Best Shave sticks for deployment

[Fidem Scit]

Gents, I picked up a few shave sticks. I fear that a few will not travel well because of their packaging. I love Mike's because the container has a threaded top and will travel well in a toiletry bag for 9 months. Are there other great performers that have similar secure containers that will withstand the lonely world of a toiletry bag?

 

[mftoms59]

You might try the local Pharmacy, some of the bigger plastic pill containers can fit a Shave Stick the size of Palmolive, La Toja does come with a plastic cover over the stick.

 

[Fidem Scit]

Funny, My neighbor is a pharmacist. His daughter lives with him and she makes soap. She hasn't been able to make shave soap yet that works. I've been her test client.

 

[Phog Allen]

I am unsure if anything will really hold up to bivouac conditions but the commercial efforts like Tabac or Taylor of Old Bond Street have fairly durable plastic tubes that should hold up to knocks but I don't about crushing weight. And their soaps are cured quite hard which means they won't be getting melted soft in desert heat. I suppose if you are going somewhere for a winter deployment it may not make a difference but I would thing any of the melt and pour soaps would tend to go very soft in a hot climate. It is really hard not to use the great artisan soaps like Mystic or Mikes though.

Cheers, Todd

 

[SliceOfLife]

Where are you deploying?

If it's gonna be 100+ degree's, I'd stick to triple milled sticks like tabac. Softer soaps, particularly artisans are likely to get very runny at that heat (think chapstick).

I'd recommend Speick and wilk sword as two great sticks though I don't know if they're triple milled. If la toja works with your skin (irritated mine), it's a good stick too and as I recall, quite firm.

Best advice... find someone to sell you a stick of Irische moo's, and grab a stick of tabac to go with it. They should last you well over 9 months. They also have threaded topped containers that are all but bulletproof.


Peter, it's really another thread, but while there are a number of good artisan shave soap makers out there now. There ISN'T good information available to most soapers who want to start making shaving soap. I learned how through EXTENSIVE trial and error, and I imagine most artisan makers with successful recipe's did the same (or reverse engineered other shaving soaps). If she really wants to make a good shaving soap, she needs to completely and 100% ignore all advice from other body soap makers. 99.9999% of the time they will steer her wrong. She needs to find someone whose focus is shaving soap and learn from them. It will save her incredible amounts of time and effort.

 

[Teddyboy]

I would recommend any of the DR Harris sticks. They come in a nicely packed twist-up tube with a screw-on cap. Also, either Marlborough or Arlington are great soaps.

Ogallala Bay Rum stick comes in a twist-up tube virtually identical to Mike's. Do not buy the puck however, it is very weird.

 

[Luc]

This might give you a few ideas: http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/Shave_Stick_Containers

 

[Mr_Smartepants]

Are there other great performers that have similar secure containers that will withstand the lonely world of a toiletry bag?

I'm headed out too in a few weeks.

If either of you need Palmolive sticks, PM me with your APO address (once you're in-place) and I'll MPS a few to you for free. They're dirt cheap here in the UK.
Smaller sticks will fit in empty spice containers (like McCormick). But leftover prescription containers work also.

 

[jpakstis]

Good luck on your deployment, Peter! I like Palmolive, but I don't like the packaging (its wrapped in tin foil). I would think one that screws up would be the easiest. DR Harris' do that and so does Ogallala Bay, but it sounds like you already have a great one with Mike's Naturals!

Another thing - if you're gone for nine months, you probably want to find a big one! Palmolive and the like are all 50g, which I would think would last a couple of months. Looks like Mike's is around 65g (2.3 ounces according to his site). DR Harris is only 40g, but its probably harder if its basically their regular soap shaped into a stick (Palmolive's is fairly malleable and Mike's more so). Looks like Ogallala Bay Rum's ones are 70g.

 

[Jarick]

And Tabac is 100g. Should last a good long time!

 

[RobW]

La Toja and DR Harris are great suggestions for harder soaps that have their own dedicated container.

Alternatively, I keep my Speick stick in a small pill bottle with a little hole drilled in the bottom to help it dry out, fits perfectly.

 

[AirForceMX]

Tabac, Arko, and Palmolive are a few of my favorites!

 

[KW Driver]

I'm currently on the road and this is what lives full time in the shave kit. Mike's, Spieck, and Palmolive. The Palmolive will be replaced with MWF probably, do to the scent only. You can pick up the tubes here.

There's one Palmolive stick in here, the Spieck maxed out the tube at 1 2/3 sticks. I've also done TOBS Sandalwood, it was ok. La Toja is meh to me, but works well enough, I just prefer tallows.

I really like doing the sticks into the twist tops, they're easier to keep clean and no fuss, once they're loaded.

 

[SteveWY]

Lots of choices. Pill bottle for any foil wrapped stick works good. I use the WCS twistup containers for Palmolive and Arko. La Toja comes in a nice plastic container that travels well.

 

[LAM&P]

Try Ogallala, I have an Orange/Bay Rum stick and it's a quality soap, it smells good and the container is suitable for deployment hard plastic w/screw on cap). I also have a plastic soap dish I use to store my razor, blade box, styptic pen to keep them safe. Hope this helps and be safe.

 

[Pedro Navaja]

Lots of good ideas here. I just wanted to wish you good luck, a safe return and thank you for your service.

 

[Fidem Scit]

Thanks to all. I have enough information. Great help.