Maestrale is wonderful too, just had to refill mine. The scents seem more polished/complex than most.
Enthusiastic thumbs up for Mystic Water shaving soaps!
- Thread starter JCinPA
- Start date
I've had a terrible reaction to every soap I've tried except MW Lilies of the Valley. A wild lavender sample is up for tomorrow morning. We'll see how that goes. Michelle has sent me some lengthy emails helping to explain the effects of various ingredients. Great customer service.
Another thing that was evident in her email is that she has put a lot of thought into every ingredient that is in her soap . . . and maybe more importantly, every ingredient that is NOT in her soap. I inquired of her the possibility that I am reacting to coconut oil. She replied - "a little bit of coconut oil is fine and produces the big, billowy bubbles that people like to see in their soaps, but too much is drying and even a little bit will make some people itch. It was a challenge to make a good shaving soap without using coconut but I wanted to make the gentlest soap that I could. " She added that "Originally, I had wheat protein in there as a skin protectant, but I took that out because of possible gluten allergy issues."
And it makes GREAT lather and a really smooth shave! What's not to love?!
Another thing that was evident in her email is that she has put a lot of thought into every ingredient that is in her soap . . . and maybe more importantly, every ingredient that is NOT in her soap. I inquired of her the possibility that I am reacting to coconut oil. She replied - "a little bit of coconut oil is fine and produces the big, billowy bubbles that people like to see in their soaps, but too much is drying and even a little bit will make some people itch. It was a challenge to make a good shaving soap without using coconut but I wanted to make the gentlest soap that I could. " She added that "Originally, I had wheat protein in there as a skin protectant, but I took that out because of possible gluten allergy issues."
And it makes GREAT lather and a really smooth shave! What's not to love?!
The term "soap artisan" does not do her justice. She is wonderfully talented. It's almost insulting when I read posts that write the soap off because it doesn't lather like other soaps. If you find the lather and decide it's not for you, I can respect that. But her soaps deserve an honest review.
I know that the people who write those posts are being honest in their assessment, but I can't figure out why it isn't working for them. I've been at this for a total of 6 weeks and here's a picture of my first bowl of MW. It had nice firm peeks at first, but since this was a practice bowl I kept adding water to see what it would do. That resulted in softer peaks, but still not even close to thin and foamy. Maybe I'm just blessed with good lather water.
The biggest +1 of the week.
One does wonder about such things. As you readily discovered MW will hold a LOT of water. I think this along with the careful crafting is what makes the lather so good to your skin. Water, water, water. As much as I tire of the hyperbole Charles down at Enchante has been preaching this for years. Water is the lubricant your skin wants. His Hydrolast products load up with it and so does Michelle's soap. I have to add a LOT of water and goof around quite a bit to make her lather break. And yes, water qualities do make a difference in lathering ability. Sometimes a big difference. But not to the point I have seen this soap described. I have been using it since its first incarnation that was a far cry from the finished product we use now. And though I am a dedicated fanboy I was tough on it during testing. If you'd like you can ask Michelle. I was brutally honest during the development of this soap. And let me add for the record I do not receive free samples, product, or any 'inside information'. I am just a super satisfied customer. This is the best shave soap I have ever used.
Cheers, Todd
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Todd, How wet is your lather relative to the picture I posted? Wetter than that?
What is your hypothysis on the problem they are having?
How did you get in on the testing if she wasn't even making shave soap yet? Did you visit her at the farmers markets?
Why doesn't she make aftershave? Hint Hint. You're an insider. Tell her to do it!
Not sure if this will help or hurt, but here is how I bowl lather MW. I try to Face Lather it, as it's less finicky this way, but anyway. Here is my pictoral step-by-step...as you can see in the "final" pic, it's got a nice sheen, and holds lots of water.
Soak Brush in hot water:
Drain water and let brush drip dry, then give a few "shakes":
Lather on puck:
It will start to thicken:
Start to lather in bowl:
When it looks like this, you are done!
Soak Brush in hot water:
Drain water and let brush drip dry, then give a few "shakes":
Lather on puck:
It will start to thicken:
Start to lather in bowl:
When it looks like this, you are done!
These are truly one of the best soaps around, along with Mike's and Jabonman soaps! Michelle is a true artist when it comes to the soap and scents.
+1
I don't want to sound like a broken record, but so far the MW Lilies of the Valley is the only soap so far that doesn't irritate my face. Unfortunately it was just a sample and I didn't re-order soon enough so while my LOTV and a scent-free MW are in transit I'm stuck. I tried another soap this morning and my face is still burning - it's clearly my face though. I find the whole thing really interesting because I have a stack of 6 soaps that severely irritate my skin. There is only one exception - MW Lilies of the Valley. She's created a very gentle product. Do I see a marketing opportunity here?
