Replacing the Fat

[AimlessWanderer]

I'm a simple shaver, in that I generally try to use the least number of products for the best post shave. As such, normally the only thing that touches my face after the shave itself, is water and a towel. So I too rely on the soap/cream to leave my skin happy.

You mentioned Connaught. From there, here are a few unscented options that work for me. Haslinger Schafmilch, Lea shave stick, and Edwin Jagger Aloe Vera mug soap. Also, Wickhams soaps work very well for me, and although I only have some of their scented soaps, Connaught are showing the Unscented as being in stock.

 

[Balthazar]

I'm a simple shaver, in that I generally try to use the least number of products for the best post shave. As such, normally the only thing that touches my face after the shave itself, is water and a towel. So I too rely on the soap/cream to leave my skin happy.

You mentioned Connaught. From there, here are a few unscented options that work for me. Haslinger Schafmilch, Lea shave stick, and Edwin Jagger Aloe Vera mug soap. Also, Wickhams soaps work very well for me, and although I only have some of their scented soaps, Connaught are showing the Unscented as being in stock.

Thanks for the suggestions. Haslinger Schafmilch will be a part of "Round 2", which is already underway (started a few weeks ago). I wouldn't call it "unscented" though, I find the fragrance quite a bit stronger than MWF's (though I should add that it is a fragrance profile that I like).

I will need to think about how broad I want my coverage to be, but I am noting down all suggestions. The Lea shave stick I would have loved to try before the 2017 reformulation, but the fact that it still contains lanolin does make it an interesting one (at a great price point too).

 

[Frito Ray]

Stirling unscented with beeswax.

Beeswax is something really different with really good post shave feel. I recently purchased some Speick cream and absolutely love the way it leaves my face, with a slight waxy feel. But Speick is not unsented.

I plan on trying other beeswax creams/soaps once I diminish my current stash.

 

[Balthazar]

True. I’ve searched that one in Europe too. No luck.

I feel a bit stupid, sometimes the answer is right before one's eyes. I still haven't found this from a European vendor abroad, but I wasn't including my own country in my search. Turns out there's a Norwegian site that offers it, a bit pricey but about the same as it would have costed from the Europen vendors that offer other Stirling flavors when shipping is taken into account.

I guess I can't not order it now. Also a good chance to support one of the very few local wet shaving stores.

Beeswax is something really different with really good post shave feel. I recently purchased some Speick cream and absolutely love the way it leaves my face, with a slight waxy feel. But Speick is not unsented.

I plan on trying other beeswax creams/soaps once I diminish my current stash.

Interesting, I wasn't aware that the Speick cream contains beeswax (and, alas, I see that their soap does not). I actually received a sample of this cream with a recent order from Gift & care. I haven't used a shaving cream for more than a decade, but I'll have to try this cream at some point now that I have a sample...

 

[Balthazar]

Over the last few weeks it's become clear to me that the sort of systematic approach I proposed earlier (and followed through round 1 and much of round 2) will not be tenable in the long run. Rigour is very often a good thing and the world needs more of it, but it can also be a killer of things that should be enjoyable by turning them into a chore, and I consider my shaving such a thing. Because I only shave every other day, have a bunch of soaps I want to try, and don't want to spend years in sampling purgatory before I reach my destination, I'm gonna be less concerned about the "external factors might be affecting my shaving experience" issue, which in any case I don't think is that big an issue. I feel fairly confident that I can more or less distinguish between the skin reactions I might get from bad sleep, stress or chlorine (pool) water and the ones I get from shaving products my face disagrees with.

With that said, I'll try to make sure I get at least three shaves out of everything I try before I pass my judgments.

On with the show.


ROUND 2: Haslinger

I'm gonna keep this one fairly short.

As I noted earlier, I actually tried Haslinger Schafmilch some years back when it was still tallow based. I also have a puck of the Aloe Vera (tallow), which I never got around to trying.

I seem to recall that I wanted to try something that sounded similar to MWF that was getting a lot of positive buzz. What I quickly realized though was that my skin reacted to the Schafmilch, it would give my skin this slightly burning feeling (and a red tint). My wife adopted the soap and it has worked excellent for her.

I thought I'd give the new veggie formula a try, since it's often mentioned as one of the soaps that either stayed just as good or became better after the (second) reformulation. Was I just imagining the skin thing back then?

I ordered a couple of scents, but only the Schafmilch and Honig arrived in time for this round (lots of issues with the post services that are probably not of interest to anyone else).

