Fat Problem

I want to tell you all about my current experience with the Fat. I started wet shaving around 2012 and picked up some Fat early. Now I have hard water but I had no problem lathering anything as soon as I started. Face lathering that is. My learning involved bowl lathering, face lathering was easy. But I soon got that knack as well. I couldn't understand how the Fat got the hard to lather reputation, it was no different than any other good soap. As I collected more and more soaps each one came up less often. Then it got to a time I didn't use it at all for awhile. A couple of weeks ago I pulled it out with the intention of going with it for a week or more and I can't get a decent lather from it at all. Thin, airy, bubbly. I've tried just practicing with it almost every night to get my mojo back but no luck. Its frustrating as hell. Any ideas as to what happened?

(02-27-2022, 04:10 AM)Mouser Wrote: I want to tell you all about my current experience with the Fat. I started wet shaving around 2012 and picked up some Fat early. Now I have hard water but I had no problem lathering anything as soon as I started. Face lathering that is. My learning involved bowl lathering, face lathering was easy. But I soon got that knack as well. I couldn't understand how the Fat got the hard to lather reputation, it was no different than any other good soap. As I collected more and more soaps each one came up less often. Then it got to a time I didn't use it at all for awhile. A couple of weeks ago I pulled it out with the intention of going with it for a week or more and I can't get a decent lather from it at all. Thin, airy, bubbly. I've tried just practicing with it almost every night to get my mojo back but no luck. Its frustrating as hell. Any ideas as to what happened?

MWF likes to be used regularly, otherwise it gets sulky - I've had exactly the same experience. Pour some water on it and leave it for 24 hours - it'll cheer up no end.

No disrespect to the above poster, but the last time I soaked a puck of MWF overnight, the lanolin leeched out and the puck was destroyed. I would recommend grating the entire puck and pressing it back into its container. Then, before you start your lather-making, put a little water on the puck and go to town.

About six months ago I bought a fresh refill puck of Mitchell’s after not using it for many years of experimenting with other brands. My first observation of the new MWF was that it smelled “different” than my memory recalled. I left it out and uncovered for a few weeks to no avail; the scent still lingered. Then as Primo noted above, I grated the puck and pressed it into an empty container, then left that out and uncovered for a few weeks. Either the smell dissipated or I became accustomed to it, but it became more palatable to my nosebrain. A couple of shaves in and I was confident about adding the Fat back into my rotation. Then one day after about a week or two of other soaps, I returned to my grated MWF and saw the telltale Fat cracks. That was somewhat unexpected being that the puck was no longer in it’s original form. Over the next few days and uses I let the tub remain wet, even added additional drops of water from time to time. The soap appears now to have essentially rehydrated. It’s uncracked and less synthetic-y smelling. Fwiw, I didn’t see any issue with leaching lanolin. Maybe my water chemistry is different here, Primo. And to Mouser’s point above, it lathers as I expect a soap to lather. The post shave is as fine as ever. It’s worth it to keep trying, Ken. Give it another go or two.

Same experience as chazt, MWF dries out if you don’t use it very often and becomes more difficult to lather. The last time that I used mine it had shrunken away from the sides of the coffret, so the night before I put a few tablespoons of water in the coffret and the next morning it was near original size. I bloomed it while showering and it lathered normally. A good quality boar brush will help too.

I have a 10 1/2 year old puck of MWF that was grated when I first got it. I can leave it unused for months and then have no problem lathering it. It sites in an open container under the sink.

I should clarify, that when I say I "soaked" the puck overnight, I literally FILLED the coffrett to the BRIM and the puck soaked up the ENTIRE quantity of H2O.
On the sides were gobs of goo, which was like grease...or FAT. (aka lanolin). Puck never lathered properly.

MWF: Use it, or lose it. I went through the first puck, had mixed experiences. When it was good it was good. When it wasn't, it was a dried-out, crumbling mess. I note the grating method people here are recommending. Sounds like a good idea.

Thanks for the info everyone. I'll give them a try