stuck. Bloom for a minute and lather with a damp brush. No problem at all ecen in my hard water.
 
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New Fat Day! Got a new brush, too. Looking forward to the test drive!!
 
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.
 
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.
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.
 
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 would be the Lanolin, fairly certain it lessens over time; with use
 
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.
 
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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.
 
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.
 
Hmmmm, that rubish you say is written here came from me, it was from the staff in the Mitchell's Wool Fat shop when I got my soap.

So if it's rubbish, answer me this when you buy the dish with the soap why is the dish way bigger than the soap, if you buy other soaps it's the same size as the dish take Tabac that's a tight fit for its dish when you replace the puck.

Do Mitchell wool fat soap expect you to grate the puck to fit the dish? nope but hydrate the soap hmmmm might be rubbish but when they tell you to place the soap in the dish, then top it up with water and leave it until the soap expands until it fits the dish so is that rubbish coming from the horse's mouth I don't think so.

You don't even need to add a touch of water to bloom it on the top while you shower, yes I use Mitchell's wool fat soap I buy direct from the shop where it is made I even use the bath soap.

So if that's rubbish then I can say one thing the way you use it is rubbish why struggle with a soap, I can tell you I can go around my puck of soap 4 times yes that's all 4 times and I can get my lather to explode. in a very short time, I don't need to load it like I hate it or turn the soap upside down and load it like I hate it but in fact, I use it like any other soap and get fantastic results from it.

So if that's rubbish as to what people say then I give up and will never ask any makers anything in future because their advice is rubbish.

So I will just leave it at that.....

Regards

Ian

PS:

I will just add its still made the same as it was they have never tried to make it better or added stuff to it its still the same as it was when first made that speaks volumes, this is why the soap works better when you get near the end of the puck because its hydrated with everyday use.
Heh. I say it's rubbish. Or at least that the Mitchell's employees read the forums and got the idea from me. A bit of reverse osmosis, as it were.

The method originated August 23rd, 2012. If you do a Google search for "PLANofMAN's MWF Hydration Method" you can read the whole thread. That technique didn't exist before then. As I said in that thread, it only accelerates what would normally happen during regular use.

I'm pleased that they appreciated the idea enough to incorporate it into their own suggestions, but that is an employee recommendation, not a manufacturer recommendation. Were it a manufacturer recommendation, you would expect to see it listed on the packaging or on the website. Somewhere official.

Not that it matters anymore, now that it's been reformulated with a Palm oil base.
 
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