Marvy's Shave Soap

I finally got around to visiting the local independent beauty supply store to see what shaving goodies they might have. One of the things I picked up was a puck of Marvy's Deluxe Shaving Soap.

Anybody have any experience with this soap? Any special handling I should be aware of?

Thanks...
JR

 

I bought a puck , lathered it a few times, then became aware of an odor. It smelled like rancid ham. I don't know if the tallow in soap can go bad, but I tossed it. Too many average to great soaps to gag when using an inexpensive one.
Hope you fare better!

 

It was probably rancid before it was saponified. It usually won't turn bad afterward. In any case, best not to get that soap since they may not take care of how fresh their ingredients are.

 

Well, I tried shaving with the Marvy's soap and things were not, well... marvy.

I tried my usual of face lathering with my VdH boar brush. The results was a very airy lather that dissipated quickly and seemed to offer little protection or lubrication. In frustration, I tried loading more product onto the brush and even, at one point, pulled the puck out of the bowl and tried to use it as a stick. I had read some comments about this soap on B&B and my experiences matched what I read there.

There may be a way to get decent results from this soap, but it is not readily apparent. At first glance, it makes Williams look easy.

I'm not one to walk away after a single attempt, but I think this one may end up as a shower soap.

 

Maybe super lather it? Ie. Add a small drop of your favorite shave cream to the puck, then lather up.

 

That seemed to be the best suggestion that I read on the other forum.

 

Hmm...try hydrating it over night. Pour off the water and add a drop or two of glycerin on the top of the puck before attempting to lather. That's the only thing I can think of that "might" help

 

Haven't tried Marvy soap, but have seen enough negative reviews to not want to mess with it. Way too many great soap makers out there to be doing magic tricks to get a good lather, but it is all about experimenting and finding out what works best for you.

 

I would also like to add that my first brush was a Marvy, and it fell apart in a week or so, kept shedding until almost all the hairs had fallen out. It was only about $8, but that is about the same as the Omega brushes, and the Omega brush is what I replaced the Marvy with, and it has been working great since I got it.

 

By the time it was done shedding you were left with a possible replacement door knob!

 

lol. It was bad Robby. I tried to make it work but it was so bad that I ended up getting the Omega s synthetic that was around the same price. So I gave the Marvy brush to my dad, and he said it was a total POS. Handfuls of hair, so it basically was just a handle left. haha. it was funny $8 joke.

 

Passed it on to good old dad! All joking aside i'm glad the Omega works for you, i have the Pro 48. They are fine brushes and it's almost hard to believe they can be had for so cheap.

 

Hydration seems to be the trick. After a bit of consideration, I decided to try the Marvy soap again. This time, I soaked it overnight first. Much better lather though I still had some issues with quick dissipation, though I think they can be overcome with some technique adjustments.

As best as I can tell, the way to approach the Marvy soap is to hydrate the puck well and start with a dryer brush to get a good initial loading. Then add water as necessary to build lather. We'll see how that works over the next few days.

 

I've been trying to use the Marvy as part of a soap/lather focus for MAYhem. Thoughts on the Marvy soap from Sunday's shave:

And today's:

Anybody ever seen this precipice in a soap before?

 

Tried it a long time ago and detested it!

 

I tried Marvy shave soap years ago and I remember being not to shabby, though nothing special. Maybe the formula has changed as it used to lather fairly easily. The shave brush from them however has always sucked!

 

Bump for a video! Marvy made some nice Barber Poles.
Here's one getting restored.

 

Years ago Marvy soap was made by Surrey, who now are Van Der Hagen. I wonder might they still make the soap for Marvy?

 

I'm glad to say I've never tried Marvy and after reading this article I don't think I ever will As @RyX said there are just too many other inexpensive shave soaps out there that work much better and easier to bother with Marvy. They do make a nice unbreakable shave mug however. I have soaps that are many years old and I have never had one go rancid yet. My go to soap is "Great ole Arko".