Mitchell's Wool Fat Shaving Soap is a traditional English triple milled shaving soap. I quote from their site: [SIZE=-1] Mitchell's Wool Fat Soap was first produced in the early 1930's by Bradford chemist Fred Mitchell who realised that the natural lanolin content of wool fat, which kept the hands of local sheep shearers and wool sorters so exceptionally soft, could also be beneficial to delicate complexions and sensitive skins[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]A simple and natural product, Mitchell's Wool Fat Soap is still made to Mr. Mitchell's original formula, based on a recipe from the turn of the century and incorporating lanolin from the wool fat as the key ingredient.[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]I lather this soap directly on my face. I have marked ease of lathering as 8 because it requires a little more care than most other soaps I have used. The brush should not carry too much water initially.build a "dry" lather and gradually introduce more water into the mix. This process give an amazingly moisturising and protective lather which does not easily disappear. I normally use a pure Badger brush to lather this soap....but then I prefer a little scrubbiness with a soap brush. [/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]The scent is typically traditional....perhaps hints of Lavender,Geranium, and of course the Lanolin. It's non seasonal....you can use it all year round.[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]This soap is exceptional value for money. The soap and ceramic bowl is inexpensive from the UK ....the pucks of soap are much cheaper than other top end soaps. Mitchell's Wool Fat shaving soap is also available rebadged under the Kent name. My current soap has lasted more than a year in my rotation....and still plenty more to go. All in all a great buy...and a great soap.[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]Brian [/SIZE]
Gosh, if only my skin wouldn't have started screaming at me, I would buy this soap again. It does have a lovely scent, with great lather, but I have the most problematic complexion of anyone I know. I have a very tough beard, but my skin is mega-sensitive, so anything that doesn't agree with it gives it a terrible rash and irritation. This soap is however, very, very good. Jeff
The Best I bought Mitchell's Wool Fat in the ceramic dish a couple months ago, and I have to say it is my favourite. It makes tons of great lather with very little effort, once you have learned how to coax the lather out. My skin always feels great all day after shaving with this soap, and I would definitely buy it again, if it ever runs out! :happy088
One of the best shaving soaps out there - next to top marks everywhere. And that ceramic bowl sure looks great :drool
Excellent Review Brian :happy088 I also enjoy Mitchell Wool Fat Shaving Soap. The contained lanolin seems to work very well on my skin, allowing for a creamy lather yet at the same time a close shave......and excellent moisturizing properties. I find that this soap lathers very well, and even with the hard water that I have here I get abundant lather with it. I also enjoy the clean, subtle scent of this soap....but then again I prefer a shave soap that doesn't have a heavy smell. So if you're looking for something to blast your nose with a potent, robust scent, this one isn't for you. An excellent shave soap
Nice soap, Smells good and clean, lanolin is nice on the skin...Kinda think it's a bit over priced and overhyped... I have a couple pucks that I ordered from England with the jar, as American retailer's have this stuff priced through the ceiling. I got mine from Carbolic soap, as they were the only places that seemed to have a decent price on it at the time... The soap dish is really cool too Good soap, worth a try
MWF is just a great soap. Period. It gives great lubrication and protection. It also lasts a long time. I have an old puck from 1+ year ago that's still going strong. I differ with the belief that the soap is very moisturizing. I have had HBS and QED soaps that were much more moisturizing. It's not drying by any means but IMHO, it isn't that moisturizing either. To me, the scent leaves a lot to be desired. T&H has a very faint but classic scent. It smells like the cologne of a refined gentleman. The scent of MWF makes me think of cough medicine and vegetables - things that are good for you but aren't attractive. They just do their job. MWF performs fantastically as a soap but the scent needs work. As for the price, there are vendors in the UK who sell the refill for $9 so that's not bad. However, the price for the soap and ceramic bowl is ridiculous, especially since the bowl can crack. I'll never buy the bowl so my score is based on the refill. Compared to other fine soaps, it's a bargain. For example, DR Harris' soap refill costs $16+.
I just don't get the hype on this one. Sure the jar looks cool, but I really wasn't impressed with the product.
This is the most overhyped and mediocre soap I have used. The hype is similar to Arko last year. Everyone raves about it but ultimately it is really mediocre.
I like it. Lather takes a bit of work but worth it. It can sit on my face for a day and I would still look like Santa. A tad drying after the shave. Not a ton of lube but enough to work. Protection.............it is like wearing a rubber glove on your face.. FAN_TAS_TIC better then a lot of creams. I like the scent, clean and soapy. Granted I got it as a gift but man is it expensive, if it wasn't for the Secret Santa I would have never paid for it but when it runs out I will replace it.
