MWF Lovers: I Need Your Help

[Nick Danger]

So I finally broke down and ordered some MWF. I had to see what all the fuss was about.

We do have hard water here in Chicago, so I was prepared for a challenge. I felt confident. I can get perfect lather every time from Mike's, after taking the time to learn the right technique for that somewhat tricky soap. How much harder could it be to lather MWF?

It turned out to be a lot more difficult than I expected. I did about eight test lathers today. All were failures. I tried it the way Mantic demonstrates in his video. I tried the hard water method from the video by Recluse. I tried a wet brush. I tried a drier brush. I tried soaking the puck. I tried warm water. I tried cold water. I tried roughing up the top layer of soap with my fingernail. I tried loading the brush for almost two full minutes. Every time, I ended up with a bowl of foam, not lather.

I'm using an SOC 2012 Special Edition mixed boar / badger brush that works great with every other soap.

I'm running out of ideas. I will not buy distilled water to use with one soap when every other soap lathers just fine for me with tap water.

What am I doing wrong? What should I try?

Nick

 

[Oglethorpe]

You can do what I did with my MWF: sell it!

 

[Nick Danger]

You can do what I did with my MWF: sell it!

I'm not quite ready to admit defeat yet. However, that may end up my only option if I can't get it to work.

Nick

 

[Chadao]

Can't help. I spend about one month total in Chicago per year, and never had any trouble. I use a Simpson's Special, and can even face lather.
It has been suggested that members of the Flock, like lovers of The Veg, are Chosen. Sorry, I have never not been able to lather da Fat.

May the Mother Sheep smile upon your endeavors.

 

[Chadao]

Nick, the anchovies are on the right track. Again...Chosen?

 

[Starkicker]

Did you try loading a little longer? I have fairly hard water; I soak my brush and then give it about 5 shakes so that it's damp but not wet. Then I load heavy (45 seconds to 1 min) and then load on my face or in a bowl. I'd suggest loading in a bowl until you get the hang of it but when you start swirling in the bowl add a few drops of water every so often. Once your lather is creamy and had no visible bubbles in it, you're good to go.

I still have off days with it, but usually I get it right. It's my go to soap.

 

[aihpcfl]

Use distilled water or whatever until you figure it out. I love MWF and wish I could tell you what to do with hard water, but I don't have a clue.

 

[VT_Hokie]

Use the puck like a shave stick. Wet both your face and the puck and rub it in well, then take a shaken brush to it. Works every time, but not well enough to keep the soap in my rotation. I have much better performing soaps with better scents that aren't the least bit finicky.

 

[SteveWY]

I can't help. I love MWF and have not had any trouble with lather. I don't know if my water's soft or hard or in the middle. About the only thing you may want to try is using a jug of distilled water for soaking your brush and making lather. See if that makes a difference. If not, send your MWF to me and I will see what the problem is!

 

[cantujm]

I picked my first puck of MWF today on the way home from work. I have never used a soap before and figured I would give it a shot. I have always used creams and decided it was time to try a soap.

I soaked the boar brush and soap in warm water for about five minutes. I emptied all the water from the mug holding the soap and shook my brush until it was just damp. I loaded the brush for about a minute and made sure my face was really wet before I face lathered. I was able to get a good lather after dipping the brush tip back in the water a few times. It took about three or four minutes to get a thick lather on my face.

Maybe I got lucky on my first shot. MWF is very slick and I like the scent. I can't give much advice due to this being my first soap experience, but keep trying to get a good lather.

 

[Ru4scuba?]

Nick...been there brother. We're times I hated the stuff, but I have since become a disciple. When I was having problems in the early days of my relationship with MWF, I used Proraso Pre Post underneath....that got me through a break in period with the puck or as Chadao suggests maybe I was finally chosen.

you could try loading the puck with a glycerine soap first as well as Mantic shows in his video for watching super lather

i know I know...using another product to get one product to work seems ridiculous...and it is, but something along the way happened for me and now I have no problems

 

[Okla1911]

1) Warm water - hottest I can get from tap 2) Stiffer brush 3)Soak Brush & Soap while I shower 4) Start with dryer brush, add water as needed 5)load upside down -optional 6) load heavy 7) face lather

I also soak my razor w/blade in with the brush. Right now I'm breaking in an SOC Boar and that combination has been creating a very slick lather with a great cushion. I even love the MWF scent.

 

[Nick Danger]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Some are working. Some I can't do (I can't face lather - too irritating for my skin.)

I don't give up easily, so I've done a few more tests tonight. I've achieved actual lather, instead of just foam, twice in a row now. Here's what is working:

• Room temperature water - not warm.
• Soaking the puck for a long time - like 10 minutes or more.
• Soaking the brush, and then squeezing out all the water.
• Loading the brush for at least one minute.
• Not adding any extra water - the water than remains on the puck and in the brush seems to be enough.
• Loading upside down might help - not sure if that made a difference or not.

Still, this is a vast improvement over my experiments this afternoon. I could actually shave with the later I've produced these last two tests. Sadly, I've already shaved today (grabbed my MdC when I got frustrated after my first eight attempts with MWF.)

If I can duplicate these results tomorrow, I may have my first MWF shave. I'm feeling cautiously optimistic.

One thing I've definitely determined is that the scent of MWF is really mild. As someone who uses unscented products exclusively, I was worried about that. We'll see how my face reacts to the tiny bit of scent, but I think I might be ok.

Nick

 

[Okla1911]

• Loading upside down might help - not sure if that made a difference or not.

I believe the general thought process of upside down loading is that it helps load the soap deeper into the center of the brush for when you lather up.

Good Luck & stick with it until you get at least one great shave out of the Fat...you won't be sorry.

 

[bmilcs]

I had great success with MWF and then didn't use it for a while. when i returned to using it, i got airy foam every time.

Solution: Remilled the soap... Use a cheese grater and reshape it like play doh.

Then put a thin layer of warm water over it and let it soak for a few days.

You will be floored! I promise you. This method works! I plan on making a pictorial guide soon.

 

[bmilcs]

MWF needs love and attention. Ignore it for a while and it will dry out and crack.

Keeping it hydrated over a few hours time fixes any neglect you've given to poor Mitchell.

The lather from a properly cared for puck of the Fat is unreal. Good luck!

 

[Ru4scuba?]

Good stuff Nick! Great to see you're making progress!

 

[rxonmymind]

Use the floppiest brush you have. I've found the boar brushes on some soaps to be pathetic. If you've tried every combo there is and it's still not loading it may be the intrument your trying to load with.

 

[FozzieBear1971]

Use the many, many soaps that are easy to lather and you don't need to perform secret tricks to get a good shave from.

 

[AABCDS]

Soaking the puck is the key.

Using the soap everyday for a while works too but is slower. This results in the soap being "broken in". I've found that soaking harder soaps like MWF and D.R. Harris overnight helps greatly with the performance of the soap. After breaking in a brand new puck of soap, I've found that the lather is much better. All that moisture must make it easier to load your brush.

My Experience

I started wet shaving with MWF back in May 2011 and I had a hard time making it work too until I left water on the puck for a few hours which made it a little better. I then decided to leave the water in the dish overnight. I had the same experience with D.R. Harris Arlington. The first lather was pretty bad until I soaked the puck overnight and the soap just swelled up like a sponge after soaking up all that water. Excellent performance afterwards!

The picture below is shows the puck of Arlington after a lengthy soak. Notice how the sides of the puck are now tightly pressed up against the sides of the glass dish.