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Mystic May

Spider

Spider

"The Cadre Constable"
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Mystic Water Soaps have always been one of my favorites. I started Traditional Wet Shaving in 2010 and Michelle started making shaving soap shortly after that. I always considered her to be a second generation artisan in terms of what we had available in those early years. She made one of the first soaps that was a definite step above everything else at the time (and still is today). She was already an established soap maker of 15 years before she started making shave soap, so she definitely knows what she's doing. And with many brands coming and going in the wet shaving world, the Mystic Water brand has stood the test of time. And to top it all off, Michelle has been a supporting artisan of The Shaving Cadre from the very beginning!

I am designating the Month of May as Mystic May and will be using Mystic Water Soap for all of my shaves in the Month of May. Who will join me? There's no need to sign up, just post here with your Mystic Water SOTDs or share anything Mystic Water related.

Michelle has almost 50 scents of Mystic Water Soaps available, so it's entirely possible to use a different scent every day of the month! I actually do not know how many I have, but I suspect I have enough to do just that!

I started this thread a little early, so in case you don't yet have any Mystic Water Soap (or you need to pick up a few more), there's time to get it before Mystic May begins. If you want to support one of our supporting artisans go to Shaving Soap
 
This is a great idea. Thanks for getting this started @Spider.

I have been a fan of Mystic Water since the advent of Coconut Sandalwood on the old forum. I still have a tub full of the original batch of that soap.

With the economy being what it is lately, I have been trying to support more of our small artisans. A few months ago I realized that I didn't have much Mystic Water in my soap stash, and that MW always worked well for me. Also, I hadn't bought anything from Michelle in several years, so I have been picking up a few things.

These all smell fantastic and I can't wait to shave with them:
  • Barbershop
  • Bay Rum
  • Florida Water
  • Jasmine
  • Jeff's Lavender
  • Lily of the Valley
  • Marrakesh
  • Windjammer
So far Barbershop, Jasmine, Jeff's Lavender, and Lily of the Valley are my favorites. (But, I also still love Coconut Sandalwood!)


Free hint to anyone who hasn't purchased from Michelle before:
When you buy, get the tub but also buy a refill puck of the same scent at the same time. Her tubs will just barely fit two pucks of her soap. Also, keep the tub when it is empty so that you can continue to buy refill pucks of the same scent. I love it that she has the scent name screen printed onto the lids of the tubs.
 
Fun Mystic Water Fact:

In the early years a very vocal minority of users had a hard time lathering Mystic Water Soaps. I was never one of those, and always came to defend the soaps. I decided to do a couple of lathering videos (both face and mug lathering) to show folks my technique in getting great lather from the soaps. Michelle liked the videos so much that she put them on her website where they still reside, some 14-15 years later. So if you want to see "baby-spider" in one of my first shave videos, check out her site below.

Also, many folks though the culprit was hard water, and Michelle has tweaked her formula to address that.

www.mystic4men.com

Shaving Soap

Mystic Water Soap's Tallow Shaving Soaps
www.mystic4men.com
 
Hey all,
I'm new here! It's really nice to meet y'all and to see some fellow Mystic Water Fans. I would love to do Mystic May with you! Where should I post my SOTDs for it?

Here are the MW scents I have

Florida Water, Windjammer, Orange Spice Tea, Brown Windsor, Oatmeal Stout, Sweet Briar, Bay Rum, Rosalimone, Yellow Rose, Jeff's Lavender, Prospect Creek, Maestrale, White Tea and Ginger, Orange Vanilla, and Tea Tree and Blue Gum

I think I've got enough to keep the month very interesting and fun!
 
Welcome! This should
remfan170 said:
Hey all,
I'm new here! It's really nice to meet y'all and to see some fellow Mystic Water Fans. I would love to do Mystic May with you! Where should I post my SOTDs for it?

Here are the MW scents I have

Florida Water, Windjammer, Orange Spice Tea, Brown Windsor, Oatmeal Stout, Sweet Briar, Bay Rum, Rosalimone, Yellow Rose, Jeff's Lavender, Prospect Creek, Maestrale, White Tea and Ginger, Orange Vanilla, and Tea Tree and Blue Gum

I think I've got enough to keep the month very interesting and fun!
Click to expand...
Be s enjoyable momth. The varieties I have are Coconut, Bay Rum, ❤️Jasmine❤️, ❤️Orange Spice Tea❤️, Brown Windsor, Bergamot, Cedar & Juniper, ❤️Jeff's Lavendar❤️, and Adirondack Jack.
 
May 1, 2026

• Brush: Semogue – 1470 (Boar)
• Razor: Muhle – R41 (Black)
• Blade: Tatra – Platinum
• Soap: Mystic Water – Orange Spice Tea
• Aftershave: Mystic Water – Orange Spice Tea Aftershave
• Balm: Stirling – Unscented Post Shave Balm
• Fragrance: Mystic Water – Orange Spice Tea Perfume Oil

I had the privilege of joining The Shaving Cadre a few days ago when Michelle Burke, the artisan behind Mystic Water Soaps, let me know that she was touched to see a thread of some gentlemen who were doing “Mystic May.” It has been nice to see some good folks on there including some I have seen in other forums. It is a real pleasure to see other folks who are big fans of Mystic Water. I’ve decided to join them with one small caveat. Since I have made some purchases and some kind souls have sent me samples lately, I am making this month “Mystic May Every Other Day.”

I’ve written about Mystic Water quite a bit, but just a quick note that she has an excellent sample policy. Basically, it is 3 0.5 oz samples for $4 and $5 shipping. You can do as many as you like. I also want to say that there is a misconception that somehow MW is finicky to lather. It isn’t. It just needs you to load for a bit longer than you think you might, and to add water near the end very slowly. This is because the soap does not contain coconut oil. It is a primarily a tallow and lanolin base with lots of other good things including shea butter. It balloons into a luxurious and moisturizing lather that is hard to beat. The scents are outstanding.

I’m kicking off Mystic May Every Other Day with one of my favorite MW scents: Orange Spice Tea. Michelle mentioned that growing up her friend’s mother was a tea blender and that this was her attempt to make a scent similar to one of those blends. She describes this scent as an “Astringent and refreshing black tea scent warmed with vanilla, orange peel essential oil, and just the right amount of spice: nutmeg, clove and cinnamon leaf.” I can’t improve on that description. This is good stuff. You can also see the aftershave and fragrance. She does aftershaves (about $16) and fragrances (about $9) of most any of her scents (you just have to email her). She also does shave sticks and full pucks. All excellent prices. She also ships internationally. Check out Mystic Water when you get a chance.

Have an awesome day, friends!

MW Orange Spice Tea 2.jpeg
 
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