noob questions about shaving sticks

[saj]

hello people im a noob when it comes to shaving sticks so i wanted to ask a few questions in regards to shaving sticks,
first of all i didnt realise you had to apply the shaving stick on the region you want to shave then apply a shaving brush with water to create the lather,
when i was shaving in my teens, i would literally just wet the shaving stick and work the lather by rubbing the shaving brush against the stick then apply it on my head to shave, obviously i was getting it all wrong lol :/

first of all why do people use say a shaving stick as oppose to a shaving soap? i mean isnt a soap better?

one of the main reasons i could think of someone wanting to use a stick instead of a soap is due to the cost maybe?
i assume sticks last a lot longer and are cheaper compared to soaps, just to clarify this is me just assuming this, feel free to correct me

anyways which are shaving sticks considered to be the good ones out there?
whats the going rate for say examply a palmolive shaving stick in the uk?
also which supermarkets or health and beauty shops sell them in the uk?

this is just to give me an idea hopefully

thanks saj

 

[Ivo4u2]

Usually the shaving stick is the same soap as the hard soap puck
A stick is 50-60g a puck 60-150
Sticks are compact an suited to face lathering where pucks are loaded on top and either face or bowl lathered
some like sticks for travel

Some known ones

Arko tabac Palmolive valobra speick vergulde hand Wilkinson muhle paa and there are many more and you can make them yourself if wamted

 

[saj]

Usually the shaving stick is the same soap as the hard soap puck
A stick is 50-60g a puck 60-150
Sticks are compact an suited to face lathering where pucks are loaded on top and either face or bowl lathered
some like sticks for travel

Some known ones

Arko tabac Palmolive valobra speick vergulde hand Wilkinson muhle paa and there are many more and you can make them yourself if wamted

cool didnt know that about the sticks and pucks thanks buddy

which sticks have you tried and which did you like?

i've got the arko stick

 

[Ravenonrock]

La Toja is nice.

 

[Ivo4u2]

cool didnt know that about the sticks and pucks thanks buddy

which sticks have you tried and which did you like?

i've got the arko stick

Arko tabac speick paa (Phoenix artisan acroutements).
scent wise paa wins and tabac versus arko is a performance battle.
you can reshape a stick and squeeze it in a jar so you get a puck. I tend to lather in a bowl or on my face but load in a jar or bowl anyhow. So rarely use it in stick form. You can paint a bowl with a stick and lather that up to.

 

[hairless wonder]

@FarmerTan and @Owen Bawn, I think you two need to help the new guy understand why Arko is the best!

 

[Marco]

Sir, my technique with shaving sticks is as follows:

1. Wet face, wet stick and rub the stick on the face until you see a thin white layer all over the shaving area.

2. Wet the brush and get rid of the eccess of water. Then load the brush from the stick until good lather starts to appear.

3. Apply the loaded brush to face, swirl and add little water, only when required.

It does work beautifully.

 

[EclipseRedRing]

I often use Tabac in both puck and stick form, but the stick is very good for travel, due to the size, and the clean and convenient refillable push up storage tube. There is no right or wrong way to use a soap stick, you can rub it on your face and then lather up, rub the brush on the stick to load it, or do both; whatever works for you is good. Tabac is the best currently available soap I have used, and certainly the best stick.

 

[hairless wonder]

FWIW, I cut a stick of Arko into coins and pressed them into a tub for easier lathering.

I also have some Cremo and Nivea shave sticks, which are really reserved for traveling. They'll be used brushless. This means the lather will be thin (if not nonexistent) but there will also be sufficient slickness to provide a good shave.

 

[Abz88]

I mainly have sticks for travelling as they are compact and easy to face lather with. However, I like La Toja so much that I use it at home as well! I mainly bowl lather, so using shave sticks also gives me an excuse to buy and try different styles of brushes...

 

[saj]

La Toja is nice.

will google it thanks

 

[saj]

Arko tabac speick paa (Phoenix artisan acroutements).
scent wise paa wins and tabac versus arko is a performance battle.
you can reshape a stick and squeeze it in a jar so you get a puck. I tend to lather in a bowl or on my face but load in a jar or bowl anyhow. So rarely use it in stick form. You can paint a bowl with a stick and lather that up to.

ill check out youtube to see how they make it into a puck....

 

[saj]

Sir, my technique with shaving sticks is as follows:

1. Wet face, wet stick and rub the stick on the face until you see a thin white layer all over the shaving area.

2. Wet the brush and get rid of the eccess of water. Then load the brush from the stick until good lather starts to appear.

3. Apply the loaded brush to face, swirl and add little water, only when required.

It does work beautifully.

which shaving sticks do you usually use and have tried out?

 

[saj]

I often use Tabac in both puck and stick form, but the stick is very good for travel, due to the size, and the clean and convenient refillable push up storage tube. There is no right or wrong way to use a soap stick, you can rub it on your face and then lather up, rub the brush on the stick to load it, or do both; whatever works for you is good. Tabac is the best currently available soap I have used, and certainly the best stick.

yea when i was typing out the OP i thought someones going to laugh at me for the way i used to lather up the stick but its reassuring to hear what youve said about there being no right or wrong way of doing it

 

[saj]

FWIW, I cut a stick of Arko into coins and pressed them into a tub for easier lathering.

I also have some Cremo and Nivea shave sticks, which are really reserved for traveling. They'll be used brushless. This means the lather will be thin (if not nonexistent) but there will also be sufficient slickness to provide a good shave.

thats a good idea, so it kinda acts like ridges too?

 

[saj]

I mainly have sticks for travelling as they are compact and easy to face lather with. However, I like La Toja so much that I use it at home as well! I mainly bowl lather, so using shave sticks also gives me an excuse to buy and try different styles of brushes...

cool yea ill have to check out la toja

 

[MrSpeedy]

Mike's Natural Soaps offers his scents in shave stick form. You can also press part of a brick of Cella into and empty shave stick container.

In a pinch, you can rub the shave stick over the area to face and start shaving (without lathering it).

 

[saj]

how do you guys dry these shaving sticks off?

 

[Marco]

which shaving sticks do you usually use and have tried out?

In almost 27 years of wet shaving I have tried all major brands. My all-time favourite is La Toja.

 

[EclipseRedRing]

how do you guys dry these shaving sticks off?

When I travel I use the Tabac stick. I rub the stick onto my damp face and then face lather, rather than rubbing the brush onto the stick as this keeps the stick cleaner and dryer. Only the very end of the stick gets wet, and by the time I have finished shaving it is almost dry. By the time I am packed and heading out the hotel door the stick is certainly dry. In any case you can just pop the top on the container and chuck it in your wash bag. As you use it the soap pushes up from the underneath and you can buy refills; it is inexpensive in the UK. Every bit as good as the Tabac in the glass bowl - a wonderful product.