Arko Shaving Soap Stick, White, 75g Each by Arko

I usually dry shave as I have hypersensitive skin, few spots and got bad shaving irritation from wet shaving which would lead to more spots and so on... I was using a mach 3/fusion for the very odd time I would have a wet shave previously. I then learnt about the art of DE & shavette style shaving and almost everyone saying it lead them to an irritation free shave, so I thought I would give it a go. I went ahead and purchased a safety razor, different blades, an arko shave stick, a Palmolive shave stick, proraso red shave cream and a shaving brush to compliment them all. Anyway, the first one I tried was the Arko shave stick, I used proraso pre shave cream, applied the Arko by rubbing it against the grain on my stubble then proceeded into a face lather with my brush. I was left a little underwhelmed by the face lather so I pressed my Arko stick in to a bowl and added more soap that way, which gave me a much more luxurious lather to work with. Firstly, the scent is not to everyone's liking, personally I love the citronella/lemony/soap smell while its in stick form, but don't really care for the scent too much when its lathered, weird I know. My Girlfriend says it smells like a public toilet (see where I'm going about the scent not being to everyone's liking) However it does not linger around too much after the shave so you can apply your own aftershave/cologne. The slickness of the soap is immense which I'm lead to believe is the tallow working its magic, after 1 pass and rinse off the excess soap you can really feel the slickness on your skin which is giving great protection before, during and after passes. However I felt the soap did dry a little too quick for me, I did a clean up pass by removing the excess soap from my brush and rubbing it around my face feeling for the areas I needed to clean up (great tip thanks to NickShaves) and the soap dried on my hand within a few minutes and was then unusable. The soap also left a residue on my razor once it had been fully cleaned/dried, like a hazy film, probably the tallow but I'm not too sure and don't really care I just wanted to put it in the review for others to know. Once finished I did have a few nicks but my Alum bloc sorted that right out & I did get irritation, but waking up the morning after the irritation had gone and I was left feeling very smooth and quite impressed. Overall 3 stars but I will keep using Arko and see how I get on with it in the future and I will update this review as and when I feel Arko has improved or not for my personal needs. I am new to DE shaving and this was my first shave so I cannot put the irritation down to the soap as it was more than likely my technique/lack of experience with a safety razor, as my OH did say she could see the marks on my neck where I had dragged the razor down. I would recommend Arko sticks as they are cheap, scent is not too offensive for the price & give great lather/slickness. I also highly recommend the seller Salon Time on Amazon and Ebay, really fast despatch/delivery times on both sites. Please rate my review below. EDIT.. upped to 5stars now as i have learnt to lather it correctly and it gives me great irritation free shaves every time! My go to soap for consistent shaves, excellent!

I bought this based on 1, the great reviews seen here on Amazon and 2, the price which I thought offered tremendous value for money compared to other shaving soaps. The other main reason for the purchase was due to wanting to try the badger shaving brush I received at Christmas. First things first, the smell...well I actually really liked it. It had a traditional 'soapy' smell that took me back to the hand soap bars that were commonly used in the toilets at my old school (1980's kid), some may say that's odd but that was my first thought. In use: Initially I tried lathering up directly from the stick tip and a warm, wet badger brush (as others have recommended) and although this gave reasonable results the lather just didn't seem thick enough. Next was the direct to face from the stick technique (as per the instructions) but this didn't really work that well for me either. The last attempt went against the guidelines and I used a bowl, well, when I say a bowl I actually pinched a hand cream pot that my partner had just finished, gave it a good wash out and then crushed one of the shaving sticks directly into it. Once I had flattened the soap in my 'bowl' I wet (actually soaked) the badger brush in warm water then took that straight to the bowl and started to build a lather, within a few seconds I had a thick, creamy lather which was perfect. Next was application; as a newbie to shaving brushes and soap I wasn't sure what the best application method was, so I took a good amount of the lather on my brush and simply swept the brush tip from side to side across my face, this gave a nice even covering ready for the shave. The shave went better than expected, the DE blade just seemed to glide across my face and removed much more facial hair than my old mach 3 blade and canned shaving gel. A Results check; you know how you automatically rub your face after shaving to see if you've missed any areas, well I did that and found next to nothing! No shave rash either. So if your still reading this rather long review then what I'm basically saying is buy it! it's great soap at a great price. P.S. You may well laugh at my hand cream bowl idea, but my Sons who constantly use my shaving gel won't go near a 'girly' hand cream pot, so with the lid screwed on it will remain safe as they will never know it's there! Just hope the missus doesn't try and moisturize her hands with it...

