Post Your Shave Stick Lathering Techniques

[Scotto]

Hi, Gents. I thought it would be nice if we had a few sticky posts on how to lather various shaving items. I think new folks might find it useful. Let's start with shave sticks. Here is what I do:


Shower first, as usual.
Fill lathering bowl with wicked hot water and leave it in the sink
Soak brush (my favorite for this purpose being the Edwin jagger for C&E best badger, though any brush will work)
Get face nice and soaking wet
Rub that shave stick aggressively against the grain, all over the face.
Shake out brush well (otherswise water flies all over the place)
Start working that soap into lather.
As needed, dip bristle tips into bowl already filled with water in sink (step #2), then keep working the face until lather begins to form
Dump out water in bowl, then hit that bowl with the soap-filled brush for a bit. Gobs of gorgeous lather ensue.
Future passes are no problemo given the amount of lather in the brush/bowl


Using this technique, I can easily produce enough lather to last many, many passes.

I know others have their little tricks (Rik, Nick, etc.) - let's get them in one place!

[HlSheppard]

I use your technique, Scotto. The only difference is that I will also scrub the brush against the shave stick as well to give it a nice "loading" of soap.

[atnight]

Hi, Gents. I thought it would be nice if we had a few sticky posts on how to lather various shaving items. I think new folks might find it useful. Let's start with shave sticks. Here is what I do:


Shower first, as usual.
Fill lathering bowl with wicked hot water and leave it in the sink
Soak brush (my favorite for this purpose being the Edwin jagger for C&E best badger, though any brush will work)
Get face nice and soaking wet
Rub that shave stick aggressively against the grain, all over the face.
Shake out brush well (otherswise water flies all over the place)
Start working that soap into lather.
As needed, dip bristle tips into bowl already filled with water in sink (step #2), then keep working the face until lather begins to form
Dump out water in bowl, then hit that bowl with the soap-filled brush for a bit. Gobs of gorgeous lather ensue.
Future passes are no problemo given the amount of lather in the brush/bowl


Using this technique, I can easily produce enough lather to last many, many passes.

I know others have their little tricks (Rik, Nick, etc.) - let's get them in one place!

Honestly, I do the exact same thing!

However, if I'm travelling, I leave out the bowl and either reapply with the stick or use the lather from the brush.

-bill

[rtaylor61]

Previously, my technique was to melt the shave stick down into a bowl! However, Sue's post about the damage the could be done slowed me down on that. Now that I have Sue's New Spice shave stick, I pretty much do as Scotto suggested, however, so far I havent' used a bowl.

Randy

[Nick]

I'll do the same as Howard (#7):


Soak brush in super hot water.
Fill bowl with super hot water.
Embarassingly remember that I don't use the bowl with the shave stick, and dump it back out.
Wet my face and proceed to rub the shaving stick agressively all over.
Pull brush out of mug full of hot water, and put the razor in so it'll warm up (cold metal razor on warm face = bleh).
Flick a little bit of water out of the brush. I'm a firm believer that this is one of the reasons the stick is so great, because it takes care of the water ratio for the most part, excess water drains from the brush into the sink as I smash it against my face, instead of draining into a bowl and mucking up the works (at least, that's the case for me).
"Prime the Pump" by swirling the brush around the stick a decent amount.
Rub face with brush in circular motions until I get a beautiful lather.
I have a problem with going overboard, so for successive passes, I re-wet my face, rub some more shave stick over it, and then work the brush on my face a little bit more.-Nick

[Shermdog]

I lather my Shave stick right on the face. I think it defeats the purpose to whip it out in a bowl after rubbing your face with the stick. Its great for a speedy lather and I have no problem getting a thick full lather this way...enough for several passes.

[Sue]

I have converted my husband and sons to wet-shaving. One son uses my shave stick in the shower. He has asked me if he is using it correctly so this is a very interesting thread. Apparently he isn't. He just rubs the shave stick up and down over his beard, then shaves. He has tried using his brush and working up a lather. He has tried this method a couple of times but says he gets a much better shave by NOT making a lather with the brush. He feels the brush dilutes some of the lubricity. Has anyone tried this way of using a shave stick? Is he maybe using too much water on the brush? My husband just doesn't like them, period.
Sue

[TomH]

Hello,

that sounds great but it isn't the way I use my stick, btw. the only shave-stick I use is the ARKO and my course of action is the follow.

