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Shout Out for Mike's Natural Soaps

My favorites soaps are MdC and the new Art of Shaving. Old art of shaving is great, but the new one I think is an improvement. Some say the scents aren't as good.
 
Cool - thanks. I haven't tried the AoS. For me, Mike's performs better than MdC (though is admittedly more work to lather; almost everything is!)
 
I have to say I have been shaving with Mike's this whole week since I got my tin and I also find that it isn't the easiest soap to lather. It's slick and I get good shaves with it, but I find the lather to be on the thin side. I don't know if this is how it is for everyone, but I prefer my lather to be a little more cushioned. The slickness is just right. I am also still working on it, however. One thing that I have noticed is that when I pull the lather out of the brush it usually appears to be slightly watery. I don't think I am using too much water, or too little soap, but maybe this soap just takes longer to mix than most. Either way I love the scents, it's slick enough to provide decent shaves, and I don't quit easy.
Mikes is one of the most cushioning and thick and slick shaving soaps out there...sounds like you just havent figured it out yet. I found it really shines when face lathering with it as opposed to bowl lathering. Try Marcos method on it too and soak the soap in hot water while you shower. Honestly after awhile its all second nature and I found that the soap has absorbed water as ive used it so now I can just go at it with a damp brush, face lather, rewet the brush maybe once and I'm good...super thick and creamy...like yogurt with that nice dialed in sheen! Good luck
 
After reading a lot of good reviews of Mike's I finally caved in and order some. Unfortunately, he only had 2 in stock: Hungarian Lavender and Barber Shop so that's what is on the way. But that made it very easy to decide which ones to try!
 
Ok after a couple more shaves with Mike's I think I have gotten much better results. I took into account what some of you said about loading it longer than other soaps, and I also started with a drier brush (soaked as usual but squeezed out the water). Loaded for about 30-40 seconds..then dipped the tip of the brush in water..loaded some more. Then I face lathered, added a little water once or twice, and it was much better. I am glad I am getting this figured out. Thanks for the tips guys.
 
After reading a lot of good reviews of Mike's I finally caved in and order some. Unfortunately, he only had 2 in stock: Hungarian Lavender and Barber Shop so that's what is on the way. But that made it very easy to decide which ones to try!

Barber Shop is the one I have..and the scent is heavenly. I hear the Hungarian Lavender is very nice too.
 
Ok after a couple more shaves with Mike's I think I have gotten much better results. I took into account what some of you said about loading it longer than other soaps, and I also started with a drier brush (soaked as usual but squeezed out the water). Loaded for about 30-40 seconds..then dipped the tip of the brush in water..loaded some more. Then I face lathered, added a little water once or twice, and it was much better. I am glad I am getting this figured out. Thanks for the tips guys.

Coming off a weekend of no shaves, so I will try that method tomorrow. I have been using a wetter brush since I hear so many people saying it is a thirsty soap. Maybe this method will turn it around for me as well.
 
I have actually had a hard time getting a good lather from a sample of Orange, Cedarwood, and Black Pepper. It just comes out too light and airy no matter how long I load or how much water I use. However, I have a full tin of Barbershop and I hope I will be able to load better from that than I have from the sample. Like you mentioned . . .it just takes getting it once! So I will keep at it for sure. I absolutely love the scent of the OCBP, and Barbershop.

It's one of the few that I haven't gotten right yet. I have been alternating between Mike's and Haslinger lately and Haslinger loads and lathers like a dream. I am just going to chalk it up to using the sample and expect the full tin will be a better barometer of the soap.

I hear this a bunch, and I sort of get it because I've had a hard time with other soap samples that, somehow, gave me the wrong impression. Before I figured out that I'm pressing samples into the bottom of a pyrex bowl before lathering. Grate 'em if necessary -- which it won't be with Mike's.

There are a couple of options. One is to use those sample square (rectangles) like a shave stick. Mike's is indeed thirsty, and seems to me to respond best to water being added gradually, so it may still take some real lather-building on your face (i.e., rewetting the brush and going at it), but if you have any practice face-lathering anything, it won't be hard.

The other is to press those samples down into a shallow bowl and load from it, make a "puck size" surface area. This makes a HUGE difference vs. just loading on top of a small soapbar-sized sample. And overload like crazy at first (and respect how much water will have to be added because of it, but still add somewhat slowly so you can see what you got as it lathers).

