When I first tried Mystic Water back in 2016, I was devastated that I couldn’t get the lather right. I absolutely loved the scents, but the lather was about the least stable in my entire den. So it got put up…I hated myself for hating the lather. But up to that point, I just couldn’t get it to work for me without disappearing. Up until this month…when I tried the Coconut Sandalwood again and scored a big fat win as far as the lather goes. VICTORY!
Following my success with Mystic Water lather, I went ahead and ordered a few more soaps from Michelle that I had my eye on previously. There are still a couple that I’m probably going to pull the trigger on in the future, but for now I’m pretty satiated. Mystic Water is based out of Maryland, and Michelle, the artisan, has been in the soap making biz for the better part of two decades. She is relatively new to the shave soap scene, (maybe about 6-8 years), and within the recent past changed her recipe to work with hard water. This is the first of this new purchases, the Bergamot, Cedar & Juniper. The title of the soap says it all in regards to the scent of this soap. I can definitely pick out all three of these notes, and they blend together to give a beautiful, tangy woody feel to the scent. Of course, just like anything with juniper in it, it can also bring up memories of a gin and tonic or martini; just something to be aware of. Strength of scent out of the tub is on the strong side of mild, I would say 2/5, and it stays around there through the whole shave, though the juniper and cedar really do overpower the bergamot throughout the shave.
Tallow, stearic acid, unrefined shea butter, sustainably sourced organic palm oil, avocado oil, aloe vera, bentonite clay, lanolin, silk protein, allantoin, and extra glycerin
From a shaving standpoint, this soap “ain’t half bad”. Aside from the bit of work it takes to get the lather correct, the slickness is up there with some of the best due to the bentonite clay. Residual slickness and cushion, at least in these past two shaves with MW, were a little lacking for where the rest of the qualities are. I’m sure with continued use, I could improve both of these qualities by playing with the lather some more, but so little time and so many soaps to try! As stated above, strength of scent once lathered stayed at about a 2/5. The soap is pretty darned stable too. Post-shave, I let the lather bowl sit for 30 minutes post shave, and the lather looked like I had just whipped it up. Good stuff! Post shave is where this soap shines, however. This is as good as the Declaration Grooming Project Icarus soap. All in all, a very good soap and it sits solidly at tier 2 box 4, using Chad’s old chart.
Here are the scores (as always, strength of scent and preference aren’t included since they’re so subjective):
Lathering: 7/10
Cushion: 8/10
Slickness: 9/10
Moisturizing: 10/10
Residual Slickness: 8/10
Stability: 5/5
Total: 47/55
Comparable soap bases from a performance standpoint:
Stirling Soaps (48/55)
Long Rifle Soaps (48/55)
Saponificio Varesino beta 4.2 (47/55)
Chiseled Face Groomatorium (47/55)
Victory Shave Company (47/55)
Mike’s Natural Soaps (46/55)
Soap Commander (46/55)
Conclusion: I’m very pleased with these soaps, once I got the lather correct. The best advice I can give anyone who is looking to invest in some Mystic Water to take your time loading, adding water and whipping. It’s worth the time to get the lather where it needs to be. Don’t get turned off by the stringy nature of the proto-lather, either. Keep loading and you’ll be rewarded with a beautiful shiny lather that will give a great shave. From a value standpoint, Michelle is just a little more expensive per oz. than Stirling, $14.15 for a 4 oz. puck and tub, ($3.54 per oz) while Stirling still sits as king of value at $13 for 6 oz., ($2.17 per oz). Even if it falls short of Stirling’s high bar for value, it is still under $4 per oz., the mark where I consider artisans start to get a little on the expensive side. If you already have a container for the soap, refills without the tub drive the cost per oz down to under $3/oz, so that’s always an option. All in all, a very good soap, with plenty of scents to please everyone and very good performance to value worth checking out if you haven’t already.
https://youtu.be/8CX_ei4cS68
Following my success with Mystic Water lather, I went ahead and ordered a few more soaps from Michelle that I had my eye on previously. There are still a couple that I’m probably going to pull the trigger on in the future, but for now I’m pretty satiated. Mystic Water is based out of Maryland, and Michelle, the artisan, has been in the soap making biz for the better part of two decades. She is relatively new to the shave soap scene, (maybe about 6-8 years), and within the recent past changed her recipe to work with hard water. This is the first of this new purchases, the Bergamot, Cedar & Juniper. The title of the soap says it all in regards to the scent of this soap. I can definitely pick out all three of these notes, and they blend together to give a beautiful, tangy woody feel to the scent. Of course, just like anything with juniper in it, it can also bring up memories of a gin and tonic or martini; just something to be aware of. Strength of scent out of the tub is on the strong side of mild, I would say 2/5, and it stays around there through the whole shave, though the juniper and cedar really do overpower the bergamot throughout the shave.
Tallow, stearic acid, unrefined shea butter, sustainably sourced organic palm oil, avocado oil, aloe vera, bentonite clay, lanolin, silk protein, allantoin, and extra glycerin
From a shaving standpoint, this soap “ain’t half bad”. Aside from the bit of work it takes to get the lather correct, the slickness is up there with some of the best due to the bentonite clay. Residual slickness and cushion, at least in these past two shaves with MW, were a little lacking for where the rest of the qualities are. I’m sure with continued use, I could improve both of these qualities by playing with the lather some more, but so little time and so many soaps to try! As stated above, strength of scent once lathered stayed at about a 2/5. The soap is pretty darned stable too. Post-shave, I let the lather bowl sit for 30 minutes post shave, and the lather looked like I had just whipped it up. Good stuff! Post shave is where this soap shines, however. This is as good as the Declaration Grooming Project Icarus soap. All in all, a very good soap and it sits solidly at tier 2 box 4, using Chad’s old chart.
Here are the scores (as always, strength of scent and preference aren’t included since they’re so subjective):
Lathering: 7/10
Cushion: 8/10
Slickness: 9/10
Moisturizing: 10/10
Residual Slickness: 8/10
Stability: 5/5
Total: 47/55
Comparable soap bases from a performance standpoint:
Stirling Soaps (48/55)
Long Rifle Soaps (48/55)
Saponificio Varesino beta 4.2 (47/55)
Chiseled Face Groomatorium (47/55)
Victory Shave Company (47/55)
Mike’s Natural Soaps (46/55)
Soap Commander (46/55)
Conclusion: I’m very pleased with these soaps, once I got the lather correct. The best advice I can give anyone who is looking to invest in some Mystic Water to take your time loading, adding water and whipping. It’s worth the time to get the lather where it needs to be. Don’t get turned off by the stringy nature of the proto-lather, either. Keep loading and you’ll be rewarded with a beautiful shiny lather that will give a great shave. From a value standpoint, Michelle is just a little more expensive per oz. than Stirling, $14.15 for a 4 oz. puck and tub, ($3.54 per oz) while Stirling still sits as king of value at $13 for 6 oz., ($2.17 per oz). Even if it falls short of Stirling’s high bar for value, it is still under $4 per oz., the mark where I consider artisans start to get a little on the expensive side. If you already have a container for the soap, refills without the tub drive the cost per oz down to under $3/oz, so that’s always an option. All in all, a very good soap, with plenty of scents to please everyone and very good performance to value worth checking out if you haven’t already.
https://youtu.be/8CX_ei4cS68
