Using Shave Sticks

[Smedley]

How the heck do you use these with maximal efficiency? The way I worked out was to get a layer of white soap on my skin, then build the lather with my fingers.

Can you build lather with the stick alone? Any advice would be welcome.

[PalmettoB]

David, I think the trick to shave sticks is to rub the stick on your prepped face (after it's wet and warm) and then use the brush to build lather on your skin like you would off of a soap puck.

[Mottern Man]

Soak face in hot water.

Wet stick in hot water.

Rub stick on your face (circular motion).

Rub brush on face like normal.

Enjoy shave :D

[madmedic]

David, I think the trick to shave sticks is to rub the stick on your prepped face (after it's wet and warm) and then use the brush to build lather on your skin like you would off of a soap puck.

That's the way I use them.

[Smedley]

How much stick do you gents lay down before beginning the lathering process?

[madmedic]

I use 3 scores on each cheek....and one on each side of my neck.


Then a scrubby brush to build up the lather

[crackstar]

I rub the stick on my wet face for 25 seconds, then I use my brush to scrub against the stick a little, then I build up my lather.

[bearbeard]

I rub the stick on my wet face for 25 seconds, then I use my brush to scrub against the stick a little, then I build up my lather.

I rub the brush on the stick a bit then rub the stick on my face then rub the brush on my face, works out great.

[Edcculus]

I rub it on...until I think there is enough. I guess 25 sec seems fine.

I find its easier to start the lather with a somewhat dry brush. A few shakes so the brush is not dripping. Once you've rubbed it around on the face a little, I drip water into the breach to keep water from flying all over the place.

[moviemaniac]

I rub the brush on the stick a bit then rub the stick on my face then rub the brush on my face, works out great.
that's exactly the way I also do it :)

[herzi]

Is there any difference in using a glycerin based stick like QED or MB and other sticks like Tabac, Palmolive or Speick?
Glycerin soaps need more water. Right? So where is the water? In the brush?

[moviemaniac]

Is there any difference in using a glycerin based stick like QED or MB and other sticks like Tabac, Palmolive or Speick?
Glycerin soaps need more water. Right? So where is the water? In the brush?
I have yet to try a glycerin-based shaving stick, but my guess is you leave the brush a tad wetter than with triple-milled or hard sticks.

[TraderJoe]

Is there any difference in using a glycerin based stick like QED or MB and other sticks like Tabac, Palmolive or Speick?
Glycerin soaps need more water. Right? So where is the water? In the brush?

I think you're right, the glycerin soaps require more water. I make a mess no matter what I do, so its hard to say for sure. I tend to prefer the "other" tallow sticks to the glycerin, but get along very well with both.

How the heck do you use these with maximal efficiency? The way I worked out was to get a layer of white soap on my skin, then build the lather with my fingers.

Can you build lather with the stick alone? Any advice would be welcome.

I think the other gents did a good job, but here's something I didn't see mentioned yet. I sometimes do this:

1) rub stick all over beard - almost as a preshave treatment
2) grab a cream and lather it on top

----> Do this with a QED stick + JM Fraser and the razor'll be slip-slidin' away :D

[Smedley]

Thanks all. I was surprised by the consistency of the stick (don't know why I was expecting a softer consistency, but I was). I will use these suggestions in future.

For the foil, do you replace it back over the end of the stick, or just rip it off and throw it away? Do you need it folded over at all times to preserve the stick?

----> Do this with a QED stick + JM Fraser and the razor'll be slip-slidin' away

No can do, but I will struggle along with my Speick and Erasmic sticks in this worthwhile experiment. :D

[TraderJoe]

For the foil, do you replace it back over the end of the stick, or just rip it off and throw it away? Do you need it folded over at all times to preserve the stick?

I have kept the foil for some, but not others.....depending on how well they have torn off. (my palmolive stick foil tore into shreds, as did the Speick, whereas the Erasmic stayed nice) Doesn't seem to affect the consistency or efficacy of it.

[TraderJoe]

No can do, but I will struggle along with my Speick and Erasmic sticks in this worthwhile experiment. :D

No prob - superlather those puppies too. Rub your face with the stick, then hit it with cream, then lather.

[Padron]

I was having trouble with my Erasmic sticks, I bought 2 new ones that were fine but I also had an old one that seemed very hard, not sure how old it was as I got it in a trade.

I decided I don't like sticks too much, so I took a fine cheese grater and grated the old stick along with one of the new ones and then took the fine shavings and pressed then into a Ziplock 1 cup plastic bowl, it worked really well and the soap packed down easily and formed perfectly to the inside of the bowl. Now it lathers great.

I still have one stick left for travel purposes. ;)

[Leisureguy]

I found that my Erasmic shave stick exactly fits in a tall plastic prescription pill bottle from the drugstore.

Here's my shave stick technique, though the comments above cover it pretty well:
Rub the stick vigorously against the grain all over your wet beard. This will put plenty of soap on your face—and, of course, the thickest and toughest part of your beard will scrape off the most soap: a plus. Rubbing your beard with the wet brush will start to build the lather. Add a little hot water to the corner of your brush and continue to work the brush on your beard until you have the lather you want. Again, experiment to find the amount of water that works best.

I use a variety of shave sticks --- some glycerin (Mama Bear, QED, Honeybee Spa) and some not (Erasmic, Valobra, D.R. Harris, Taylor of Old Bond Street). The D.R. Harris shave stick gives particularly good lather, FWIW.

[sysiphus]

Remember that a glycerine shave stick will melt like a popsicle under warm water! I just rub the homemade MB stick over my wet face (against the grain) a couple of times and then go at it with a damp brush. Take the brush tips to the water as mant times as you need to build the proper lather. You will get more than enough for four passes, and probably rinse that much again from the brush when done.

[Leisureguy]

I just got a batch of new shave sticks from QED, who was the first vendor I know who really promoted them. One that has a surprisingly nice fragrance is anise & lavender. Of course, Special 218 is in a class of its own.

[TraderJoe]

The beauty (one of the beauties :D) of building lather is that you can make them as "thin" or "thick" as you prefer.

Lately, with shave sticks, I have been allowing the lather to stay thick. I rub the stick on the beard quite a bit, leaving a heavy coating. Then I introduce a small amount of hot water, via the brush (much smaller than usual). What you end up with is a VERY thick, rich lather......almost paste-y -> which is more protective than you can get with any normal lather from a cream.

I also find that re-latherings for multiple passes are much easier, as the brush is still loaded with this thick/pastey lather. You just swipe it on and proceed with the razor. :D

It works very well, the razor glides and slices through the whiskers as if it were nothing, all the while your skin is very protected.

Give it a try ;)