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My apologies to Michelle and Mystic Waters

BRuhling

BRuhling

I'd been frustrated with my MW Marakesh. I simply could not manage to get a decent lather out of it, not matter what I tried. I always got a good shave, but the lather was simply to thin and broke down immediately.

But I decided to give it one last go before either I PIF'd it or binned it. I'm glad I did. I used my new Rover in Manchurian Badger and started with the brush almost dry. I then proceeded to load the heck out of the brush. When I went to the face, I coated the whiskers then dipped the tips and started building. Along the way I went back to the puck to load a bit more and dipped the tips a few times as I built. I was rewarded with a nice, stable lather. It could be a bit more hydrated and provide more cushion for my taste, but I finally got a lather that worked for my straight razor! I was left with a BBS and the typically moist/hydrated skin that made me want to find a way to work with this soap.

My apologies for the negativity I showed before, I may just become a convert after all!
 
OldGreyGuy

OldGreyGuy

Two rules of lather making:

1. When you think you have enough product, then you probably need more.

2. When you think you have enough water, then you probably need more.
 
JCinPA

JCinPA

The Lather Maestro
BRuhling said:
I'd been frustrated with my MW Marakesh. I simply could not manage to get a decent lather out of it, not matter what I tried. I always got a good shave, but the lather was simply to thin and broke down immediately.

But I decided to give it one last go before either I PIF'd it or binned it. I'm glad I did. I used my new Rover in Manchurian Badger and started with the brush almost dry. I then proceeded to load the heck out of the brush. When I went to the face, I coated the whiskers then dipped the tips and started building. Along the way I went back to the puck to load a bit more and dipped the tips a few times as I built. I was rewarded with a nice, stable lather. It could be a bit more hydrated and provide more cushion for my taste, but I finally got a lather that worked for my straight razor! I was left with a BBS and the typically moist/hydrated skin that made me want to find a way to work with this soap.

My apologies for the negativity I showed before, I may just become a convert after all!
Click to expand...

You are actually in some good company. There are a number of very experienced latherers who had trouble dialing MW in around here, you are by no means alone. When you do nail it right on the money, however, it is simply fantastic. I think on the scale of finicky lathering soaps this is just on the finickier side of MWF. But when you dial it in you would be hard pressed to find any soap that will give you a better shave.

Glad you figured it out!
 
BRuhling

BRuhling

JCinPA said:
You are actually in some good company. There are a number of very experienced latherers who had trouble dialing MW in around here, you are by no means alone. When you do nail it right on the money, however, it is simply fantastic. I think on the scale of finicky lathering soaps this is just on the finickier side of MWF. But when you dial it in you would be hard pressed to find any soap that will give you a better shave.

Glad you figured it out!
Click to expand...

Thanks, John. I still need to find a bit more sweet spot because I'm convinced it can give better cushion. If I can nail that, then I should be very pleased with this soap and it will certainly slide up near the top of the rotation!
 
kingfisher

kingfisher

I'm glad you're getting close.

I've never had any trouble whatsoever lathering any of Michelle's soaps, and they provide the best lather of any soaps I've ever tried.

Keep at it and you will be rewarded.
 
ironfisted

ironfisted

I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one with this exact issue. On a couple of occasions I've given up and thrown some Erasmic into the mix to get the lather built, but I feel like I'm cheating. I love the smell of MW Cedar/Sage and Bay Rum, and I really want to make it work, but it's definitely finicky and I'm definitely impatient. I'll have to revisit my technique altogether and play with it some more. Thanks for the post!
 
Bengal Tiger

Bengal Tiger

Glad it finally worked out for you. Definitely one of my favorites. The Vez's videos helped me a lot. Starting with very little water and loading lots of soap and then adding more water as I face lather has worked for me.

People here have also had success with the reverse using Marco's method since it is a soft tallow soap. I think you need a larger container for this to truly explode properly. Ziploc tupperware containers work well for this.
 
JCinPA

JCinPA

The Lather Maestro
As has been mentioned, The Vez2's videos on the MW website are very helpful. You will find a lot of folks take a while to figure this soap out, none of you should feel like you are the only one. MWF is one of the most popular soaps around, and those who really love it have it really dialed in, but it is known to have a steep learning curve. I thinks MW is similar in this regard. None of you should feel alone or like you are bad lather builders. Just keep at it.

