What happens if I use a shave stick on my face and some cream on the brush? I decided to find out:

Arko stick with…

• Arko Cool Mint: Lots of lather, good for shave, needs lots of water – and nice scent too.
• Dalen d’Men Energetic: Very dense, very thirsty. Subtle scent of menthol
• Derby Lavender: Very thirsty and dense – almost too dense – lather. No particular scent.

Derby stick with…

• Arko Cool Mint: thirsty, dense lather with a very noticeable citrus scent.
• Dalen d’Men Energetic: dense without being overly thirsty, noticeable but not too strong menthol scent.
• Derby Lavender: dense, rich lather, smelled mostly like soap. Took a bit of work to get going.

GzD stick with…

• Arko Cool Mint: Made for a dense, thirsty lather – seems like the scents cancelled each other out.
• Dalen d’Men Energetic: Dense without being overly thirsty – quite strong menthol scent and feel.
• Derby Lavender: Dense and thirsty lather, but surprisingly good glide and cushion.

Lea stick with…

• Arko Cool Mint: A thicker, denser lather than either product makes on their own.
• Dalen d’Men Energetic: Thick, somewhat thirsty. Sort of a soapy menthol scent.
• Derby Lavender: A thick, but not too dense, lather that smells mostly of soap.

Result? Encouraging – but I’m not the first to try this; after the experiment got under way I was rereading Leisureguy’s Guide to Gourmet Shaving where he describes the combination of shave stick and cream as “superlather”.