By far the best shaving lather I've used Mitchell's Woolfat is a great shaving soap. This stuff produces the best lather I've used to date, hands down. I've been using it exclusively since I got it 1.5 weeks ago and I've gotten the closest shaves with the least amount of irritation. It's one of the few shave goods I've received that has lived up to the hype. For the best lather, skip the bowl and instead face lather. You'll be rewarded handsomely for it. I'm glad The Shave Den lets you go back and edit your Reviews. I was obviously blinded by my new purchase when I posted my first review because 1.5 weeks really isn't long enough to post a good review of this stuff. With that said, I'll get on with my new review... After using Mitchell's Wool Fat for quite a while I've come to the conclusion that I don't really like this stuff that much. It's a real PITA to generate a good lather; at least with my water. The odd thing is that the weak looking, thin lather does deliver a pretty decent shave and protects rather well so I do use it occasionally. I just don't like using it very much because it takes so long to lather compared to other soaps that I use (Mama Bear's, Tabac, Irish Moos). It does leave my face feeling very good and moisturized like no other soap does, but the time spent lathering isn't worth it... I also don't have dry skin so the extra moisturizing isn't that important to me. I've gone through about half the soap since I bought it a year and a half ago.
I like the scent of the soap, not too powerful,rather mild. Ease of lathering is really good, don't add too much water at first, just work it in slowly. Really good for moisture, I haven't found one better. Some say that this product is all hype, I found the soap really pleasing and easy to use. I would buy this one again.
I bought this soap (and several others) in a quest to replace a favorite soap that is no longer available. Great lather, great skincare, light scent, and it's by far the most protective soap I've ever experienced. I'm pleased
I use this stuff as a base for my super lather daily. I face lather and the stuff is great. The price could be a little cheaper and they either need to come up with a better scent or just make it scentless.
After just a few shaves... WELL, I got this used puck of MWF from a friend who did not particularly like it. My impressions are after only a few shaves (with excellent results! ), but I thought it wise to add to our own TSD reviews! LATHERABILITY: Unlike the experience of some others, I had NO PROBLEMS getting a luxurious lather with Pure Badger brushes. It was almost "automatic!" LATHER LIFE SPAN: On two counts: 1) how long the lather held up without going flat, and 2) how much lather from the original loading of the brush lasted through multiple passes...EXCELLENT! MOISTURIZING: I found this was not a "drying" soap for my skin, and it gave me GOOD SKINCARE in this regard. LUBRICATION: While not a "slick as all getout" type of soap, there was no skipping of the razor and MORE THAN ENOUGH GLIDE to make for a smooth shave. PROTECTION: Okay, I am going to assume that this means "CUSHION." I have not encountered any better soaps in this regard. Consequently, IT DOES NOT GET ANY BETTER! SCENT: Unlike others who find this the most easily criticized aspect...I perceive a mild floral/rose "clean" scent...PERFECTLY ACCEPTABLE, IF NOT THIS SOAP'S STRONG POINT. Soaps, for me, are to be evaluated like dental floss. I want them to WORK WELL. They really don't need to have a FLAVOR (although that can be a nice thing ), they just have to PERFORM! You want flavor? Use an AFTERSHAVE (lasts longer than soap scents, too!)! PRICE: Well, this one was a freebie...but at under $20. for a 125 gr. puck that seems to me as if it will LAST ALMOST FOREVER, THE PRICE IS REASONABLE! WOULD I BUY (AGAIN)?: As I have said, I didn't buy this puck...but I would gladly purchase a replacement IF I EVER MANAGE TO USE THIS ONE UP! My MWF "lives in" a short coffee mug (PERFECT FIT) which was a "dime toss" for charity win. SURE, I would LOVE to have the nifty, authentic, old-fashioned ceramic container...but I'm not willing to lay out that kind of cash for something which will not really improve my shave! BOTTOM LINE..."Try it--you'll like it!" --Morrie
Top Shelf? Not Really I am one of the people who find MWF to be quite poor. Not only is it difficult to work up a lather with it, but the lather does not stay moist and creamy on my face while I am shaving. Instead, it dries out on my face. After all of the hype, I decided to try it. I used it every day for over a week and got the same problem with every shave. I use a number of soaps such as T&H, Joris, C&E Sienna, Tabac and L'Occitane CADE. Of all of them, MWF is the only soap that gives me this problem. I definitely will not buy it again.
I'm hooked Baaaa-d Ease of Lathering - It takes just a little extra work for me, but no big deal. Life Span of Lather - Much longer than it takes me to shave. Moisturizing - MWF is the gold standard of moiturizing. Lubrication - As good or better than anything else Protective - Unbelievable protection, like a teflon coating Scent - Very pleasant but also very mild. Price - Great for the quality level and how long it lasts, but not exactly cheap I'll definitely buy it again, if the puck I have ever get used up.
Lives up to the hype Other than the cost, this is an excellent shaving soap. A joy to use. Edit: I increased my scoring of this soap in 3 areas: Scent (from '9' to '10' because it continues to grow on me--now one of my favorites), Price (from '5' to '8' because I've now found it much cheaper than the $20 I originally paid) and Would You Buy Again (from '8' to '10' because of the other factors and because NO OTHER SOAP MAKES MY SKIN FEEL SO GOOD AFTER A SHAVE).
Good soap This is an excellent soap! Lubrication is a resounding 10 that's why I use it when shaving with my SR. Creams tend to dry out fast but MWF is creamy to the end of the shave.