-I cut off a piece, round about 1,5cm make it a little wet and glue it on the bottom of the bowl

-with the wet badger-brush I stir upun the soap piece, that gives me enough lather to make two shave passes

-at the end I only wipe the rest of lather with one finger out

that's all...

Thomas

[rtaylor61]

I have converted my husband and sons to wet-shaving. One son uses my shave stick in the shower. He has asked me if he is using it correctly so this is a very interesting thread. Apparently he isn't. He just rubs the shave stick up and down over his beard, then shaves. He has tried using his brush and working up a lather. He has tried this method a couple of times but says he gets a much better shave by NOT making a lather with the brush. He feels the brush dilutes some of the lubricity. Has anyone tried this way of using a shave stick? Is he maybe using too much water on the brush? My husband just doesn't like them, period.
Sue

Originally, I didn't like the shave sticks. I melted them. But your shave stick is wider and easier to use in it's original format. Having only tried the shave sticks from QED, when I recieved yours, I looked at it and thought "this is messed up". But then I used it. Straight on the face and then used the brush to build the lather. I would suggest that your son shake as much water as possible out of the brush and then try. Since he is in the shower, adding water won't be a problem. I think your shave stick is great, although you might want to add a couple of labels in big bold print that say NOT DEODORANT! :biggrin: And no, I've not made that mistake!

Randy

[guenron]

I have converted my husband and sons to wet-shaving. One son uses my shave stick in the shower. He has asked me if he is using it correctly so this is a very interesting thread. Apparently he isn't. He just rubs the shave stick up and down over his beard, then shaves. He has tried using his brush and working up a lather. He has tried this method a couple of times but says he gets a much better shave by NOT making a lather with the brush. He feels the brush dilutes some of the lubricity. Has anyone tried this way of using a shave stick? Is he maybe using too much water on the brush? My husband just doesn't like them, period.
Sue
Greetings Sue,
I occassionaly will use a shave stick without the benefit of a brush. These occassions also happen to coincide with forgetting to bring a brush, or being cranky and not feeling as though I should get into a greater lather. :001_rolle
While I can only speak for my experiences with the QED shave sticks, I find I get a good, presentable shave, but I miss out on the joy of the lather and the explosion of the fragrance that accompanies the lathering process.

[Sue]

I understand what you are saying about lathering up. In comparison to with/without brush....do you notice a difference in the quality of the shave?
Sue

[Scotto]

I have shaved on occasion with the stick without using a brush. It gives an adequate shave, but I find the soap tends to clog the razor too easily. I prefer to use the brush to whip things up.

I'll also concur with Randy in that I used to dislike the sticks. Now I regret melting most of mine down. :redface:

[bigDee]

bump

[TraderJoe]

I usually do stick to face first, but whipping the brush around on the stick then moving to bowl or face works well too (albeit a very messy process).


Anybody else care to share your QED stick lathering methods? I'd be interesting in any new/different ways of using them...

[Tinzien]

I go against Charles's instructions and let the stick roam over my face far more than three times before starting to build my lather. My nose gets a vacation and my brush gets a chance to warm up some more in my moss scuttle.

When I build lather I use a hot brush from the scuttle and start at the neck before working up to my cheeks. Generally I will build, let the lather sit for 30 seconds and then continue to build. My brush is not soaked but does the trick because it all seems to balance out quite well.

[Elmo]

Thanks to all. I got a shave stick dor travel(hoping I could take it abord an airplane) but then realized I hadn't a clue about how to properly use it.

Now I do.:closedeye

[javyn]

I don't have any shave sticks, but I think I'm going to get one of my pucks of soap and try it this way.

[guenron]

I don't have any shave sticks, but I think I'm going to get one of my pucks of soap and try it this way.
Please inform us of your results. Without a soap formulated for rub-on application, you may also wish to inform us of your recovery..:eek:

[moses]

curious to hear how it works too. But I don't see any reason it wouldn't. I doubt Charles specially formulated his for stick application; I imagine he just poured the same good stuff he had been pouring into tubs into the stick. The point seems to be just getting some somewhere to be lathered, and I think by rubbing any kind of soap on your face for a while, you'd get enough to do the job.

[guenron]

curious to hear how it works too. But I don't see any reason it wouldn't. I doubt Charles specially formulated his for stick application; I imagine he just poured the same good stuff he had been pouring into tubs into the stick. The point seems to be just getting some somewhere to be lathered, and I think by rubbing any kind of soap on your face for a while, you'd get enough to do the job.
I guess I must take issue with your opinion.. Please try rubbing your face with a triple milled soap for a while and relate your results.

