What gives? Mitchells Wool Fat

After unsuccessfully producing a lasting lather from Col.Conk Bay Ruhm for weeks, I purchase MWF and generating lather is like falling off of a log.

I thought MWF was FUSSY. My experience is anything BUT. I do not believe I will ever use anything else!

It is quite the mystery. Perhaps a different technique is needed for Glycerin based soaps?

I am still a newbie. Full of questions and observations! This Mitchells Wool Fat is the BEES KNEES!

-Crisp

I have tried a few different Conk scents, and the Bay Rum performed the worst. Amber the best. I've heard it varies from scent to scent, and even within a scent, from puck to puck.

I do still hold that MWF doesn't lather quite as easily as, say, Tabac. It's nice, slick lather every time I touch it - but it doesn't explode like Tabac does for me.

Welcome to the wonderful world of tallow!

Thanks for the replies. Glad to see somebody shared the same experience. I am going to have to buy another puck of Col.Conk just for the challenge. Definitely not the Bay Ruhm though, I don't need THAT much challenge again.

But before you give up on glycerine soaps, give some QED's a try.

ouch said:

But before you give up on glycerine soaps, give some QED's a try.

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And some Mama Bear.


Conk just sucks pond water, imho. MWF is almost divine. Yeah, tallow.

MWF is a great performer and lathers excellent for me.

I have, I think given up on glycerin soaps. I think. What is different about QED soaps? Maybe I want to try the lime.

grump said:

MWF is a great performer and lathers excellent for me.

I have, I think given up on glycerin soaps. I think. What is different about QED soaps? Maybe I want to try the lime.

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QED is LOADED with yummy frag oils. The lime is easily top two of those out there.

does mwf fit into a mug?

Yep - just grate it.

Space said:

does mwf fit into a mug?

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The puck is about 3-1/4 inches in diameter.

I had the exact opposite experience of the OP. MWF is a pain to lather properly, but my puck of Conk's Bay Rum kicks a lather real quick. For all the Conk knocking that goes on around here, I really like my current puck.

ouch said:

But before you give up on glycerine soaps, give some QED's a try.

Click to expand...

RichGem said:

And some Mama Bear.

Conk just sucks pond water, imho. MWF is almost divine. Yeah, tallow.

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and some of the offerings from Honey Sue too!

grump said:

MWF is a great performer and lathers excellent for me.

I have, I think given up on glycerin soaps. I think. What is different about QED soaps? Maybe I want to try the lime.

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These are the limes you're looking for!

RichGem said:

QED is LOADED with yummy frag oils. The lime is easily top two of those out there.

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RESISTANCE IS FUTILE!


marty

I do not have a problem lathering conk.

I haven't tried MWF yet, but it is definitely on my list, with that oh so sweet retro bowl!

kg4ghn said:

I do not have a problem lathering conk.

I haven't tried MWF yet, but it is definitely on my list, with that oh so sweet retro bowl!

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I think it's more vintage than retro

I'm one of the MWF idiots. For six months I couldn't get a lather on par with the "tallow giants". I do not consider MWF a "tallow giant".... more of a "lanolin giant". I am very interested in trying another lanolin soap to see if it's the lanolin that gives me trouble or just the MWF.

I know Prairie Creations does something with lanolin but I don't know if she's straightened out the supply chain issues.

Every time I come across an MWF thread, I'm tempted to try out this tallow wonder...I can't take this much longer...are tallow soaps REALLY that different?

I've never had trouble lathering MWF, either. It's my favorite soap.

Does anyone more knowledgeable know if water content affects lathering? I'd think there would be a difference between hard and soft water as well as mineral makeup. I wonder if that might explain why some unfortunate souls struggle with lathering MWF.

Mine does very well, and while I don't find it lathers huge masses of foam, it is a creamy and softening product that my face is growing to love.

Chris

Uncle Erik said:

Does anyone more knowledgeable know if water content affects lathering? I'd think there would be a difference between hard and soft water as well as mineral makeup. I wonder if that might explain why some unfortunate souls struggle with lathering MWF.

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Yes, hardness of water does affect soap lathering... but only when there are no chelating agents in the soap. Such a product 'captures' hardness and refuses to give it up, thus making the water softer than it would otherwise have been. MWF contains several chelating agents, so water hardness is not the problem.

It's also not loading. Despite its gritty appearance, I found MWF to dissolve quite well, even with little water. If I rub the resulting proto-lather onto my fingertips, the feeling is very unpleasantly soapy-thick. (And if I were to wash out the brush, the water would be noticably soapy.)

The problem as I have come to experience it is that MWF does not produce a smooth, creamy lather without visible bubbles. Or rather, I can produce one but then have to add so much water that it cannot hold itself together for the time it takes for me to shave. If I accept the bubbly nature of the lather and just try and shave with that, it quickly dries out on my face which I attribute to sharp stubble pricking through these fragile bubble walls. (Smaller bubbles—of the kind in lathers from, say, Tabac, TOBS, Pré de Provence, Monsavon, ...—are harder to pierce.) I have not found an optimum setting which makes me enthusiastic about MWF. The soap simply appears to be incompatible with my face.

I have performed a small experiment once in which I added a small amount of Musgo Real to the lather. The bubbly nature seemed to disappear to a large extent, forming a smooth meringue-like lather I probably would get great shaves out of. I haven't repeated the experiment yet, but plan to do so in the future. (To those who now say See, you didn't load enough for you had to add more soap/cream! I reply: you are wrong, for the amount of MR would be sufficient for half a pass at best; and keep in mind that my loaded brush sure doesn't feel like it contains little soap.)

Fortunately there are tons of products out there which do just fine.