A question regarding shave soap stick usage

[EclipseRedRing]

Gentlemen, I am a regular user of shave sticks, some of which are many years old, and I have a question for you.

As shown below, on older soap stick boxes and instructions it is common to see directive that the the stick should not be dipped into water. The tone of this seems, to me at least, to be more than a recommendation; instead it seems like a clear instruction, and I have been wondering why. My only idea is that by not dipping the soap one would ensure that only the very end becomes wet, when it is rubbed on the wet face. This would minimise the amount of water on the stick itself, make the cleanup easier, and the soap may dry quicker for storage after shaving. I have tried both dipping and not dipping and, unsurprisingly, it makes no difference to the lather.

So, here is my question - why do you think that early shave stick makers advised so clearly against dipping the stick into water?


Yardley:

Colgate:

Vinolia:

 

[NorthernSoul]

I think the concern is that the water would soften the stick too much once it was put away in storage (think of the traveling man using it several days in a row). I haven't noticed a problem, but I'll usually just dip the tip of the soap stick in water very briefly and leave it out to dry after use.

 

[borwish]

If it was wrapped in paper the paper would be more likely to get wet and fall apart or have it's ink bleed. That's why I don't dip the tip. Plastic containers like La Toja wouldn't matter though. It could be that they were afraid the water running down it might cause the stick to loosen from it's base if it's in a container.

 

[ike]

I appreciate the posting of ‘formal’ instructions from back in the day on how to use a shaving stick.

 

[Tanuki]

Their mothers made them write that. Mothers thought that wetted sticks were messy. The ancient code of motherhood was "Never explain, just give firm directions. Then clean up afterwards, they never listen anyway."

These days we just get lawyer-mandated warnings:

"Soap use might cause slipping, falling, and/or death. Contains ingredients known by Californians to cause a variety of hideous and painful pathologies."

Our great-grandchildren will suffer bemusement, as we do now.

 

[EclipseRedRing]

I appreciate the posting of ‘formal’ instructions from back in the day on how to use a shaving stick.

Here is a leaflet contained with a Yardley stick of mine dated 1921.

 

[GlazedBoker]

Because even back then, common sense and deductive logic was a rarity. And as you have witnessed in the present time, that trend has not wavered but, on the contrary. It has grown exponentially beyond the constraints of human intellect and reasoning.

In Layman's terms, we're getting dumber by the day. At least that's what history has shown us. Pretty soon, humanity will be asking Google "Hey Google, how do human beings conversate?"

Limp Bizkit was right. Take a look around.....

 

[Lane101]

Gentlemen, I am a regular user of shave sticks, some of which are many years old, and I have a question for you.

As shown below, on older soap stick boxes and instructions it is common to see directive that the the stick should not be dipped into water. The tone of this seems, to me at least, to be more than a recommendation; instead it seems like a clear instruction, and I have been wondering why. My only idea is that by not dipping the soap one would ensure that only the very end becomes wet, when it is rubbed on the wet face. This would minimise the amount of water on the stick itself, make the cleanup easier, and the soap may dry quicker for storage after shaving. I have tried both dipping and not dipping and, unsurprisingly, it makes no difference to the lather.

So, here is my question - why do you think that early shave stick makers advised so clearly against dipping the stick into water?


Yardley:

View attachment 1710365

Colgate:

View attachment 1710367

Vinolia:

View attachment 1710366

Instruction most likely based on a concern that the soap would pickup too much moisture.

Wonder if, for some of the soap formulations of that day, manufacturers were worried that the soap expand to the point where it would not fit back into the rigid glass or metal containers. Other concerns could be that the soap would soften too much or start to crack and break.

 

[steveclarkus]

I've never been one to follow instructions so I've never heard that one. I dip my stick and my head hasn't fallen off yet. My best guess is what @borwish said.

 

[Lane101]

I've never been one to follow instructions so I've never heard that one. I dip my stick and my head hasn't fallen off yet. My best guess is what @borwish said.

I briefly searched current on-line shave stick instructions and generally found directions to apply directly to ones wet face with some recommending dipping a shave stick in water (Maggards, Shave Nation). Nothing about keeping the shave stick out of water.