Arko Shave Sticks have a marmite quality about them amongst DE Shaving enthusiasts. This is mainly caused by their scent. However before I discuss that tricky topic, let’s consider some of their more easily addressed properties. First of all, their main purpose is to produce shaving lather. At this, these shave sticks excel! I use them directly on my face, having washed in warm water, and rub the stick into all areas of stubble. Don’t stint on this application because not only are Arko sticks excellent value, they are long-lasting. A little goes a long way. I then use my moistened brush to build up a lather directly on my face. The slick, good-quality lather builds quickly and will soon load up your brush for subsequent passes. Using this method, I can easily obtain three passes and touch ups. One thing to note, is that as you’re applying soap directly to your face, the blade can pick up some thicker soap residue, so make sure you clean your blade well after use. The soap comes in a foil wrapper which you unravel as you use the soap. Keep some on the bottom to use as a handle. When not in use, or when travelling, I keep opened shave sticks in a zip lock bag. And as it’s a solid item, rather than fluid or cream in a container which might irk airport security, the Arko makes a perfect travelling companion. Now onto the scent. I have read it described being either as a pleasant lime/lemon scent such as used in Turkish Barbers’ shops or as disgusting as lime scented disinfectant pucks, found commonly in gents’ urinals. The strange thing is, to my nose, both descriptions can be valid. Sometimes the smell is pleasant and at other times it can be powerfully overwhelming. It is strange stuff. I would however say that it is never so strong that I can’t or won’t use it. So should you buy Arko? I would provisionally say; “yes.” However I would only encourage you to do so, in order to try a worldwide renowned soap and to experience a shave stick if you have not already done so. Compared to a bowl soap or cream, they are much simpler to apply especially if you shave in the shower. Rub it on and then lather. It’s excellent value and produces plenty of slick lather. So “Thank you” to Arko for showing me the benefits of shave sticks. However I much prefer shave sticks from LEA. These don’t smell strange, rather having a beautiful fresh soap scent. They’re not wrapped in a bit of foil but come in a protective plastic case. They are fitted into a base which makes holding and applying them so much easier. They may be slightly more expensive than the Arko but not by much and are therefore overall, the much better option.

I bought 3 sticks of this soap. Upon receipt I realised it was reasonably pliable in hand, and therefore I wanted to find some kind of container to put it in so it would be more convenient to work the soap, and also store it. I had a Nivea hand cream pot to hand, and began pinching off the Arko soap and 'moulding' it into the Nivea pot. As luck would have it, 3x 75g Arko sticks fit exactly into said pot.... result! Now all I do is wet my shaving brush, whizz it around in the soap and then transfer it into my shaving bowl and whip it up, adding water to suit. After use, I let the soap air-dry and then put the lid back on afterwards. This soap is excellent in my humble opinion, using a good quality shaving brush, it works up into a thick creamy lather in no time at all. This is no doubt because of the tallow content in the soap. I find the lemony scent very nice indeed. It applies to the face in a lovely, slick lather. The quality/smoothness of the resulting shave has meant that I no longer need a pre-shave oil. It looks like my custom tub of Arko will last me a very long time seeing as hardly any soap is used for each shave. Highly recommended for the 'DE' lads -and- the 'Cartridge' lads alike!

I have used this soap for a few years now and find it the best I have found. I like an old fashioned shave with lots of lather and this soap does give off lots of lather. Some customers have said the smell is bad but I find it quite a pleasant smell which doesn't linger on the skin so it's not really an issue. I know it's not the quickest way to apply soap prior to shaving but it makes for a much more comfortable shave in the long run I think it's a combination of the hot water and soap softening the bristles that makes for a better shave. The other bonus is the cost it lasts such a long time that it's so much cheaper than buying cans of shaving soap. If you like a traditional shave with lots of lather use this soap it does give great results.

This is a great product. Lathers up really well, for an easy shave, and a neutral smell that's never bothered me. There's no holder provided, so personally I use an old one (from Erasmic -- who now only do the shaving cream), which is slightly too small but it's still possible to squidge the stick into it and press the excess on to the top so not much gets wasted. (Unfortunately, no hole in the bottom of the holder, so you have to dig out the last bit out with a penknife; but not too much of a problem -- then you can add the stub to the top of the next one.) It would be even better if they would provide a made-to-measure holder (which could be sold separately), but can't complain -- nothing better, and a great price, too.

Purchased these shaving sticks as I have been unable to source my usual Palmolive (local ASDA no longer stocking?) or even my favourite (expensive) Old Spice shaving soap. Bought these, as they were not expensive, so thought "nothing lost" if they turn out to be no good. However the ARKO sticks really great. They lather exceptionally well, even in this East Anglian hard water area, and provide a cool and comfortable shave. The scent evoked memories from long ago (over 70 years ago) watching my grandad being shaved and being attracted to the faint but distinctive fragrance that used to prevail in the local barber's shop when some of the local "pit men "treated themselves to a cut throat razor shave on a Saturday morning, in a shop run by a Greek barber. Having spent a little time researching - it appears these saving soap sticks seem to come, not from Greece, but from Turkey. Where ever they come from they are best I've had, ever, and they are now my de facto shaving soaps. One of the best purchases I've made from Amazon in a long time.

I liked the lather it self. It was great and smooth and creamy, just like most of people say. However, in my case, it happened to dry my skin a bit while I was shaving. That is,a few minutes after you apply the lather, it starts to dry on you your face and it also dries your face out quite a bit which is discomfortable. Other than that and the mediocre smell, the product is amazing.