So long story short: Same issue as before, maybe it's a fragrance thing. The Schafmilch I quite like, though I do feel it is much more "in your face" than MWF's. Could be toned down a couple of notches. I'm a sucker for honey notes, and the Honig fragrance (dry puck in particular) is very alluring to me. Doesn't matter though, my face has the same reaction as it did six years ago with the tallow formula. Turns red, strangely stronger on the right side than the left. Wife calls it "the Haslinger blush".

Haslinger is probably not for me, though I'm gonna give the unscented Sensitiv (which just arrived yesterday) a chance in a later round.

With all that said: I know this brand works really well for a bunch of other people with sensitive skin, so as always, YMMV. I feel like the actual shaving experience with Haslinger is really good, it lathers extremely well and provides slick and protective lather during the shave. I really want to love the Haslinger soaps, but again that stupid face of mine does not care about my wants..

 

[Doc Dan]

Over the last few weeks it's become clear to me that the sort of systematic approach I proposed earlier (and followed through round 1 and much of round 2) will not be tenable in the long run. Rigour is very often a good thing and the world needs more of it, but it can also be a killer of things that should be enjoyable by turning them into a chore, and I consider my shaving such a thing. Because I only shave every other day, have a bunch of soaps I want to try, and don't want to spend years in sampling purgatory before I reach my destination, I'm gonna be less concerned about the "external factors might be affecting my shaving experience" issue, which in any case I don't think is that big an issue. I feel fairly confident that I can more or less distinguish between the skin reactions I might get from bad sleep, stress or chlorine (pool) water and the ones I get from shaving products my face disagrees with.

With that said, I'll try to make sure I get at least three shaves out of everything I try before I pass my judgments.

On with the show.


ROUND 2: Haslinger

I'm gonna keep this one fairly short.

As I noted earlier, I actually tried Haslinger Schafmilch some years back when it was still tallow based. I also have a puck of the Aloe Vera (tallow), which I never got around to trying.

I seem to recall that I wanted to try something that sounded similar to MWF that was getting a lot of positive buzz. What I quickly realized though was that my skin reacted to the Schafmilch, it would give my skin this slightly burning feeling (and a red tint). My wife adopted the soap and it has worked excellent for her.

I thought I'd give the new veggie formula a try, since it's often mentioned as one of the soaps that either stayed just as good or became better after the (second) reformulation. Was I just imagining the skin thing back then?

I ordered a couple of scents, but only the Schafmilch and Honig arrived in time for this round (lots of issues with the post services that are probably not of interest to anyone else).

So long story short: Same issue as before, maybe it's a fragrance thing. The Schafmilch I quite like, though I do feel it is much more "in your face" than MWF's. Could be toned down a couple of notches. I'm a sucker for honey notes, and the Honig fragrance (dry puck in particular) is very alluring to me. Doesn't matter though, my face has the same reaction as it did six years ago with the tallow formula. Turns red, strangely stronger on the right side than the left. Wife calls it "the Haslinger blush".

Haslinger is probably not for me, though I'm gonna give the unscented Sensitiv (which just arrived yesterday) a chance in a later round.

With all that said: I know this brand works really well for a bunch of other people with sensitive skin, so as always, YMMV. I feel like the actual shaving experience with Haslinger is really good, it lathers extremely well and provides slick and protective lather during the shave. I really want to love the Haslinger soaps, but again that stupid face of mine does not care about my wants..

Well, I'd leave the Haslinger alone. It has peanut oil in it and that gives me a red and burning face. Forget it. Move on to something else and stop beating your head against that same wall over and over. There are too many good soaps out there that will not break out your face. There are some good tallow+lanolin soaps for sure, and some easily as good as MWF (dare I say it?) and I am a MWF former fan.

 

[NorthernSoul]

Well, I'd leave the Haslinger alone. It has peanut oil in it and that gives me a red and burning face. Forget it. Move on to something else and stop beating your head against that same wall over and over. There are too many good soaps out there that will not break out your face. There are some good tallow+lanolin soaps for sure, and some easily as good as MWF (dare I say it?) and I am a MWF former fan.

Haslinger Sensitive does not contain peanut oil. At least try to be accurate.

Peanut oil when refined does not contain a significant amount of the protein ingredients that trigger most people with allergies. Peanut oil is used in cosmetic formulations and that would not be the case if it were going to cause problems for even <2% of the population.

INCI: potassium stearate, sodium stearate, potassium cocoate, aqua (water), glycerin, sodium cocoate, sodium cocoyl glycinate, myristic acid, lauric acid, aloe barbadensis (aloe vera) leaf juice, coconut acid, bis-diglyceryl polyacyladipate-2, pca glyceryl oleate, lecithin, tetrasodium glutamate diacetate

 

[Balthazar]

There are some good tallow+lanolin soaps for sure, and some easily as good as MWF (dare I say it?) and I am a MWF former fan.