People have posted videos of getting to good lather from two directions, the starting with a dryer brush method TheVez2 demonstrates, and using the Marco method, believe it or not. But from both directions it still has a fairly narrow latherability 'window'. The rewards are worth it, though, don't give up.
 
Marco

Marco

B&B's Man in Italy
OldGreyGuy said:
Two rules of lather making:

1. When you think you have enough product, then you probably need more.

2. When you think you have enough water, then you probably need more.
Click to expand...

These are the fundamentals of the Italian Master Barbers' lathering technique (improperly known here on B&B as "Marco method"):

***LOTS OF WATER + LOTS OF SWIRLS + LOTS OF SOAP = LOTS OF THICK, CREAMY, EFFECTIVE LATHER***​
 
MeanGene

MeanGene

Marco said:
These are the fundamentals of the Italian Master Barbers' lathering technique (improperly known here on B&B as "Marco method"):

***LOTS OF WATER + LOTS OF SWIRLS + LOTS OF SOAP = LOTS OF THICK, CREAMY, EFFECTIVE LATHER***​
Click to expand...

+1 This is how I've always lathered my Mystic Water soaps and I've never had an issue. I'll get my brush soaking wet under running water then go straight to the puck and swirl it for about a minute. I'll mention that my swirling speed pales in comparison to many of the lather-building videos I've seen; how in the heck are some of you guys not pulling muscles while lathering soap? Anyway, I'll load for about a minute and have enough product for 3 passes of face lathering and touch up. On occasion, I will lack for speed in my shave and the lather will be a bit dry on the 3rd pass and/or touch-up runs, so I'll wet the tips and be good to go. For me, this has worked on many brushes and is not specific to any size, shape, or animal hair (boar, badger, and horse).

At the end of the day BRuhling, I hope you find your way to dial it in because her soaps are first-rate awesome.
 
strop

strop

Now half as wise
Marco said:
These are the fundamentals of the Italian Master Barbers' lathering technique (improperly known here on B&B as "Marco method"):

***LOTS OF WATER + LOTS OF SWIRLS + LOTS OF SOAP = LOTS OF THICK, CREAMY, EFFECTIVE LATHER***​
Click to expand...

Marco, I know you are too humble to take the credit, but since you brought it to B&B it will forever be know as "The Marco Method". Panama hats are made in Ecuador, but will always be Panama hats because that's where they were exported to the States.
 
seizure

seizure

Glad to hear you've found some success and are committed to getting it to work.

I can't help but wonder if the claims regarding finicky performance involve the hardness/softness of one's water. I have had zero trouble with any soap, but have pretty soft water. I'm always a little confounded when people list trouble building lather as a reason for not liking a certain soap, since my experiences have always been so positive.

Anyway, keep at it, MW is wonderful stuff!
 
brucered

brucered

JCinPA said:
You are actually in some good company. There are a number of very experienced latherers who had trouble dialing MW in around here, you are by no means alone. When you do nail it right on the money, however, it is simply fantastic. I think on the scale of finicky lathering soaps this is just on the finickier side of MWF. But when you dial it in you would be hard pressed to find any soap that will give you a better shave.

Glad you figured it out!
Click to expand...

i was in that company a while back. i got it to work after numerous trial and errors, test lathers, throwing in the towel a few times.

i'll hope to revisit MW soon, just have to decide on a scent and work thru a few other products.

YMMW, but i've said it before, and i'll say it again...it's the best post shave product i have tried (including: RR, MWF, MdC, CF, AOS and more)

as Marco and a few others have said above, i managed to get this soap to work with a DRY scuttle (no hot water) and the Marco Method. i have a video up if anyone is interested (feel free to search it out). it made fantastic lather once i figured out the culprit/variable that was destroying my lather (it was breaking down in my scuttle and on my face).

MORE PRODUCT, MORE WATER, can't go wrong.
 
Last edited:
Marco

Marco

B&B's Man in Italy
I strongly endorse giving a look at brucered videos on making lather. They are instructive for novices and lovely to watch for experienced wet shavers. Bravo, Bruce!
 
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