Shave stick
- GA Russell
- Posts: 3070
- Joined: Fri Apr 11, 2008 10:15 pm
- Location: Raleigh, NC
I like the shave sticks for headshaving in the shower. Convenient, as I can leave 'em in the there and don't need a mug or bowl or anything, and I can lather well enough just massaging it with a hand. No, that doesn't work as well on the face, but works great for headshaving. Plus, the convenience for travel is awesome and I can use it on the face as well in those situations. Works out nicely.
hicabi - Yeah, I have the Art of Shaving Lemon, Sandalwood, and Lavender shave soaps. I favor the Sandalwood for the scent, although they are all good and all perform excellent for me.hicabi wrote:If you like Valobra, but not necessarily enjoy the stick form, you may give AOS Lavender a try. They are very similar, and you might enjoy the scent more.drumana wrote:My only experience with a shave stick is Valobra. I enjoyed using it as a shave stick but wound up milling it into a wooden bowl anyways. Tis a good soap that Valobra, wether you use it as a stick or not...
-Andrew-
- rustyblade
- Shaving Paparazzo
- Posts: 10472
- Joined: Sun Oct 23, 2005 5:27 pm
- Location: Ontario
I've always had such good results using them as intended I've never been tempted to do anything else.
It's interesting that despite all the talk on forums about mashing/milling/grating shave sticks, a fairly small percentage actually do it, and a slight but absolute majority likes to use them as sticks.
Like all internet polls the result is unscientific, but color me surprised.
It's interesting that despite all the talk on forums about mashing/milling/grating shave sticks, a fairly small percentage actually do it, and a slight but absolute majority likes to use them as sticks.
Like all internet polls the result is unscientific, but color me surprised.
I want to like shave stick as shave sticks...seems very convenient. But when I try to drag them across my mug, hardly any soap comes off and, rather than gliding, they pull my skin and skip a lot. When I finally do get enough soap off to start lathering, my skin is irritated (either by too much concentrated soap directly on it or by all the tugging). Maybe I'm doing something wrong? Perhaps I'll order a QED stick...I imagine a glycerin stick is easier than the tallowate ones I've tried.
Of course, there's still the problem of the brush hitting my face without any sort of lather yet in the bristles--that too can be rough on my skin.
Of course, there's still the problem of the brush hitting my face without any sort of lather yet in the bristles--that too can be rough on my skin.
Ian
"Anything less than the best is a felony"
--Vanilla Ice
"Anything less than the best is a felony"
--Vanilla Ice
Ian, you don't need to press hard with the stick. Wet your beard, and then rub the stick against the grain all over your beard. That should remove enough soap for a good lather. Then wet the brush and brush lightly but vigorously. I start with my chin---tough beard there means a lot of soap rubbed off---and almost immediately I get some lather. The brush, with that bit of lather already building, then is used to brush (lightly and vigorously) over all my beard. Sometimes I add a driblet of water to the center of the brush partway through.
It works best for me if I splash a lot of water onto my face so I can wet my beard area thoroughly, then I hold the stick under the running water for a second, then rub the stick around on my wet face, and if it starts to tug or feel the least bit dry, I hold it under the faucet some more. I like to load a lot of soap onto the whiskers.
Having both the soap and the face good and wet results in the successful transfer of an ample supply of soap to where I need it to be, in order to get the job done.
Then as you say, I take the soaked and gently shaken badger brush, (sorry Zack, I don't have a boar brush any more) and start working it, not roughly enough to irritate the face, but just side to side, up and down, back and forth, bulding the lather on the face, and in the brush. I always get plenty of lather this way.
Having both the soap and the face good and wet results in the successful transfer of an ample supply of soap to where I need it to be, in order to get the job done.
Then as you say, I take the soaked and gently shaken badger brush, (sorry Zack, I don't have a boar brush any more) and start working it, not roughly enough to irritate the face, but just side to side, up and down, back and forth, bulding the lather on the face, and in the brush. I always get plenty of lather this way.
Gary
SOTD 99%: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, soaps & creams, synthetic / badger brushes, Colonial General razor, Kai & Schick blades, straight razors any time, Superior 70 aftershave splash + menthol + 444
SOTD 99%: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, soaps & creams, synthetic / badger brushes, Colonial General razor, Kai & Schick blades, straight razors any time, Superior 70 aftershave splash + menthol + 444
My experience is limited to QED (almost the whole range) and a splurge for the D R Harris almond shave stick. The Harris is an excellent soap, but the packaging in my example was so cheesy, especially given the price.Leisureguy wrote:It always struck me as odd that shave stick packaging in general is so lame---I'm talking about the commercial brands now, not the artisans (who usually use quite good packaging). There are exceptions---D.R. Harris...
It is not as thick and squat as the QEDs, resembling a chapstick somewhat. And the threads are stripped, so the cap has never screwed on properly.
Maybe I got a bad specimen: I'd always heard the Harris shavestick touted as the gold standard, and it was supposed to be a bit of a treat. If Charles can get this right, why can't D R Harris?
/*rant mode OFF*/
Greg
Fiat lux, et facta est lux. Que la lumière soit, et la lumière fut. Let there be light, and there was light.
I have used the Arko and the Irisch Moos sticks. I agree with Michael in regards to the packaging however, and I am wondering what I will do when the Arko foil falls apart. The IM stick, however, is very convenient, but I suspect contributes to the price. I like the results I get with both; the Arko is a great value IMHO.
Nathan
A nickel ain't worth a dime anymore.----Yogi Berra
A nickel ain't worth a dime anymore.----Yogi Berra