Not many on this side of the Atlantic though. Especially not the hard, milled pucks I favor (though that's much less important than the performance). But I am going to try the tallow basert stuff I can get my hand on without too much trouble.

As a sneek peak for what's coming up in round 3, I have had two shaves with the Stirling Unscented with Beeswax, and I am very impressed by that base. A sample of the Sheep is also on the way (from China of all places, where I have found a much better range of Stirling samples than anywhere in Europe I'm aware of).

 

[Doc Dan]

Not many on this side of the Atlantic though. Especially not the hard, milled pucks I favor (though that's much less important than the performance). But I am going to try the tallow basert stuff I can get my hand on without too much trouble.

As a sneek peak for what's coming up in round 3, I have had two shaves with the Stirling Unscented with Beeswax, and I am very impressed by that base. A sample of the Sheep is also on the way (from China of all places, where I have found a much better range of Stirling samples than anywhere in Europe I'm aware of).

The Stirling beeswax is really good. I think it is their best base.

 

[Doc Dan]

Haslinger Sensitive does not contain peanut oil. At least try to be accurate.

Peanut oil when refined does not contain a significant amount of the protein ingredients that trigger most people with allergies. Peanut oil is used in cosmetic formulations and that would not be the case if it were going to cause problems for even <2% of the population.

INCI: potassium stearate, sodium stearate, potassium cocoate, aqua (water), glycerin, sodium cocoate, sodium cocoyl glycinate, myristic acid, lauric acid, aloe barbadensis (aloe vera) leaf juice, coconut acid, bis-diglyceryl polyacyladipate-2, pca glyceryl oleate, lecithin, tetrasodium glutamate diacetate

I stand corrected on the ingredients of the Sensitive.

However, I need to tweak your thinking a bit. Refined peanut oil can indeed cause problems, but usually not severe and for most they will not experience anything. There are a few who will, however. There have been studies and publications and personal experience with this. Unrefined peanut oil is dangerous.

Take Edge gel, for example. It used to be made with peanut oil. Made my face red and burning. When they were bought out, the new company removed the peanut oil and now it is fine. Many such things can be cited, but a simple Google search will show the veracity of what I am saying. So, while not severe, refined peanut oil can cause problems for a few people with severe peanut allergies. Unrefined peanut oil can be deadly.

 

[NorthernSoul]

I stand corrected on the ingredients of the Sensitive.

However, I need to tweak your thinking a bit. Refined peanut oil can indeed cause problems, but usually not severe and for most they will not experience anything. There are a few who will, however. There have been studies and publications and personal experience with this. Unrefined peanut oil is dangerous.

Take Edge gel, for example. It used to be made with peanut oil. Made my face red and burning. When they were bought out, the new company removed the peanut oil and now it is fine. Many such things can be cited, but a simple Google search will show the veracity of what I am saying. So, while not severe, refined peanut oil can cause problems for a few people with severe peanut allergies. Unrefined peanut oil can be deadly.

If you have a reaction, of course you would want to discontinue using that product. So far, so good. I don't know what substance you were reacting to. It seems like a bit of an assumption that others will experience the exact same problem as you, and to warn them off. Allergies can be somewhat individual.

U.S. federal government food standards require that allergens be labeled to warn people and AFAIK they don't require it for refined peanut oil. That is as a food ingredient. They have to warn people if the food has peanut ingredients, but not for peanut oil. People with peanut allergy will usually be more sensitive to food ingredients than something used on the skin.

It's possible oils that are not highly refined could contain peanut proteins, but this is not usually used for cosmetic formulations. Why would a company want to take that chance? The less refined oils are more likely to be used as cooking oils by people that choose that.

That's my POV, for what it's worth.

 

[Balthazar]

The eight pucks of MWF tallow arrived a little while back, and they are now safely stored in a mylar bag in our basement. Phew! Although good alternatives - yes, that's a plural - have now presented themselves, which there will be more on later.

Today I picked up a shipment of nine MWF tallow bath soap bars, ordered in a moment of "fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me" thinking. I bet it will have been reformulated long before I finish the nine bars, despite the company's assurance that there's currently no plans for that.



GBP 2.33 per bar, I dont think I know of any product in any category that's better value for the money.

 

[Spy Car]

Consider me along for the ride.

Bill

 

[RAD patient]

: And I hope you will be around for a long time still! Wasn't Kent shaving soap a MWF dupe?

I wasn't metaphorical at all by the way. My local brick and mortar shave store has these still in stock. Just checked again to be sure. And they ship within the EU (just read you're in Europe - so am I).