I was just reading these two quotes and looking at Brucered's pictures and I think they are all related. Look how much product Brucered loaded onto his brush. He has a lot of product there before he even hit the bowl -
The take away for me is - don't be shy. Load up. If you look at the big picture, soap is cheap. On the "3017" thread in the soap forum there are guys working one puck of soap until it is gone and they're getting 100ish shaves out of a puck of soap, and they're all using monster brushes, heavily loading with soap and trying to use up soap as fast as they can. We're talking about 10 cents of soap per day, give or take a few pennies. Who cares. Load heavy. It's going to make the whole process so much simpler and more enjoyable. Life is short. Lather up!
Lather on puck:
It will start to thicken:
The take away for me is - don't be shy. Load up. If you look at the big picture, soap is cheap. On the "3017" thread in the soap forum there are guys working one puck of soap until it is gone and they're getting 100ish shaves out of a puck of soap, and they're all using monster brushes, heavily loading with soap and trying to use up soap as fast as they can. We're talking about 10 cents of soap per day, give or take a few pennies. Who cares. Load heavy. It's going to make the whole process so much simpler and more enjoyable. Life is short. Lather up!
Josh(I hope that is correct. I think I saw you sign another post that way) I can only speculate about the reasons some have not had good results with Mystic Water. I am not trying to be harsh but I feel some of the lads simply did not give a full and fair test. Others reported issues no matter what. I have had the same problems with Mitchel's Woolfat so there is always mitigating factors. Water qualities can play a major issue but it is pretty rare to the end all of problems.
Wetness of lather. Yours looks cracking good to me. About perfect. As you have discovered Mystic is actually not difficult to lather at all. And as for loading it up. the photos could be a bit deceiving. Indeed, do not be stingy with the product but sometimes what you are seeing is a bit of "loading lite" on the cake. I load for a good twenty to thirty seconds and then LIGHTLY work the loaded brush over the cake to help absorb added water. Then I face lather till it looks like yours or Bruce's. I usually add a good teaspoon to as much two full teaspoons after I start face lathering. Mystic will hold a LOT of water. Just add in increments. It really is not fussy.
As for the insider questions I am afraid you are out of luck. i am unsure why Michelle does not make aftershave products. We have never discussed it. I can tell you this. In my opinion aftershaves are the true holy grail of wet shaving products. As hard as it is to develop small batch shaving soap I think a/s splash would be harder. Look at the reviews. A/S products are all over the place. Most are just alcohol based smell good splashes. Musgo is the best commercial product around that is easily available but as to custom made, it would be a chore.
As for the testing she approached me via PM. I kept it on the downsy because announcing any testing of beta products is completely unfair to the vendor. I only posted my thoughts after some of the other testers had went public. I will not demand anything of Michelle as far as making products(and yes I know you are only kidding). I have found a sort of grail product in her shave soap and will do all in my power to NOT screw it up! Keep it up man. You have hit upon a fantastic product and your senses are not misleading you.
Cheers, Todd
Wetness of lather. Yours looks cracking good to me. About perfect. As you have discovered Mystic is actually not difficult to lather at all. And as for loading it up. the photos could be a bit deceiving. Indeed, do not be stingy with the product but sometimes what you are seeing is a bit of "loading lite" on the cake. I load for a good twenty to thirty seconds and then LIGHTLY work the loaded brush over the cake to help absorb added water. Then I face lather till it looks like yours or Bruce's. I usually add a good teaspoon to as much two full teaspoons after I start face lathering. Mystic will hold a LOT of water. Just add in increments. It really is not fussy.
As for the insider questions I am afraid you are out of luck. i am unsure why Michelle does not make aftershave products. We have never discussed it. I can tell you this. In my opinion aftershaves are the true holy grail of wet shaving products. As hard as it is to develop small batch shaving soap I think a/s splash would be harder. Look at the reviews. A/S products are all over the place. Most are just alcohol based smell good splashes. Musgo is the best commercial product around that is easily available but as to custom made, it would be a chore.
As for the testing she approached me via PM. I kept it on the downsy because announcing any testing of beta products is completely unfair to the vendor. I only posted my thoughts after some of the other testers had went public. I will not demand anything of Michelle as far as making products(and yes I know you are only kidding). I have found a sort of grail product in her shave soap and will do all in my power to NOT screw it up! Keep it up man. You have hit upon a fantastic product and your senses are not misleading you.
Cheers, Todd
how does mystic water prospect creek menthol compare with vostok and proraso menthol....is it a face freezer?
Thanks for the review! I'm inspired. I just ordered three tubs:
Adirondack Jack, The Green Fairy and The Irish Traveller.
I can't wait to lather this up.
Adirondack Jack, The Green Fairy and The Irish Traveller.
I can't wait to lather this up.
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