European vs US soaps

[gile]

@Randy I have quite simple technique to lather MdC. Literally 5 seconds of loading synthetic brush on the soap and then gradually adding water to it while face lathering. Once I loaded for 10 second and I ended up with so much lather that I could shave my head and still get lot of it left.

 

[R181]

There is no doubt that a tub of MdC will last a very long time and it produced a very good lather. I always wondered that if you bought enough Arko to cost the same as one tub of MdC, would the two last the same length of time? That would be forgetting the scent and Arko does produce a very good lather also.

Bob

 

[Andy_Bandy_EU]

European: Westman
US: Moon, Gentleman's Nod, Macduff's, House of Mammoth

 

[Randy]

There is no doubt that a tub of MdC will last a very long time and it produced a very good lather. I always wondered that if you bought enough Arko to cost the same as one tub of MdC, would the two last the same length of time? That would be forgetting the scent and Arko does produce a very good lather also.

Bob

I haven't worked Arko so much. The stick simply doesn't work for me. I may doing something wrong though.

Probably I should get this round puck and overload from there to see.

 

[Randy]

@Randy I have quite simple technique to lather MdC. Literally 5 seconds of loading synthetic brush on the soap and then gradually adding water to it while face lathering. Once I loaded for 10 second and I ended up with so much lather that I could shave my head and still get lot of it left.

This seems to be the proper way I believe.

PS: Saw the "Joker" brush in a video. Excellent and beautiful. Great work

 

[Randy]

Clearly you were very pleased with the soap, @Randy. That’s excellent! Your observation was similar to mine - the lather improves as you add water slowly. It’s a thirsty soap. I find it to be very hydrating and slick with enough water, and wow, it really takes it! I also agree with you that it is a much lower cost per shave over time than any soft artisan soap. If you like and enjoy the soap then it’s a solid purchase if you’re willing to pay the entrance fee.

If I hadn't tons of soaps, I would have gotten the 200gr for sure.

The lather is never airy or foamy and I appreciated it a lot.

 

[R181]

I haven't worked Arko so much. The stick simply doesn't work for me. I may doing something wrong though.

Probably I should get this round puck and overload from there to see.

I use an Arko stick and face lather. I simply wet the Arko stick and rub it my face, wet boar brush, rub Arko into the brush and begin lathering. Adding water as needed by dipping the brush knot tips in water, a quick shake to rid excess water and build lather more. I give my face a quick rub with Arko before each of my four passes.

Bob

 

[Randy]

I use an Arko stick and face lather. I simply wet the Arko stick and rub it my face, wet boar brush, rub Arko into the brush and begin lathering. Adding water as needed by dipping the brush knot tips in water, a quick shake to rid excess water and build lather more. I give my face a quick rub with Arko before each of my four passes.

Bob

The lather is dense and shiny?

 

[R181]

The lather is dense and shiny?

I think I'd say that. The shine usually comes from having enough water in the lather.

Bob

 

[gile]

This seems to be the proper way I believe.

PS: Saw the "Joker" brush in a video. Excellent and beautiful. Great work

Thank you. I've finished another one recently. It'll be posted on Instagram and YouTube when it gets it's turn. This one have really nice shimmer in it.

 

[Chris]

@Randy I have quite simple technique to lather MdC. Literally 5 seconds of loading synthetic brush on the soap and then gradually adding water to it while face lathering. Once I loaded for 10 second and I ended up with so much lather that I could shave my head and still get lot of it left.

Agreed. MdC is expensive but a little goes a long way, it's one of my favourites.

 

[gile]

Agreed. MdC is expensive but a little goes a long way, it's one of my favourites.

Definitely lasts a long time but when you use it constantly you can easily see that the level of it drops rather nicely.

 

[Sm29]

So, tried and found a good sample of MdC Vetyver the other day. I didn't shave as I was already. Only a test, after a very long time when I first tried it and my lathering technique was a disaster. Still is.

I placed it all and spread it in a bowl, all dry. I bloomed it for 2 minutes or so. The water was hot, so a quantity of soap got lost in the sink so the sample became smaller all of a sudden.

I read again the ingredients: "Oh my God, the list feels so short".

The scent was very natural, kinda heavy and surrounded the enclosed bathroom.

I loaded with patience, as I added only droplets of water in the sample carefully. The proto lather on the knot (Sagrada Familia Tuxedo 24mm) was a bit fluffy and not dense. When I finished, there was a good amount of leftover sample in the bottom

As I went to my hand to start the build up, I noticed that the soap after a few seconds needed water. The lather was not very soft like let's say Pere Lucien but stronger and shinier especially as I was adding water.

I kept going with the brush, until the lather was "shave ready" (for my strange taste).

In one word , beautiful. I wasn't sure if in my hand was Wholly Kaw Siero or MdC or a Declaration Milksteak/Icarus/Bison Tallow formula.

It's also impressive, what a stable lather I got, with not so much soap. Of course I didn't expect to have the density of McDuffs or First Line Shave or Los Jabones De Joserra, or, or, or... BUT:

It impressed me so much that I am now on the fence to get the 50gr. I still believe that this soap feels expensive, although it maybe not, as it will give way many shaves than your standard artisan.

I got 485 three pass shaves from my last Rose Brain Bowl making the soap very reasonable cost wise per shave.

You mentioned the short list of ingredients, I have always found MdC to be an exceptionally clean feeling soap and the short ingredient list is probably why.

I load my brush directly off the soap for about 20 to 25 swirls and then build the lather in a bowl. As necessary, I will slightly dip the brush tips in the hot sink water to create the right soap to water mix.

When home I almost never use soap other than MdC. I found what works for me.