[moses]

Fair enough. I'll have to try that when I get my shaving stuff unpacked. C&E is triple milled, yes? (My experience is more with the handmade stuff). My mental picture was Honeybee, which I'm pretty sure would work fine. And of course QED, which would obviously would work fine, except for being stuck down in that plastic tub the edges of which might hurt a little. :eek: That is actually a pretty funny picture.....

[Sue]

Moses,
When I offered shave sticks, the recipe was quite different from the recipe that I use for molded soap or in bowls. Also, the women's stick is a different recipe than the one I used for men. I can't speak for Charles but they are most likely very different. This is interesting reading to me as I discontinued carrying shave sticks for men, they seemed quite unpopular.
Sue

[moses]

Sue,
Very interesting to hear. I assumed that Charles used the same stuff, as they certainly seem the same (does not mean they are, of course).

Also, slightly off topic, but is your women's stick brushless or intended for use with a brush?

[BeachBum]

I just load the brush up with soap wipe it on the rim of the mug repeat a few
times and go into a whipping frenzy. http://img118.imageshack.us/img118/9282/shavesr2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[Sue]

Moses,
The Stick for Chicks is brushless. Just turn it up a quarter of an inch or so and wipe on the dampened area to be shaved. The stick is soft so it doesn't dig in contours, so turning it up too far could cause breakage. She can 'buff' it up a little (or rub in) but it isn't necessary. The fragrance will not stick around long to conflict with perfume or colognes.
Sue

[TomH]

I just load the brush up with soap wipe it on the rim of the mug repeat a few
times and go into a whipping frenzy. http://img118.imageshack.us/img118/9282/shavesr2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Hi BeachBum,

very nice Mug:thumbup1: , I have and use the same...:wink:

Thomas

[BeachBum]

Hi BeachBum,

very nice Mug:thumbup1: , I have and use the same...:wink:

Thomas
Thanks Thomas I have two mugs the other mug is an older style one but I
find the barbershop one has a little more room for whipping up a good lather.

Cheer Doug :thumbup:

[TomH]

Hi Doug,

I see that you use the Mennen shave stick...!!!
I have a bottle of Mennen Skin Bracer Original A/S and Musk A/S, a gift from a Canadian friend.
Never used a shave stick, is this one a good choice, in your opinion???

Thanks
Thomas

[BeachBum]

Hi Doug,

I see that you use the Mennen shave stick...!!!
I have a bottle of Mennen Skin Bracer Original A/S and Musk A/S, a gift from a Canadian friend.
Never used a shave stick, is this one a good choice, in your opinion???

Thanks
Thomas
Thomas I really like the mennen stick, very good value for money, good lather
the only down side is the scent it just smells like laundry soap.
I'm thinking of getting some sort of lavender oil and adding a few drops just
to pep it up a bit.

Doug.

[xChris]

The Stick for Chicks is brushless.
My wife has actually used it with a brush with good results -- appeared to lather up as good or better than her cake of SCS Savory Rose.

Also, wanted to add that my technique is pretty much like Howard's.

[holnrew]

I just got a couple of shave sticks, Palmolive and Erasmic, this thread has been great.

[TraderJoe]

Palmolive and Erasmic

:thumbup1: how do you like them?

[holnrew]

I've only tried the erasmic so far, it made an excellent lather and tasted better than it smells.

[Limey]

Hi, Gents. I thought it would be nice if we had a few sticky posts on how to lather various shaving items. I think new folks might find it useful. Let's start with shave sticks. Here is what I do:


Shower first, as usual.
Fill lathering bowl with wicked hot water and leave it in the sink
Soak brush (my favorite for this purpose being the Edwin jagger for C&E best badger, though any brush will work)
Get face nice and soaking wet
Rub that shave stick aggressively against the grain, all over the face.
Shake out brush well (otherswise water flies all over the place)
Start working that soap into lather.
As needed, dip bristle tips into bowl already filled with water in sink (step #2), then keep working the face until lather begins to form
Dump out water in bowl, then hit that bowl with the soap-filled brush for a bit. Gobs of gorgeous lather ensue.
Future passes are no problemo given the amount of lather in the brush/bowl


Using this technique, I can easily produce enough lather to last many, many passes.

I know others have their little tricks (Rik, Nick, etc.) - let's get them in one place!


Scotto - I got a stick of Lime from Charles. I used it as you described which mirrored Charles directions. I have gotten very good shaves with it. Have you used it for touch-ups as well? I also find it very effective in that capacity.

