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Mike's hand made soaps from Brooklyn.

MIKE's NATURAL SOAPS (A different poll)

  • Handmade in the U.S.A.

  • Handmade in Ann Arbor, MI

  • Doesn't matter


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I would recommending trying a wetter brush to start. It is a pretty thirsty soap and likes water. It might take a few tries to get the sweet spot, but it is certainly worth the effort as it is capable to producing some of the best lather I have ever shaved with.......

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+1+1+1+1 It's well worth it!!
 
I think the common advice is not to melt tallow soaps as they will scorch pretty easily. Mikes soaps have fantastic scents on their own and are, to me, not over done on the scents that might irritate your face.

I have only had experience with 2 of Mike's soaps - Hungarian Lavender and Pine & Cedar - but I wholeheartedly agree that the scents are wonderful!
 
I have the same problem as Teddyboy. Also with Mystic Waters soaps. I must be doing something wrong. I cannot get the lather I want. I have a Semoque 1305 and a scuttle. I've tried face lathering and bowel lathering with a minimal success. I'm getting depressed. I need a support group.
 
For both Mike's and MW I start with a damp, but not wet, brush. Load on the puck, transfer to my lathering bowl, and begin building the lather adding only small amounts of water at a time. MW is a bit more finicky about water than Mike's but neither is hard to lather. I have the 1305, as well as a Whipped Dog silvertip and the B&B boar and can get good lathers with all of them.
Also, MW is pretty temperature sensitive so be sure to use warm water to prevent the lather breaking down.

Good luck! Once dialed in they both are fantastic soaps.
 
Not trying to start the rumor that Mike is coming out with a new scent (although it would be nice). I particularly like the combination of coconut and lime, and Mike's scents are among the best, IMO. With that in mind, I've been experimenting with mixing these soaps together and have yielded amazing results. Here's the combination I have found to work the best:

1. Start with a relatively dry brush. Lightly damp is best. If it is too wet, the first soap will lather a bit and won't blend well with the second. The trick is to get as much of the soap onto the brush without yet creating a lather so they blend.

2. Start with the coconut first, then the lime. The lime is much more powerful of a scent. Treat it like an accent and coconut as the base and it will come out much better.

3. Three-quarters of the combination should be coconut, with the one-quarter remaining lime. Again, accent vs. base.

4. Mix thoroughly. It will take longer than usual to blend because you are starting with a fairly dry brush and Mike's is a thirsty soap. However, in addition to getting a great lather, the two soaps will mix much more thoroughly.

If you are a fan of Coconut Lime, give this a try and post any tips you pick up along the way on this thread. This combination could become a new favorite of mine, especially with warm weather on the way. Enjoy!
 
I have a tub that I put three lime samples and two coconut
Samples Into. Pressed them into the bottom.

One of my favorites.
 
I also cut up half a bar of coconut and some lime and mixed them. I also did the same with lavender, vetiver and lime, and lavender, and orange, cedarwood, black pepper. I love them all, they all smell great. :001_tt1:
 
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I received mike's unscented and is an awesome soap. I also got an extra sample for free together with my other samples that I ordered. Very nice attitude.

However, the first week was very hard for me to figure it out. No matter what I did I was pretty much unable to load the brush properly with soap, instead, if I added as much water as was needed to get an easy load, I ended up having a too wet lather. Is true that it can take a lot of water, but I didn't manage to load my brush properly. And I finally figured it out, and here is how:

- during shower, soak brush in water and add just enough hot water to have a thin layer on the top of the soap puck, probably a small coffee spoon of water if I were to measure.
- when exiting shower, throw away half the water from the puck, shake properly a few times the brush without using hands, so that it still retains some water.
- start swirling slowly with the brush half way pressed against the puck. Just make sure you don't touch the inside of the brush down, and that you cover as many parts as possible of the brush with soap.
- move to bowl, and start swirling properly.
- after you start building lather, you might actually find yourself in the spot that you need less water, so just add a bit more soap, swirling the brush directly on the puck of soap. don't add any more water, just use the current lather to get more soap into your brush.

This is how I manage to get consistent results, and an extremely cushioning lather. Very happy with my purchase, and trust me, I never thought that there exists a soap that will make my face so awesome after I use it (i think is the kokum butter doing this).
 
It seems like grating and mixing bars of lime and coconut would be a lot simpler than loading off of each puck. Sound like it probably smells pretty nice, though.
 
That might be a good seller. Try emailing Mike and let him know your idea! :thumbup:

I emailed Mike before about scents. He seems content with what he has, and I think his supply/demand supports his decision. Ths may be something he is more receptive to because it is merely a mix of scents he already has and not creating new ones from scratch.
 
I just ordered a few samples of his stuff. I am super excited to try it, as I've only used glycerin soaps before and his scent selections sound top-notch. I think it's awesome that he does other, regular soaps too. That way when I buy her a gift (some awesome bath soap) I can sneak more shave soap in for me! Secret hoarding justification!
 
I just ordered a few samples of his stuff. I am super excited to try it, as I've only used glycerin soaps before and his scent selections sound top-notch. I think it's awesome that he does other, regular soaps too. That way when I buy her a gift (some awesome bath soap) I can sneak more shave soap in for me! Secret hoarding justification!

You'll love the tallow soaps, trust me. All I used before was glycerin soaps too, but found the Tallow soaps help my skin & protect better.
 
I sent him a note after I received mine to say that the fragrance was good but way too faint. I didn't receive a response, but maybe he bumped it up some. The tin I got was similar to Salter's fragrance, imo, but much weaker. I would say maybe 1/4 of the intensity, or so. Couldn't even smell it while shaving.

He may have...I love the scent. Also, Mike's Lily of the Valley is very nice.
 
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