Palmolive for Men classic shave stick

I've been a wet shaver for almost 50 years and this is the first time I've used a shave stick, I've got to tell you, I'm impressed with this Palmolive product! Initially, I was going to resist writing a review, just wanted to keep this nifty product a secret, but I'll let the cat out of the bag, so Palmolive, keep making these shave sticks!First of all, it has an incredible scent. Wet your face, apply the Palmolive over the beard...then lather with your favorite brush. The lather just explodes! On my off days, I'll do a 1 maybe 2 pass shave. the shave with this stick is almost Zen like , I will do a 3 pass shave every time! incredibly slick, no irritation, just a smooth; clean close shave.Top it off w/ your favorite aftershave and you are ready to take on the world!!Mike H from N.H.

Shaving sticks are not well known these days, but they work amazingly well. You do need a brush but rubbing the stick on your wet face and using a wet brush to quickly build a lather is different than loading up the brush with a soft soap and rubbing it on. Simply, the stick gets right down to the skin and sets up the hair for shaving. Your razor kind of glides and after the shave your face almost feels a bit slick. I use an old school after shave with minimal scent (Mennen or Aqua Velva) and it just feels great. Treat yourself to one of these for a few bucks. This one has a hint of that great Palmolive smell.

I read about Palmolive stick on shaving forums and everyone was raving about it (but perhaps some of the raves are based on the fact that it costs 50 pence or less in the UK pharmacies, not the value we get here in the US).Anyway, I didn't like the scent at first (from the box), but remember thinking that it was "peppery" (like black peppercorns). I've only shaved twice with it and actually grew to like the scent. The first shave was with Merkur 37c Slant and Feather blade (also first time with that blade) - great shave overall, plenty in the brush for 3 passes + buffing. Second shave I forget which blade I used, but maybe I was in a hurry - the lather wasn't as good and I had to go back to my Proraso. I probably need to spend more time learning to lather it - I've read that tallow soaps can be like that.I am not a perfumer, but I was very intrigued by the scent, so I went to read up on the ingredients. The scent is very difficult to describe. Many people say that it smells "soapy". Well, that is both true and at the same time tells you nothing. Unlike the 1-dimensional Williams puck (citronella scent), this soap has a complex, although not overbearing, scent. Very pleasant. Here's what I found:It seems that the "bouquet" is based on:Linalool - aromatic compound found in many spices, herbs (basil), hops and even cannabis (no, the soap doesn't exactly smell like basil, cinnamon, hops or cannabis).Limonene - one of the main compounds responsible for the smell of citrus rinds. But in Palmolive stick it's very subtle - doesn't come across citrussy at all.Citronellol - there's your citronella scent, but it must be so subtle, I really don't feel it as such.Coumarin - another aromatic considered a "base note" found in many fragrances. They also use it to perfume pipe tobacco, so that may be familiar to some people.I'm not sure if other ingredients contribute to the smell, but they all seem to work to make a sort of a nice jazz chord, where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. By comparison Williams soap is more like a single clear (but forgettable) tone - a kazoo or dial tone :)I'll update on performance.

Pleasant bouquet. Applying stick to face allows the initial waxy soap layer to go on more sensitive areas for a bit of extra protection. I only apply stick to about 60% of shaving area. Lathers well but I don't think it protects all that well. Gave three stars due to comparison to Arko soap stick and my own shave soap that I now make and use. Palmolive is a bit more expensive (in the USA), requires just a bit more soap application to face, and its lather isn't quite as rich as Arko. It's not a bad product, but prefer Arko for quality of lather as well as a bit more economical.

The recommended way to use this product is to rub it over your wet beard and then take a brush and lather up. The first time I used it, it seemed like very little was getting on my face. However, after I applied the brush, a thick lather began to develop, and the more I swirled the more lather appeared. Two passes later, the brush was still loaded up and I had to rinse a lot of it down the sink. The lather is slick and thick, just what I was looking for. I like the smell as well, and the price for this stick is very reasonable. I wouldn't mind using this as my everyday soap. Another positive is that the airport security folks will pass this through. I recently flew internationally and had no trouble with any security checks. Great for travel.

Took over a month to arrive from Germany, which is unusual for the "prompt" Germans. The product looks like a refill for some dispenser. Impossible to swipe across the face without slipping all over. There is zero pine scent. Absolutely scentless. It lathers up well but the lather is weak, it has no lubricating property. Best use for this is lubricating the trash can liner. The tube format is much better, lathers slicker with a slight pine scent.

This is my 2nd stick and I will get more when needed. Why ? This shaving stick provides sufficient lubrication and allows me to not always use Feather blade. With my badger hair brush and Ultra blades, I get an excellent shave. The scent is quite refreshing and it leaves my face feeling great. When I lather this up with my boar's hair brush, the lather is not very good - with the badger hair brush, it's awesome.