Pre-shave: Dr Bronners Liquid Peppermint Soap
Lather: Lea shave stick and Arko Cool Mint Cream
Brush: Omega 50014
Razors: Merkur 985CL travel razor with a Wilkinson Sword blade
Post-shave: Cold water rinse, tiny alum stick and Krampert’s Finest Bay Rum
Travelling – but for once not on the Go
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…
Derby stick with…
GzD stick with…
Lea stick with…
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”.
Pre-shave: Dr Bronner’s Liquid Tea Tree
Lather: Arko stick and Dalen d’Men Energetic cream
Brush:Turkish No7
Razors:Bakelite slant and Gillette ’58 TV Special, both with fresh Zorrik Super Stainless
Post-shave: Cold water rinse and alum.
Some time ago I picked up a GzD shaving stick, partly to bulk out an order from Turkey and partly because I suffer from various Acquisition Disorders… like many shavers do.
It is natural to compare and contrast the GzD against the one Turkish stick ‘everyone’ knows; the Arko stick – it don’t matter if you love it or loathe it, it seems everyone has an opinion on it.
The GzD is just as good at making lather as the Arko is, it’s a bit softer so it might be easier to bash into a bowl if you’re not a face latherer. The scent is not nearly as strong as a freshly unwrapped Arko, and reminds me more of an Arko stick that have been left unwrapped for a month or two.
The GzD gives decent glide and cushion, and can be recommended if you just can’t handle the scent of the Arko. It seems to in general be more expensive than the Arko though, and it comes without a wrapper in a card board box – the box don’t stand up to much abuse, and I had to wrap mine in some parchment paper so I could handle it better.
Pre-shave: Warm water rince
Lather: Arko Cool-Mint
Brush: Turkish No6
Razors: Bakelite Slant with a Persona Platinum
Post-shave: Cold water rinse, alum and Krampert’s Finest Bay Rum
Pre-shave: Dr Bronner’s Liquid Lavender Soap
Lather: Derby Lavender cream and Arko shave stick
Brush: Vie Long 14033 mixed horse-badger
Razors: Merkur 25C and Gillette ’58 TV Special, but with a fresh “Flying Eagle” blade
Post-shave: Cool water rinse, alum, and Krampert’s Finest Bay Rum
Still plodding along with mixing creams and sticks, as well as trying out a new blade.DFS all around, more so from a ‘weird’ blade.
Pre-shave: Dr Bronner’s Liquid Orange Soap
Lather: Arko Cool Mint cream and Derby shave stick
Brush: Semogue TSN 2012 LE mixed badger-boar
Razors: Racer and Yuma, both with a Racer blade
Post-shave: Cool water rinse, alum, and Krampert’s Finest Bay Rum
Still experimenting with combining shavesticks and cream – thirsty, dense lather with a very noticeable citrus scent. DFS though, and nick free.
Pre-shave: Dr Bronner’s Liquid Lavender Soap
Lather: Arko Cool Mint cream and GzD shave stick
Brush: Vie Long 14033 mixed horse-badger
Razors: Racer and Yuma, both with a Racer blade
Post-shave: Cool water rinse, alum, and Krampert’s Finest Bay Rum
Yet another DFS with a mixed lather.
Pre-shave: Dr Bronner’s Liquid Teatree Soap
Lather: Arko Cool Mint cream and Arko shave stick
Brush: Turkish No6
Razors: Racer and Yuma, but with a fresh Racer blade
Post-shave: Cool water rinse, alum, and Krampert’s Finest Bay Rum
Harking back to an experiment I did a couple of months ago, I’ve started an experiment… one that today resulted in rich, creamy lather and a damn fine shave – as usual.
Pre-shave: Warm rinse
Lather: Arko shaving stick and Arko Cool Mint Cream
Brush: Turkish No6
Razors: Unknown (possible Merkur) German Bakelite Slant with a Wilkinson Sword
Post-shave: Cold water rinse, alum and Krampert’s Finest Bay Rum
Last shave for now with an interesting slant – and a DFS it was. Mixing the Arko stick and cream gave a very, very dense lather, requiring quite a bit of dipping of the brush.