I face lather with it. Once I get a few sticks of it worn down too short to use as sticks, I plan on milling some into my mug.
I consider myself a heretic, I have moved on to loving the Valobra stick more than Arko, which is funny because Valobra smells like something you would find in the shower of an old musty hotel :happy102
You don't even need to mill it. It's soft enough to press into a shaving mug. I've been using it in a mug for a while. I have a Palmolive and Valobra sticks around if I want to use a stick. I am a fan of the Valobra sticks as well, but some of the beauty of the Arko is the price which is less than a quarter of the Valobra. You will need to get some black socks to go with your sandals and musty old man smell.
I use it as a stick...Hot water on face...Water on stick...rub stick directly ATG...Hit it with a wet brush, and it explodes as its famous for, into a lather bomb. 1. I took an empty, flat, under-arm anti-perspirant stick container, and cleaned it out... 2. Laid it and the Arko stick, still wrapped, next to each other 3. Took a flat glass cookware and pressed straight down on the ArkoStick, til it was as flat as the Anti-perspirant container. 4. Took the paper off the Arko Stick and pressed it onto the shelf that goes up and down in the Deodorant container... 5. Then continued to press down as I replaced the shelf and dialed the shelf all the way down into the container 6. Took wet hands and shaped everything up. PRESTO...It works great...Now my hands never get wet using the Arko SS...I've been using it this way for a whole stick and am now on my 1st refill... Works great...And great for traveling as well...I highly recomend doing this, and it only took about 5 minutes max...
Price is subjective, Arko is obviously a great value and works just fine, its just not my favorite anymore
Wrap it back in the foil, deposit in nearest trash receptacle. :happy102 Now go find some P160 Tipo Duro instead whilst I run for cover.
I'm using one that is somewhat flat and wide, so the whole stick will fit...It doesn't matter what shape as long as its large enough for the whole stick to fit...I don't know what the brands currently available in the States look like...But I think mine is something like the old Mennen Speed Stick...But if you hold the Arko Stick next to it you will be able to approximate if it will fit or not...I believe most round deoderant sticks containers aren't large enough...
Use Arko by applying it against the grain, then using the brush to build the lather. Thin beards may require lathering on the second pass. Great stuff! St. Croix
I just got my first Arko and Palmolive shave sticks from someone in the UK today and can't wait to give them a try. I'll face lather with my Polo 8.
I just peeled back the wrapper, got it wet, soaked my brush, squeezed out the excess, held the sick in one hand, brush in the other & I loaded the brush, then worked up a lather in my dirty bird scuttle. Used it for the 1st time today. Took about 30 seconds to whip up a good lather w. my silvertip, next time I'll use my trusty WELL broken in VDH boar brush! I am a HUGE arko fan, it's my go-to cream!
I like to use one as bar soap. It's something. Crazy lather that leaves you squeaky clean without dry skin. I've mushed one into a bowl, used it directly on my face, and milled some into a blend before. It's versatile and a real powder keg of lather waiting to explode. A little water and a quick swirl with a brush is all it takes to set it off. It is a little strongly scented for my preferences. After being unwrapped it tones down rather quick.
I have no idea because I use it in rotation with other soaps, but using it the way I do, it lasts the better part of a year.
It lathers great and is slick as anything, but I get nicked around the adam's apple every time I use it. For some reason it lacks in protection for me, which is a shame, because I love the way it lathers.
I got one of these wonderful little soap sticks as a parting gift form my Turkish barber in Montréal once. I was leaving the city to go back to my ntive Sweden. Since then, I have grown a full beard and only use the stick (mashed into a bowl) to shave my neck. Inevitably though, during each shave I will get some lather in my beard and although I make sure to rinse it thoroughly when I'm done, the Arko scent gets stuck in there. Afterwards, as I go about my daily business, whiffs of Arko will from time to time find their way into my nostrils. Next after the amazing lather it produces, this is perhaps the thing I like the most about Arko's shaving soap. In fact, I have grown so attached to the scent that I've started to look for an identically scented Arko cologne/eau-de-toilette. Does anyone know if this exists? What I've found so far (called Cool, Action, Aqua, Adventure, and Maximum Comfort) seems altogether different. The classic packaging of the soap stick is replaced with something fast, modern and quite Gillette-like which makes me fear that the contents is less reliable as well. As there seem to be a few Arko expert here, I'd be curious to know if any of you guys have tried the colognes and know if there's one that corresponds in smell to the shaving stick.
Try Lemon Pledge. My wife thinks it smells like Comet. Actually, I just got a fresh stick in the mail and the initial sniff reminded me somewhat of a Lemon Jolly Rancher. Look for something Citrus-ey.
Personally i just leave it sitting in my bowl, filled with hot water. It's fantastic stuff, but the smell is rather interesting shall we say.