[TraderJoe]

I love the Erasmic sticks, and I find them so easy to get lathered up with. I wet my face, and then I lightly wet the stick, and rub it all over my face and neck a few times, and then use my brush to build the lather.

Jeff

+1 The Erasmic shave stick is of the finest stick I've used! Very easy to create a thick, protective lather. I will use it like Jeff notes above, then go to a mug or bowl and add some water. Whip it up some more, then back to the face to froth it up some more. After that....When all is said and done....those whiskers don't stand a chance :lol:

[Leisureguy]

Scotto, your technique is what I do with these exceptions:

No soaking of brush: I just hold it under the hot water, the give it a shake.

When I add water to the brush, I turn the hot water on and wet one edge of the head of the brush, then lather with that.

I find that the brush itself holds plenty of lather---no need for the bowl. I just stand the brush on its base between passes.

I also initially didn't like shave sticks, but now I think I may find them my favorite. I get plenty of fragrance from lathering on the face (the lather's right under my nose, after all). My current favorite is QED Mocha-Java, but I like them all---and even got a couple of new ones for Xmas.

With lathering on the face, I find that my preferred brush size is smaller now. E.g., I prefer the Emperor 1 or 2 to the Emperor 3.

The two things that made the difference that turned me into a fan: First, rubbing the stick against the grain ALL OVER my wet beard---thorough rubbing. Second, using the brush longer on my face to build the initial lather: rub-a-dub-dub for quite a while---very enjoyable, in fact.

[Scotto]

I love those darn QED shave sticks. I keep buying and buying them. I really like the way the soap works into your beard before lathering - makes for an awesome shave.

Yes, they are great for touch up as well.

[peacefrog]

I love the Arko. It's really easy to generate really thick lather. It's now my preferred soap for travel, though I may have to give the QED sticks a try too. Thanks to TraderJoe for introducing me to Arko in his secret Santa gift!

[Graham]

I must admit I only use a shaving stick when away from home, in fact thinking about it, that's quite a lot of the time!!!. Anyway, here goes,

1. Face washed or showered depending on the time of the day and a hot towel on for 2 minutes
2. Hot tap running and soak the brush
3. Flick brush and lather up the stick with the brush, the sticks I use are Taylor's in various fragrances and are thicker than most other shave sticks available here in the U.K., so it is quite easy to keep from making a lather mess!
4. Brush to face and swirl away till a good lather is acheived
5. Rest brush on sink with shaving stick and away you go!

[BroJohn]

When I made an order from Tulumba.com, I included one of the Arko sticks for 99¢. It sat for a couple of months before I used it. Since I didn't know what I was doing, the shave was ho-hum.

Having read through this thread, today I decided to give it another go. Following the general techniques in this thread, my experience was completely different and very satisfactory. I didn't use a bowl and lathered exclusively on my face, standing the brush on its handle between passes.

I was really surprized at the quality, quantity, and volume of lather. It was very enjoyable and provided excellent lubication. I could hear but not feel the whiskers being cut. With a 70's SS and 3-day old Derby, I easily went BBS in three passes, and I've been faceturbating all day. :w00t: No sting from the Alum block at all.

The only downside to the Arko is that it has a profound aroma that screams SOAP!!! Either I'll get accustomed to the 'fragrance' or perhaps I'll order a shave stick in some other flavor. In any case, this experience was far, far better than my initial attempt and I'm sold. Perhaps I'll just retire the Arko to travel status.

Thanks for this thread, Scotto.

-- John Gehman

[Stecacio]

this thread is outstanding and much appreciated. I've just started trying to use a shaving stick from QED and I was having diffculty getting a nice lather. It was too thick and didn't feel very slick or lubricating...it also seemed to almost dry out before I got done shaving my face. Clearly I was low on water. I found more water and a bit more soap than I was using really did the trick.

Thanks to the pointers in this thread I'm getting great lather and am really enjoying the occassional shave with my QED lavender stick :biggrin:

[analog_kid]

I got my first stick from Charles at QED and I absolutely love it. You don't even need a lather mug or bowl, the brush holds plenty of lather for multiple passes.

[PBrods]

Previously, my technique was to melt the shave stick down into a bowl! However, Sue's post about the damage the could be done slowed me down on that. Now that I have Sue's New Spice shave stick, I pretty much do as Scotto suggested, however, so far I havent' used a bowl.

Randy

I melted my soap down into a cup...what damage does that do to the soap?

