Mystic Water Shaving Soap

Well guys, you persuaded me to jump on the train - thanks.  

Let the anticipation begin.  

Which scent are you getting?

Thanks for asking Marko:  Cedar & Sage, Gardenia, Sweet Briar (Pipe Tobacco), and Windjammer.  Her prices are so reasonable, and I'm happy to PIF anything on the off chance that it works that badly for me.

Of those, the only one I have is Windjammer and I like it a lot. I’d be interested in hearing your feedback on both scent and performance once you’ve had the opportunity to get in to them.

Which scent are you getting?

Thanks for asking Marko:  Cedar & Sage, Gardenia, Sweet Briar (Pipe Tobacco), and Windjammer.  Her prices are so reasonable, and I'm happy to PIF anything on the off chance that it works that badly for me.

Of those, the only one I have is Windjammer and I like it a lot.  I’d be interested in hearing your feedback on both scent and performance once you’ve had the opportunity to get in to them.

Happy to oblige.

Hi all. I’m just checking in to say I haven’t forgotten about providing feedback. I sidetracked myself with a few other brands of soap, but I do still plan to follow through. I just began working my way through one other soap - it usually takes me a while - and MW is next on my list.

Okay.  Time to get back to Mystic Water (MW).

I am now two shaves and a few test lathers in.  I may not have MW figured out yet.  I watched and re-watched the video in Marko's OP; no dice for me.  I have test lathered partly to dial in the lather and partly to experience the scent.  I have tried more water, less water, and even blooming, but I always wind up with a thin lather.  The protection is more than adequate, but unlike some thin lathers, I don't get exceptional slickness and I don't get great ghost lather.  So I am treading warily and walking away with CCS shaves instead of DFS or even BBS shaves.  However, the post is fine as nearly as I can tell from two non-consecutive shaves.  At the moment though, it looks like for me MW is a good soap performance-wise, but not a top tier one.  I will let you know if I figure out how to use it better.  Suggestions are welcome.

Scent is another matter.  (First though, my usual "I wouldn't trust my nose if I were you" disclaimer.)  I like all the scents.  Gardenia is the strongest.  I am not sure it is spot on, but I am a sucker for Gardenia and I like it.  I think Sweet Briar Tobacco may actually be my favorite.  I would call it medium to mild strength.  Windjammer and Cedar and Sage are both mild.

--  Hope that helps.

Okay.  Time to get back to Mystic Water (MW).

I am now two shaves and a few test lathers in.  I may not have MW figured out yet.  I watched and re-watched the video in Marko's OP; no dice for me.  I have test lathered partly to dial in the lather and partly to experience the scent.  I have tried more water, less water, and even blooming, but I always wind up with a thin lather.  The protection is more than adequate, but unlike some thin lathers, I don't get exceptional slickness and I don't get great ghost lather.  So I am treading warily and walking away with CCS shaves instead of DFS or even BBS shaves.  However, the post is fine as nearly as I can tell from two non-consecutive shaves.  At the moment though, it looks like for me MW is a good soap performance-wise, but not a top tier one.  I will let you know if I figure out how to use it better.  Suggestions are welcome.

Scent is another matter.  (First though, my usual "I wouldn't trust my nose if I were you" disclaimer.)  I like all the scents.  Gardenia is the strongest.  I am not sure it is spot on, but I am a sucker for Gardenia and I like it.  I think Sweet Briar Tobacco may actually be my favorite.  I would call it medium to mild strength.  Windjammer and Cedar and Sage are both mild.

--  Hope that helps.

This method from Cris never fails for MW soaps. Give it a try and load heavy. My lather explodes and for me MW is tops.

https://youtu.be/ecoUdtWxQxo


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Marko that was very helpful thanks for posting that video.

Okay.  Time to get back to Mystic Water (MW).

I am now two shaves and a few test lathers in.  I may not have MW figured out yet.  I watched and re-watched the video in Marko's OP; no dice for me.  I have test lathered partly to dial in the lather and partly to experience the scent.  I have tried more water, less water, and even blooming, but I always wind up with a thin lather.  The protection is more than adequate, but unlike some thin lathers, I don't get exceptional slickness and I don't get great ghost lather.  So I am treading warily and walking away with CCS shaves instead of DFS or even BBS shaves.  However, the post is fine as nearly as I can tell from two non-consecutive shaves.  At the moment though, it looks like for me MW is a good soap performance-wise, but not a top tier one.  I will let you know if I figure out how to use it better.  Suggestions are welcome.

Scent is another matter.  (First though, my usual "I wouldn't trust my nose if I were you" disclaimer.)  I like all the scents.  Gardenia is the strongest.  I am not sure it is spot on, but I am a sucker for Gardenia and I like it.  I think Sweet Briar Tobacco may actually be my favorite.  I would call it medium to mild strength.  Windjammer and Cedar and Sage are both mild.

--  Hope that helps.

Are you using a synthetic brush? Matsilainen gave me advice a year or two ago that MW may not work with badger/boar brushes. I've tried using a badger on MW in the past and have not been able to get the same lathers I can with a synthetic.

FWIIW, I bloom the soap while I shower, load with a synthetic brush for 10-15 seconds, and then immediately start with paint-strokes on the face. I dip my brush in the sink water several times while alternating between circular and paint-brush strokes.

My method is to drip some water on the puck, load until you get thick tendrils, then add water until it's creamy. Ready to face lather. This method has worked for me for years. Thin lather would indicate to me not enough soap. Hope you are able to get this soap working because it really does outperform it's price when done right!

First, a shout out to gLet, HoosierShave, and shevek:  Thanks to all of you.  I did not mean to suggest that I am an inexperienced shaver, but truth be told, I do get myself wrapped around the axle occasionally.  Having already done a few more test lathers, this is my take of what happened:  

The brush is an APShaveCo 24mm Synbad synth.  I only got it recently, which can always be an issue, but the brush has worked beautifully with two other brands of soap.  So at the end of the day, I think there must be more to what it going on than the brush.  Based on my test lathers, I believe that the brush was underloaded, as shevek suggested.  It is also possible that without realizing it, I was trying to beat it before it was entirely hydrated.  At any rate, during today's test lathers, I wet the brush, squeezed it, hydrated the puck, and loaded the daylights out of the brush.  When the smoke cleared, I had peaks, shine, and slickness.  That tells me I am in the ball park now.

I'll probably go live again in two or maybe three days, and we'll see what happens.  Thanks again guys. ...   Stay tuned.

HighSpeed , on the brush issue, I’m finding that stiffer brushes work better with MW for me. My shavemac D01 2 band or the Rooney Victorian seem to work well for me. They pick up a lot of soap due to their stiffness.