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Mitchell's Wool Fat - What Happened?

Don't disagree with the suggestions to hydrate it but I've had more difficulty getting and keeping good stable lather with my current puck compared to others in the past and I'm almost 70% through it . I had thoughts similar to OP. I'm finding that that im using a lot more soap to get usuable lather for the same three pass shave.
 
Soooo... first shave post hydration was a bit of a bust. I'm thinking it's more user error, than soap error. When I can get MWF to work it's brilliant. Last shave I spent more time loading the brush (Omega, Il Bambino... so it's not like I'm helping my cause but I've been enjoying that little boar so much I don't want to put it down), but lather faded quickly and I didn't have much cushion or slickness. I should have started over again, but I didn't and paid the price. I'm giving it another go tonight. If it doesn't go well, I'm giving it a time out...even though it may be my fault.
 
Soap "cures" from the outside in, therefore the outside (the top surface) will be more dry and the inside will retain more of it's moisture. If you continuously use the soap no problem, if you leave it for a while and don't use it, the soap will continue to "cure" and become dry on the outer surface of the top of the puck....
 
Soap "cures" from the outside in, therefore the outside (the top surface) will be more dry and the inside will retain more of it's moisture. If you continuously use the soap no problem, if you leave it for a while and don't use it, the soap will continue to "cure" and become dry on the outer surface of the top of the puck....

This is great advice. Also, after I use one of my hard pucks/soaps (DRH, MWF) I moisten the top of it before putting the lid back on, I do not let the puck dry out at all.
 
I use mine like once a month. Stays in the ceramic jar.
comes back every time w/ just a little blooming.........................................:scooter:...
 
Soap "cures" from the outside in, therefore the outside (the top surface) will be more dry and the inside will retain more of it's moisture. If you continuously use the soap no problem, if you leave it for a while and don't use it, the soap will continue to "cure" and become dry on the outer surface of the top of the puck....
+1 great advice :thumbup1:
 
This is great advice. Also, after I use one of my hard pucks/soaps (DRH, MWF) I moisten the top of it before putting the lid back on, I do not let the puck dry out at all.

Just keep in mind that you had the lid of the container off so there is no "moist air" contained in the container when you put the lid back on only "dry air" (especially in the Wintertime) and although you may put a little water on top of the soap puck it will have the tendency to dry out even with the lid on but if it seems to be working for you then go for it! "Blooming" a puck of soap is just melting away that soap into a "water bath" and when I have seen numerous videos of "blooming" they all are pouring cloudy water i.e. melted soap down the drain! Again, that's your choice and it it works for you then go ahead and keep doing it. When I use a shaving soap, I don't rinse it after but rather leave the soap "cream" on top of the puck and re-wet it the next day and it becomes the first part of that days shave. That's my choice and I'm not rinsing perfectly good soap down the drain... It's all about what works for you and what makes you comfortable!
 
they all are pouring cloudy water i.e. melted soap down the drain!
IME, that's the good stuff, right there. Try using that soapy goodness instead of pouring it down the sink. Nice soapy "bloom water" has always gotten MWF to work well for me.

Two months ago, I found an 11 year old puck of MWF in one of my old "shaving stuff" storage boxes. A 20 minute bloom with about a tablespoon of water (and using the bloom water to start the lather) resulted in excellent lather and a great shave.
 
Quick question from a newbie, would this be true of ALL hard soaps? need to really absorb the moisture again?
There is a difference between a "cold process soap" and a "Triple pressed soap" in that the triple pressed soap is manually pressed together to make a firm bar and the cold process soap is not. The other aspect of this are the ingredients! A shaving soap is made and formulated differently than other types of soap in that it should be easy enough to lather and you need to get the right type of lather to produce the cream/dense lather that is required for this purpose. Stearic Acid is often used because of the tiny bubbles it created that give the lather a foam quality. Other oils like Palm Oil are also used because of the more creamy/foamy lather that it creates. If the formula contains the wrong amounts of these then they may be either too firm or too meltable to do the type of job they are required to do! So, even if they are Triple Pressed they may not be a firm as a typical triple pressed bar should be and if they are cold processed they might be even more firm than a cold processed bar is, if the higher end fatty acids (stearic) is used in a higher percentage than it would normally be used. Just to be clear, the "Triple Pressed" soaps tend to be more firm than the cold process.

IME, that's the good stuff, right there. Try using that soapy goodness instead of pouring it down the sink. Nice soapy "bloom water" has always gotten MWF to work well for me.

Two months ago, I found an 11 year old puck of MWF in one of my old "shaving stuff" storage boxes. A 20 minute bloom with about a tablespoon of water (and using the bloom water to start the lather) resulted in excellent lather and a great shave.

Using "about a tablespoon" of water and reusing it for lathering make the most sense of this procedure but many will soak a bar in a much larger quantity of water than that which to me is just a waste of good soap. Your method seems to be the best choice for this technique!
 

rockviper

I got moves like Jagger
... Using "about a tablespoon" of water ...
To me, this is blooming. A dribble to soften the surface is all that I use.

Folks trying to drown their soaps (BTW what did the soap do them that was so evil that they must drown it?) is just a waste IMO. But hey, it's their money they are washing down the drain.
 
"Just needs a little waking up."

I had the same experience with a large jar of Tabac shaving soap, only a fortnight ago."
I had never used the stuff before.
Absolute rubbish for the first use, and I went back to my old soaps for three days.
Decided to try the Tabac again. It turned out to be an excellent shaving soap.
 
What I do, before I use up the last of a puck I pry it out. This way I can place it on top of the new puck in the mug/shave dish/shave bowl so the new one has time to catch up before the old one no longer exists.
 
Right if you have the MWF dish, the soap should fit snug if its shrunk then it has dried out. And needs hydrating to get the soap to swell again, as the more you use MWF the better it gets more so near to the end.

As a member said above, he moves the old puck out puts the new one in then the old puck back on top. To let the new one get on par with hydration wise......
 
It needs hydration. I was set to walk away from this soap after the last experience thinking it wasn't worth the effort. but gave it another kick tonight. A little hot water to bloom it and then I spite loaded an Omega 10098. I had enough lather for about 9 passes (only needed two) and had the cushion and slickness I've come to expect. Back in the rotation it goes.
 
Like any hard soap, make sure it's soaked and covered in warm water for 15 minutes prior to loading it. Then unlike other hard soaps, when you're loading it, load it like you hate the worst ex you've ever had in your life. Swear too, that helps.
 
A couple of years ago, I tried WMF body soap. It lathered well, felt good and rinsed clean. But it smelled exactly like grilled lamb chop. I'm not fussy about scent, but that smell in the shower was unpleasant. So what does the shaving soap smell like? If you've tried the body soap, how did it smell to you? Did I just get a bar from a bad batch?
 
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