Anyway, good luck -- at least many of us think it's worth putting in the time. (Easier to say if we find it easy to lather, I know! But I'm sure the sample size is the issue, just with the mechanics of loading the brush).

What Wagstaff said. The samples are hard to use. Get the full tins. They are great to work with. Big, big improvement over the samples.
 
Just got these today and put them in their new homes... They all smell fantastic! I'm going Barbershop tomorrow morning.
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Thought I'd bump this up. I just shaved with Mike's Unscented after a while away from it. I love its ability to hold LOTS of water but remain a very stable lather throughout the shave.
 
After hemming and hawing for more than a year, I just ordered Hungarian Lavender, Peppermint/Rosemary, Rose/Cedarwood, Bay Rum and a Barber Shop sample (I would have ordered more of the Barber Shop, but that's all he had). Go big or go home.
 
Mike's Barbershop, this morning. So good, I always make room in my 2 soap rotation. Mike's and da Fat. I love the barbershop scent.

After hemming and hawing for more than a year, I just ordered Hungarian Lavender, Peppermint/Rosemary, Rose/Cedarwood, Bay Rum and a Barber Shop sample (I would have ordered more of the Barber Shop, but that's all he had). Go big or go home.
 
I love his barbershop scent. I was just wondering the other day if there are any aftershaves on the market which are similar!
 
This week, I received a tin of Mike's Natural Unscented. It's the first hard soap I've owned. I'd appreciate some tips on how to build up the lather. The first couple times, I used a slightly damp Plisson synthetic and swirled for 30 seconds or so in the tin. I got enough lather on the brush to spread a thin coat on my face, and then built it by adding more water...but the lather never developed the thickness or richness of Catie's Bubbles (which is a softer soap). This technique works great for Catie's Bubbles.

The third time, I put some warm water in the tin and allowed it to soak while I showered. Then, I poured off the water and swirled my brush in the tin for 30 seconds or so and tried to build the lather on my face by adding more water. Again, I wasn't able to get the amount of rich lather I get with Catie's Bubbles (or T&H 1805). Clearly, I need to load more product onto the brush, but I'm not sure how to accomplish this.

Other than using more water in the tin, are there other suggestions? I don't intend to use a scuttle or bowl, so please limit your suggestions to techniques I can use with only the tin of soap.

TIA.
 
This week, I received a tin of Mike's Natural Unscented. It's the first hard soap I've owned. I'd appreciate some tips on how to build up the lather. The first couple times, I used a slightly damp Plisson synthetic and swirled for 30 seconds or so in the tin. I got enough lather on the brush to spread a thin coat on my face, and then built it by adding more water...but the lather never developed the thickness or richness of Catie's Bubbles (which is a softer soap). This technique works great for Catie's Bubbles.

The third time, I put some warm water in the tin and allowed it to soak while I showered. Then, I poured off the water and swirled my brush in the tin for 30 seconds or so and tried to build the lather on my face by adding more water. Again, I wasn't able to get the amount of rich lather I get with Catie's Bubbles (or T&H 1805). Clearly, I need to load more product onto the brush, but I'm not sure how to accomplish this.

Other than using more water in the tin, are there other suggestions? I don't intend to use a scuttle or bowl, so please limit your suggestions to techniques I can use with only the tin of soap.

TIA.

You hit the nail right on the head when you mentioned that you need to load more product.

I'm a big fan of the Plisson synthetic as well as Mike's Natural soaps. Without using a shave bowl, the trick is to get more product into your brush knot. Because the Plisson synthetic knot is so soft, that you'll have to do is load it longer, while trickling small amounts of water every few seconds to thoroughly load the knot with proto-lather. The Plisson tips won't dig into the soap the way a boar, horse or backbone intensive badger brush, but it will easily pick up a wetter proto-lather.

This is the technique that I use for face lathering Tabac, a much harder soap than Mike's (Mike's kokum butter heavy recipe will be soft in the warm summer months or even if you hold it in your hand). Additionally, you'll have some proto-lather left on top of the puck. I use my finger tip to gather that up and paste it on my face.

Once you've covered your face in proto-lather it's easy to dip your brush tips in sink water or sprinkle a few drops of water on them and build your lather on your face. Mike's is a really moisturizing, slick soap.

Hope this helps.
 
Great post, redrako, and I agree. Mike's seems fairly "automatic" to me -- less so than some, but still I can lather it in my sleep. But I've spoken to several people who had a hard time at first. I think if you follow redrako's advice, you'll get it, and then wonder how it was ever less than automatic.
 
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