[Sue]

I can't speak for other brands of soaps but melting SCS soaps may cause separation. I offer a money back guarantee on my products "except" soaps that have been 'melted or degraded by microwave, oven process, double boiler process or any method of applied heat to my soap'.

I know many Gents do but I do not understand why anyone would want to pay for soap in a twist or push up tube and then melt it into a bowl.....Why not buy a puck made for a bowl or mug? After a few uses the soap will generally form to the container.
Sue

[razercat]

Great thred, I have some Arko shave stiks on there way so I can't wate to try it out.

Eddie

[Woknblues]

pre shave prep, shower, or hot towels

take stick, rub all over face
take hot shaken brush, rub into stick for 5 seconds
lather on face, dipping brush tips in hot water

good for 4 passes of QED grapefruit and peppermint

[masonjarjar]

I just load the brush up with soap wipe it on the rim of the mug repeat a few
times and go into a whipping frenzy. http://img118.imageshack.us/img118/9282/shavesr2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Wow that looks awesome. I've never tried a shave stick before. I love me a good latherin'


-Mason

[mental]

I tried my first stick recently, a QED Mocha Java. Fantastic stuff. I do mostly what Scotto lists, except I don't build any lather in the bowl - I just keep some hot water there to wet the tips if I need to, and then lather on my face after rubbing a generous amount of the stick into my pre-moistened beard. There's enough lather in my brush for plenty of passes, and I usually make 3-4.

[iron maiden]

I'm waiting on the Speick shave stick....will have to post my results here after I get it. Thanks for the information.

BTW, where can you find those Mennen sticks?

[BroJohn]

BTW, where can you find those Mennen sticks?

They're a product available in Europe, not available stateside. :sad:

-- John Gehman

[Leatherneck]

Boy, what a timely thread. Yesterday, we visited Merz Apothecary in Chicago. They have a great shaving section.
I have read several threads about shaving sticks for travel, so I bought a Speick shaving stick along with a tube of Trumpers Rose Shaving Cream.
Anyway, back to the stick. When we got home and I opened in up, I saw the stick wrapped in foil with a a little plastic holder-thingy on the bottom, much to my surprise.
Having never seen one before, I had imagined it would come in some type of twist-up or push-up tube.
My question is; Is this a stick "refill"? Am I missing something, or is this the packaging of sticks, or Speick in particular? Any specific purpose for the white plastic part other than as a stand? How do you protect it while traveling? I'm thinking of another visit to the pharmacist for another pill bottle ( got a large one already for my brush).

[ScottyD]

One of the best things, or maybe even THE BEST THING ABOUT THE B&B is that I was thinking to myself how to use this new shave stick I got and looked for a thread on Shaving Sticks and BAM! There it is. Most excellent. Thanks all for a great thread and contributing to a great forum.

[Jimbo]

I'm growing more and more fond of shaving sticks. Rubbing it into my beard really gets the lather going.
Heating up the soap in the microwave will drive off some of the essential oils.

[Storm]

Ok, so I had the pleasure of talking to Charles for 20 minutes, ordering a plethora of his sticks (I am a fan of his tubs). When I get it home and shave, here are my challenges:

1) twisting up the soap through the tube can push the plastic spindle up through the soap. Fix: warm the tube under hot water, and even let warm water sit on the soap end.

2) the instructions call for 1/8 inch of soap twisted up and "rubbing all over face." Logic -- and others -- say that against the grain would get most soap on face. I've done this, and find that whatever I twist up will be chewed up by my one-day's stubble. Fix: Buy another stick after it runs out (has a study been shown that sticks don't last as long as tubs, all things being the same?).

3) using Scotto's technique for three different days and tries, I get a wet thin face. And I'm gobbling up lots of against the grain soap. No lather, just overall weak and thin. I can whip up a good lather from a tub. Must I use 1/4 inch of soap? Fix: unknown

[biomesh]

You shouldn't need to use 1/4 inch of soap. I use the stick to cover the entire beard area (not pressing down hard). I start with a moist, but fairly dry brush (no dripping water) to build up the lather. What kind of brush do you use?

[razercat]

I finally got around to using Scotto's info on face lathering with a shave stick. Really neat. I used a Speick stick and It worked like a champ.

Eddie

[vespergo]

The few times that I've face used the Palmolive stick that I have, I did everything as normal. Showered as usual and then instead of swirling the brush onto the soap I rubbed the stick onto my face. Then lathered directly on my face.

Interestingly enough I enjoyed the face lathering enough that now I'm a convert to lathering directly on my face. For me I think it saves time and it gets extra scrubbing action for my face.