I'm trying this right now with my Pre de Provence tin. I filled the tin to the brim with water(just a bit, it's still pretty new), and let it sit overnight(12 hours), did a shave this morning and it actually soaked in the water like Jayaruh's pics and lathered easy and fantastically. I have it soaking again. We'll see how it is in 24 hours.
I picked up a puck of MWF a couple of weeks ago and promptly followed this thread. I have gotten some great lathers out of it. Thanks for the tips!
I just wet my brush under the tap and went to loading on the dry puck yesterday morning and was rewarded with enough lather for four passes or more. I have soft water so I don't usually have a hard time lathering my soaps. Clayton
Ryan, I don't think I ever got around to thanking you for this little tutorial - really simple and effective! So, thanks!
You have my thanks also. I followed your advice and my first ever lather with MWF went swimmingly. And, the performance was sublime
I would suggest that before any one submerges their MWF puck, at least try it as is for a couple of lathers. You may find that it works for you anyway and there is no need to soak it overnight, which in my experience with two pucks, lead to the soap being degraded after about half way. I never soak or even bloom my MWF puck and it lathers up a treat, even if it hasn't been used in a little while. It generates thick, slick lather. I think the difference to other soaps is that even though it looks foamy and that it's too watery, you just need to work it and it thickens up...so much so, that you will actually have to add even more water to get that sheen to the lather. I believe this is one of the reasons people inadvertently feel MWF is creating a lousy lather and that the brush is not picking up enough soap, when in fact, it is picking up more than enough. In fact, I find MWF is one of the easiest soaps to load up on the brush!
Over time, the weekly (or more often) application of a wet brush to a cake of MWF will cause the soap to absorb excess water and expand anyways. @nav if you have the ceramic dish, does your puck fill it, or is there a large gap between the puck and the outer wall of the container?
This seems like more work and water than people claim the williams needs! Lol i kid i kid.....i know your distain for williams.....is mwf your favorite? Or do you suggest another puck?
I don't have the ceramic dish however, my container's diameter is larger than MWF and after about a week's worth of shaves, the puck expands to fit the container perfectly.
I'm not sure how I missed this post. Is MWF my favorite? Close. I actually prefer Saponificio Varesino Felce Aromatica over MWF, (for soaps). 99% of the time, I use Kiss my Face Key Lime Moisture Shave. It's sold as a "hand lathering" shave cream, but really shines when used with a brush. I've tried Key Lime, Unscented, Lavander, and Pomegranate Grapefruit. It's one of the cheapest shave creams out there (priced per ml.) and in my opinion outperforms all other soaps and creams in slickness, thickness, cushion, moisturizing, and post shave feel. Edit: the convenience of having a KmF pump bottle cannot be overstated. It allows me to perfectly meter out my shave cream. One pump for a regular shave, or two for a luxurious shave.
"It gives the slickest shaves ever". So sayeth an employee at the local Whole Foods many moons ago regarding Kiss My Face, thus beginning my switch to a new and vastly improved form of wetshaving. What PLANofMAN says about it is really no exaggeration, it's that good. With a safety or cartridge razor, applied by brush or by hand, it works very well indeed. In addition to the scents PLANofMAN mentioned, there is also a Mint scent. It even has a wee bit of face freeze, probably a by-product of the mint scent. If I am not mistaken, there is a patchouli scent, as well. I have a hard time believing all of the Mitchell's Wool Fat customers, or even a majority of them, soak their pucks. If the soap performed that poorly, it is unlikely it could command $15-$20 per puck for very long. I think the comparison to Williams is apt. Why don't people do all kinds of things to get Williams to work? What is good for the goose is good for the gander. Perhaps it is time to see for myself how Mitchell's Wool Fat shaving soap performs. I just ordered a puck, and so will find out soon enough. And no, I won't be soaking it, sprinkling pixie dust on it, or saying incantations over it to get it to lather. Either it just works or it gets repurposed into a shower soap.
@Shaver X It's $11.53 at Connaught's...and that price includes shipping charges. Not sure where your $15-20 per puck price is coming from, unless you are including the ceramic bowl. I expect you will enjoy it though. It is a very good shave soap, and most people don't have issues with it. Just treat it like any other triple milled soap.
+1. MWF is one of my favourites and in my regular rotation. I admit I did initially soak it but haven't done so since and it's a consistently great performer, especially for the price. I'll definitely buy another when this one's finished. I'd be interested to hear your results. Regards, Chris
See the first post in this thread for my 'results.' Unless you were talking to @Shaver X, in which case, ignore my reply.
Even though they ship from the U.K., Connaught remains very competitive in the U.S. for the low prices on U.K. products and cheap shipping. Takes a little longer to arrive, though.