Could you send me a PM as to where that is? Would love to have a bowl and puck for my collection. I am in Holland just like you.

 

[Guido75]

Could you send me a PM as to where that is? Would love to have a bowl and puck for my collection. I am in Holland just like you.

PM sent.

 

[RAD patient]

So, thanks to Guido I got myself two porcelain bowl of the fat.Finally I might add because the shop he referred too had only four jars left. The owner told me the stuff is popular because some guy from Denmark just bought up all the last old formula ones he had left @Balthazar. So thanks Guide for sharing the addres and yes, the owner remembered you and says hi!
Have a great day gents, I'm of to shave for the first time with MWF. Hope it lives up to the hype.

 

[RAD patient]

Well, I have to say. This is really amazing stuff. Have to practice getting the lather right but with what I got this time around had an excellent shave. And with a new to me razor and blade that counts for something.
I only bought two of the last four tubs but I might just go back today and buy the very last two aswell.
Now I know what all the fuss was about and I really do not understand why Mitchells would take the tallow out. There is more then plenty soaps to choose from if you don't want animal products in your skincare routine.
Beats me.

 

[Guido75]

Excellent @RAD patient! It’sa fun shop to rummage through the ages and ages of shave gear there. I come by regularly, but if I would let my ADs take over I would come back with a lot more! That’s the interesting dynamic of being in a real shop! It’s right in front of you. Not some random picture on the screen you click.

If you do plan to revisit I really suggest you also take a sniff from the Kox Bergamot soap. Lathers but just looking at it and it comes (if you want) in a cool looking vintage soap mug with lid. Amazing soap.

Enjoy your MWF!

Guido

 

[Balthazar]

Well, I have to say. This is really amazing stuff. Have to practice getting the lather right but with what I got this time around had an excellent shave. And with a new to me razor and blade that counts for something.
I only bought two of the last four tubs but I might just go back today and buy the very last two aswell.
Now I know what all the fuss was about and I really do not understand why Mitchells would take the tallow out. There is more then plenty soaps to choose from if you don't want animal products in your skincare routine.
Beats me.

Glad to hear you were able to secure some pucks, and that you had a nice first shave with it! I was going to suggest that you don't give up on it if your first few shaves don't go too well. MWF tallow is kind of infamous for lathering difficulties (though I've never had that experience myself, even when I was living in hard water areas), and I generally find that the soap improves after a "break-in" of 2-3 shaves. I sometimes soak a new puck in luke-warm water for a few hours prior to the first shave to speed things up a bit, but it's definitely not necessary. When convenient I usually also do a light bloom with a few drops of luke-warm water over the soap an hour or so before shaving.

I bought the ceramic jar myself way back, but switched to a bowl with better air-sealing after a while. Found that to more or less take care of the soap's (also infamous) "jealousy issues", i.e. needing to get some brush-cuddling at least once every 1-2 weeks in order to perform at its best.

In any case, I hope you keep having nice shaves with it!

(As for the reason for the reformulation I guess only the company knows 100%, but I think the strongest hypothesis is that the factory that produces their soap noodles stopped offering a tallow-based version. (And the reasons for that might be more in the domain of "ethical" (less likely) or EU-legislation (more likely) related considertaions). Just my speculations bases on no hard evidence.)

PS: Kudos on the shop owner for not taking advantage of the scarcity of MWF tallow and raising prices. Must be a man of integrity.
PPS: I did also pick up the Kox Bergamot soap mentioned by @Guido75. Despite it being scented (I am coming to the realization that the one common denominator for the soaps I have bad reactions to is the added fragrance), you just can't miss out on an opportunity to try a tallow based European soap these days (and at that price). I haven't tried it yet but will do so a little further down the line. In any case it smells like it's on the milder side of the fragrance spectrum, which I like. I believe it's made by (well, maybe "ordered to be made by") the shop owner you talked to, by the way

 

[Spy Car]

Not to derail, but when I returned to wet-shaving a dozen years ago (or so), I tried a few soaps and creams--but quickly bonded with Cella. For over a decade I have used Cella. I love Cella. It is my thing.

But I always thought that MWF would be my alternate soap. By reputation and the ingredient list, "the plan" was going to be the Wool Fat would be my "other."

But what happened?

It seemed like every time (which was admittedly sporadic over the past decade) that I was going to order some MWF, there was some sort of supply disruption--the crock or the soap, or both--and I dithered. And now the tallow based version is vanishing. Hmmm.

I think it is time for me to branch out and try a few new soaps, and MWF replacement suggestion will likely dovetail with what interests me, so I will follow the thread with interest.

I do have a Stirling Sheep on the way.

Bill