Mystic Waters problems

[Locham]

Hi everyone-

Two days ago I received a sample pack from Michelle at Mystic Waters, including Bay Rum, Adirondack Jack, and Irish Traveller. Yesterday afternoon I placed the Bay Rum puck at the bottom of a glass and loaded my Vulfix Mayfair, and bowl lathered. I ended up with an exceptional amount of lather, but it was very dry and quickly dissipated on my face. I kept adding droplets of water, but couldn't get it to be thicker and creamier. When I shaved, I felt like I had zero protection.

Today, I tried again and closely followed the instructions, but face lathered instead. I ended up with the same results - a lot of lather, but very, very thin. By the time I made it to the other side of my face, the lather was very dry. Mid-shave, I switched to my Omega Boar, re-loaded, face-lathered, and had almost the same results. I regularly face lather with Cella and was hoping for the same consistency but with more interesting scents than almonds.

I've heard such great things about her soaps, I'm inclined to believe that it's operator error. But what could it be? Am I not using enough water? Too much?

Cheers!

 

[MoJoe]

MW is a product that doesn't need a lot of water to work well. Start with your brush damp and slowly, and I mean slowly, add water. The later keeps best the dryer it is. There's a tutorial by a B&B member on their website.

 

[awsmith4]

I am in love with Mystic Waters...but lathering took a minute to get right. As MoJoe pointed out, MW needs less water. When I tried the "Marco" method I got mounds of suds and ended up sloshing them all over the place. After shaking out my brush (I mostly use an SOC) before I started I start getting a much thicker lather. As it stands the Irish Traveler is my new favorite soap.

 

[Locham]

Alright, I'll give it a go with far less water.

BTW, what's that in your avatar, aswmith? Looks like a Trappistes Rochefort...fantastic. I visited the Westlevletern monestary last winter...just a few precious bottles remaining in my cupboard.

 

[awsmith4]

Alright, I'll give it a go with far less water.

BTW, what's that in your avatar, aswmith? Looks like a Trappistes Rochefort...fantastic. I visited the Westlevletern monestary last winter...just a few precious bottles remaining in my cupboard.

It is Rochefort 10, one of my favorite. I have yet to try Westy but it has been on my radar for quite some time. If it truly is greater than Rochefort or St. Bernardus then I know I will love it.

 

[john parker]

Tried face lathering using hot water; results same as yours. At forum suggestion tried cold water; same result. Tried more and less water; same result. Oh, I do have soft water if that matters. Gave up. Good luck; hope you have better luck!

 

[ShaveYourSoul]

I had troubles with MW as well. It finally got to the point to where I gave up and traded it. Good luck to ya!

 

[Optometrist]

I wanted to love the 2 soaps I bought from Michelle, but had identical problems. Wet brush, dry brush, all variables, and nothing but dissipating lather before I could finish one side. I was shaving with a straight with virtually no lather there. Interestingly though, the post shave feel was exceptional. I have since removed them from rotation.....binned!!!

 

[Haggises]

binned!!!

 

[Chaucer]

Before loading with MW soap, I get rid of excess water by shaking my brush 8-10 times and shaking the soap bowl about 5 times. I stop loading when I can feel stickiness from the end of the bristles and lather overflows the bowl. It takes about 10 clockwise swirls, then 10 counterclockwise, then 10-15 more clockwise (in the Northern Hemisphere). Then I face lather. Plenty of creamy, lubricating lather for my 3 passes.

 

[finotti]

You are certainly not alone, as a few members had exactly the same problem. Yet, others, like myself (thank goodness), found quite easy to get a wonderful lather.

Some suggested it did not work well with hot water, but it did not seem to change things for others. Some who could not lather it well, all of sudden could get wonderful lathers, but it was not very clear what the difference actually was (at least to me). Some mentioned it was just finicky... I could see no correlation between variables and success.

Any way, to all having difficulty, I'd recommend trying for a while. Maybe shelf it and come back in a few weeks/months... Maybe make test lathers every day for a week/month... Perhaps you will find yourself among those who finally "got it". When it works, it is a really good soap. (And please, if at all possible, don't bin it... PIF it. Someone will quite likely love it.)

 

[Jefebadskin]

I wish I could help you guys, but I don't know what I would be doing right or wrong. I've never had lathering problems with this, Mike's, or the fat, where some others that I see people say are easy to lather I see no difference. I've used a wetter brush, dry brush with no problems on MW. It's easier to start drier as some have mentioned. I am a product hog, so maybe just load the crap out of it, then slowly dribble water and keep on loading. The Vez has good videos for MW too.

 

[tinashubby]

I use Mystic exclusively. I initially tried by following the video's on her website, but with a boar brush I finally realized there was not enough water in the brush, I was having a good deal of difficulty. Now if I use boar, I give it one shake after soaking and load on the puck about 45 seconds. I face lather and I gradually add some water. When it is right the lather really does explode all at once. When I used a badger I give two to three shakes and follow the same steps listed. If it isn't working the way you are doing it, make a bold change. I could only venture a guess, but stay on the puck twice as long as you are currently doing, and then add water slowly to get a thorough blend.

 

[VT_Hokie]

If you want Cella in different scents, look no further than the RazoRock Artisan Series.

 

[Optometrist]

There's no doubt that MW soaps create a very mixed bag of comments. Some find them incredibly easy to lather whilst others, including myself, have no luck whatsoever. If they work for you, then reap the reward. For me, there are far too many excellent soaps available that lather with ease, no matter what, to make this persistence worthwhile.

 

[Predict]

Strange, mystic water is one of my best soaps. I have never had any trouble lathering it. I soak the puck for a few minutes then load for only 15 seconds. Whip for 45 seconds, and poof! Fantastic lather. I leave my brush fairly wet, one small shake before loading.

 

[VT_Hokie]

There's no doubt that MW soaps create a very mixed bag of comments. Some find them incredibly easy to lather whilst others, including myself, have no luck whatsoever. If they work for you, then reap the reward. For me, there are far too many excellent soaps available that lather with ease, no matter what, to make this persistence worthwhile.

Well said, David.

Starting to sound a bit like a Mitchell's Wool Fat thread!

I've never had the opportunity to try any of Michelle's soaps, but stuff like this does turn me off a bit.

 

[Cochese2323]

+1 for the videos on the site. Helped me really dial in the right amount of water for her soaps. Stick with it because when you find the sweet spot, it is really sweet!

 

[zethreal]

With what I experienced, it likes you to start off with a dryer brush and add water if you need it. I've tried with a brush that had a bit more water in it and I ended up having to load more soap because it was too watery. Also, I tried lathering with a stiff boar brush and it was awesome... I tried with my new soft badger brush & it took a lot longer to get a good lather. So, if you can, try with a boar brush

 

[ShaveYourSoul]

So essentially you need to change a bunch of variables and when the stars align you will have a good lather