Sticks ver Creams?

imurhuckleberry · Post by **imurhuckleberry** » Tue Jun 05, 2012 6:12 am

I have not tried them but have found a number of folks on this site speak highly of shave sticks. Sometimes I have difficulty getting then right mix of water and lather for creams. Is there any pro or con to the stick? I have been wanting to try the Palmolive and already use Speick cream but want to give the shaving stick a go.

On another note has anyone tried the Pacific Company's shave cream...I have the pre shave oil and like the fragrance....

desertbadger · Post by **desertbadger** » Tue Jun 05, 2012 10:53 am

I take the sticks, grate them, and form them into pucks. Works for me.

Regards,
David

Squire · Post by **Squire** » Tue Jun 05, 2012 11:47 am

I do the same as David, treat the stick as any other shave soap.

95% · Post by **95%** » Tue Jun 05, 2012 5:17 pm

Squire wrote:I do the same as David, treat the stick as any other shave soap.

Same here. The lather resulting from the grated Speick stick is something to write home about.

ShadowsDad · Post by **ShadowsDad** » Tue Jun 05, 2012 9:54 pm

Not long ago I used sticks as sticks, but now I do the same as the gents above.

Spieck, Palmolive, Valobra, ARKO, they all work well as pucks. Less messy too IMO. The mess was the major reason I changed their form. It wasn't major it was just annoying.

brothers · Post by **brothers** » Wed Jun 06, 2012 4:48 am

I like soaps as well as creams. A while back I was heavily into making everything (soap) into sticks, because the brushes I happened to be using regularly at the time worked so well with all of the soap sticks. Then I made an adjustment to larger brushes, and due to the increased amount of water a large badger brush holds, and the simple volume of soap (or cream) necessary to get the results I prefer, I transferred most, if not all, of the soaps back to the glass anchor hocking bowls. Thus far, those are working great, and I'm enjoying the results very much.

I have nothing against sticks. I do prefer putting the little naked sticks such as valobra, speick, palmolive, etc., into larger push up stick containers very similar in size to the containers used by Tabac and Irisch Moos. I've even got an MWF stick that works very well indeed, but of course, nowadays I'm using the MWF/Tabac blend in the MWF ceramic jar. I've also got a stick of MdC that I made, just in case. It would probably be an excellent travel product to use with the BK4 brush.

jww · Post by **jww** » Thu Jun 07, 2012 2:05 pm

Love sticks - and always at least one with me when I travel --- except this week, I forgot.

I don't have any issues with directly applying them to my face and then lathering up and away I go.

ymmv.

GregPQ · Post by **GregPQ** » Sat Jun 09, 2012 5:32 am

I have used sticks for years, successfully. Only recently have I happened upon the best way to use them, and I get--for me--the best possible results.

I've found that the secret--after rubbing a wet stick over your whiskers--is to then lather your wet brush on the stick. That extra step has made all the difference, making for very luxurious and thick lather, and lots of it.

My current favorite is the Palmolive, a remarkable bargain.

Greg

jww · Post by **jww** » Sat Jun 09, 2012 7:27 am

GregPQ wrote: I've found that the secret--after rubbing a wet stick over your whiskers--is to then lather your wet brush on the stick. That extra step has made all the difference, making for very luxurious and thick lather, and lots of it.

My current favorite is the Palmolive, a remarkable bargain.
...

+1 on all fronts -- the little charging of the brush makes the lather explode on any stick I have used, without exception.

Palmolive always has a place in my rotation.

brothers · Post by **brothers** » Sat Jun 09, 2012 9:07 am

I've tried it too, with great results.

slackskin · Post by **slackskin** » Sat Jun 09, 2012 10:02 am

IMO sticks work particularly well when travelling: compact, easy to pack, etc. After you use it, it can sit on the counter and dry while you shave. Pop the top on, and you'ready to pack up and go. No need for a bowl or mug.

Shave4Fun · Post by **Shave4Fun** » Sun Jun 10, 2012 10:58 am

Sticks:
When traveling, I put a stick in a medicine bottle with vent hole drilled in top and bottom.
At home, I grate them into a bowl.

But I don't think either of these methods compares to any creams. Just not the same.
Roger

jww · Post by **jww** » Sun Jun 10, 2012 11:46 am

slackskin wrote:IMO sticks work particularly well when travelling: compact, easy to pack, etc. After you use it, it can sit on the counter and dry while you shave. Pop the top on, and you'ready to pack up and go. No need for a bowl or mug.

Exactly my feelings initially. But I now admit to including sticks in all my rotations whether at home or away.

imurhuckleberry · Post by **imurhuckleberry** » Mon Jun 11, 2012 6:04 am

Thanks to all for the reply. I made a few purchases the other day and the Palmolive stick was one of them. The scent is inviting and will be giving it a try tonight. Alot of people have mentioned turning this sticks into pucks......not sure how to due this but I will have to investigate further. Thanks again to all.......

jww · Post by **jww** » Mon Jun 11, 2012 6:15 am

imurhuckleberry wrote:... Alot of people have mentioned turning this sticks into pucks......not sure how to due this but I will have to investigate further. ...

You see to me, that's just sacrilege

.

joe mcclaine · Post by **joe mcclaine** » Sat Jun 30, 2012 2:26 pm

I have never applied the soap from a stick to my face.

Always ... stick to brush and then brush to face.

Oh, and Palmolive really is the best value shaving product in the entire history of shaving, by a country mile.

At less than $0.75 a stick it's a 'no-brainer' surely?

ShadowsDad · Post by **ShadowsDad** » Sat Jun 30, 2012 3:21 pm

Joe, they're in the same price range as any other European stick here in the States. About $5.

Imur, Just go into your kitchen get out the cheese shredder and start shredding away. I use wax paper under it to catch the shreds. Then form a trough with the WP and dump it all into a bowl of some sort. It may take 2 dumpings to keep it from overflowing the bowl. Then start to press it into place with the fingers. When it's compressed a bit, add a tablespoon or 2 of water and it''ll get quite easy to compress some more. Let it sit for a day or so to harden into a puck and it's done.

a-cut-above · Post by **a-cut-above** » Sun Jul 01, 2012 11:54 am

I use the sticks as sticks and get lather equal to the usual brush and puck. I wet my face, wet the tip of the stick, and rub it on, concentrating on rubbing against the grain which "loads" my whiskers. I can see the soap accumulating on my face. Frequently rewetting the stick helps a lot.

Agree that Palmolive is an incredible shave soap (and bargain). Arko is excellent, too, as is Valobra but price-wise it's getting into the high end. I didn't get good lather with the Erasmic (proving that not all tallow soaps are good just because they have tallow). Has anyone had experience with the Wilkinson stick (the blue one)?

Rambler · Post by **Rambler** » Sun Jul 01, 2012 12:22 pm

I've tried a stick or two over the years, but I've always come back to using just creams. I can see their potential for use in a nice travel kit. Seems almost perfect to use the DR Harris one in the twist type tube for that purpose.

joe mcclaine · Post by **joe mcclaine** » Sun Jul 01, 2012 12:55 pm

a-cut-above wrote:Has anyone had experience with the Wilkinson stick (the blue one)?

The blue one?

Yes.

It is every bit as good as Speick and Valobra sticks.

More of a waxy soapy smell than the 'fatty' smell of Valobra or the 'spicyness' of Speick.