Mitchells Wool Fat

If you don't like it I'll happily buy it off you. I think Connaught's the cheapest around. I love the scent and have never had any problems getting a lather. What people fail to mention (not helped by it being a talloate first, veggie soap sucks, fanboy soap) is that it's not an A class lather to start with, almost but not quite in the same league as for instance Tabac and Speick amongst many others including some superb veggie based soaps/creams. In my humble, gentlemanly opinion of course. So, if you don't get it right it'll turn to shlop quite quickly. You can't say that because you get shot down by the "Wow, da Fat just exploded on my face" brigade and it's assumed that you're a kack-handed vegetarian dunce.

I don't know what your on about, da fat exploded on my face this morning :p
 
So, after a fluke good lather, i have finally found the "Sweet" spot where the slickness of the soap really excelled. But i'm not really sure what i did to achieve this. After reading a shaving101 tutorial on lathering it with a best badger, it says to shake the brush only once, and then load for 30 seconds and then apply to face
and then add water and repeat twice. After trying this i didn't receive the same slickness. Others say to test the slickness by the amount of shine on your face, and others have said to load the brush 3 separate times inbetween lathering on your face. I've even looked at some pictures to see how it's suppose to look, but i can't really tell the difference between the almost ready and the ready texture. Any help would be great
 
The Fat is fickle for some. (An example is the Super Bowl Shave by Nick Shaves on YouTube.) But IMHO there are some things you can do to help.

* Add a few tablespoons of hot water to the top of the puck and let it soak for a few minutes. "Blooming", as its called, helps soften the top of the puck (and releases more fragrance). Tip the bloomwater into a different container. You can use this soapy water to your brush during lathering, or to your face during passes.

* Start with a damp brush and over-load. Charge your brush more than usual.

* Turn the puck and load upside down.

* After a decent extended loading, lather (Palm, bowl or face) the soap. Add a few drops of water (it can be the leftover water from blooming) every now and then until the right consistency is achieved.

It's rare that The Fat won't perform for me.

As with all soaps, there is no "magic formula" (twenty twirls this way, or 35 secs of lathering - blah! Blah!) as there are too many different factors at play. (Eg types of brush, amount of water, type of water, etc).

All the best with cracking The Fat!
 
In terms of lather consistency, I think it's personal. People say "yoghurty" but that's a rough guide. Sheen is an indication, but it'll come down to experience. I reckon you should Palm lather the soap and keep adding water to you know what it feels and looks like for a lather to build, be great, and then break down from to much water. It's the only real way to tell - personal experience.
 
I have done all the above, but it's the "right consistency is achieved" is the part I'm finding difficult, don't really know when to stop adding water, I read that you borrowed a duke 2 from another member, so I'm wondering if you squeeze the brush after soaking or just knock out the water 3-4 times??
 
I have done all the above, but it's the "right consistency is achieved" is the part I'm finding difficult, don't really know when to stop adding water, I read that you borrowed a duke 2 from another member, so I'm wondering if you squeeze the brush after soaking or just knock out the water 3-4 times??
I didn't use the Duke for The Fat. But when I start with a new soap I start with a dry-ish brush. Meaning, I squeeze out most of the water. It means you can control the amount of water you add into the lather. (Don't forget that if you face lather you often start with water on your face already- that's adding more water to your lather...)

It's best to Palm lather to feel the lather and see it at different stages.
 
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