Proraso Ciotola Verde-Sapone Da Barba

[guenron]

Another member of the EU, Italy, responds to the 3Ts and the other British Soaps with Proraso Sapone Da Barba. In response, or should I say lack of response, to the din of Proraso the Breakfast of Champions and it's Cheap Too crowd, I just flat out refused to use Proraso products. I don't wet shave for CHEAP, but for resulting appearance and pleasure. BUT, to each his own.
Since this board does not appear to have that crowd, or at least we do not have 3000 message long soliloquies to "Why I love Proraso in a tube," "Why I love Proraso in a green tube," and "Why I love Proraso in a red tube" I thought I would get the Proraso (almost) hard soap in a tub and give it a try. So with the help of Charles at QED and the FDA in New Joisey, I managed to get my tastefully designed green tub of Proraso.
The Sapone Da Barba lathers a little differently than the British soaps to which I am accustomed. That is not to say that it is bad, just a bit different. The lather I generated was rich, loaded with mositure, and exceptionally slick. With the eucalyptus wafting in the air, for a moment it took me back to the Days of Noxema! (It did not have eucalyptus, but menthol.. BUT, it wafted too!) It made generous amounts of the olifactorily pleasing superstrate and I was happy to swirl, whirl, and paint it onto my visage.
Below is a performance shot of my Ed Jagger for Crabtree and Evelyn Best Badger after four enjoyable passes with Proraso Sapone Da Barba lather.


http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=371

I got a very close, irritation-free, enjoyable shave. That's the real metric of a good soap! I also enjoyed the dopobarba! Very good stuff. Perhaps a few notes in the aftershave threads would be apropos?

[Scotto]

Interesting stuff. I am personally not a huge Eucalyptus fan, but for $7.50 I might give it a try. The crema liquida, on the other hand, I would really like to get a hold of.

Thanks for the review, Ron

[mark the shoeshine boy]

ron,

i told you so....

mark tssb:shaving:

[guenron]

ron,

i told you so....

mark tssb:shaving:
Greetings Mark,
I must admit that I am forever indebted for that recommendation. At least you were not a twit comparing the relative merits of the red versus the green tube on a scale of 1 to 1000! :001_07:

[mark the shoeshine boy]

nope....just said...it was perty good stuff...you oughta try it...n' the balm too...


about 16 bucks for both...it's a deal...shaves good...less fillin' taste great....

mark tssb

when can i cash in that debt of yours...i need the money....

mark tssb

[halwilson]

The Sapone Da Barba lathers a little differently than the British soaps to which I am accustomed. That is not to say that it is bad, just a bit different. The lather I generated was rich, loaded with mositure, and exceptionally slick. With the eucalyptus wafting in the air, for a moment it took me back to the Days of Noxema! (It did not have eucalyptus, but menthol.. BUT, it wafted too!) It made generous amounts of the olifactorily pleasiing superstrate and I was happy to swirl, whirl, and paint it onto my visage.

Ron,

That it's "rich, loaded with moisture, and exceptionally slick" sounds like an exceptionally great lather to me, and dollar for dollar it must out compare our favorite pricey English soaps by a long shot, no?

Your mention of Noxema, took me back to my first days of shav'n with my trusty old DE super speed Gillette, a gift from my Dad. With the regular soap I'd been using at the time, I was always getting a rash on my neck. My great Uncle, a professional barber, recommended that I use some regular Noxema skin cream, the stuff you get in the jar. I beleive he used it in his shop back then. Thanks to him, I followed his advice with good results. Come to think of it, that Green tube Proraso (that I do have--and OK I've got the red tube too) does indeed remind me of the good o'l Noxema. I shall have to give this hard soap a go too. Thanks for your review.

Hal

[crackstar]

Hal, I'd give just about anything to get my Noxzema tube cream again, man I loved it. But Proraso in the green tube's also great!

Jeff

[HlSheppard]

I'm a huge Proraso fan. I didn't try it for the longest time as I figured that "English must be better."

Man, was I wrong... I've yet to try the hard soap - but the green tube and the aftershave (even the Pre/Post) work just great for me.

I have a full tube of red that I got in trade that I've not even touched yet...

So many items - only one face...

[crackstar]

:smile: Howard, one thing I like about Proraso, considering it being a high-end cream and soap, it's not at all expensive. I think a tube or a bowl can last almost a year.

Jeff

[HlSheppard]

Absolutely!

When I first saw the price of the Proraso tube vs. what I had been paying for Trumpers, etc...

Let's just say I was all over it.

That's not to say I don't have my fair share of the 3T's in my larder; but, honestly - I use Proraso more often...

Go figure!

[crackstar]

:biggrin: my shaving arsenal is stocked up now to the point where I have enough creams and soaps for the next 4, maybe 5 years and I'm still buying stuff! The Proraso green tube is still a must for me. The only one of the 3 T's I have is Taylors almond and Taylors avocado.

What beauties those are!

Jeff

[Cliff]

I have used the Proraso Red for years as an occasional alternative to my more fun creams. I've never gotten a bad shave. Also use Musgo real, actually SWMBO prefers the Musgo to all else.

And yes, I use a brush with both.

[crackstar]

Cliff, in my whole life, I've had perhaps 15 lousy shaves. That's because I shaved without a brush. I'll never shave any other way than with a brush!:biggrin: I enjoy Proraso green so much it's among my top 5 in my rotation.

Jeff

[xcubbies]

I've been using the green Proraso for the last few months and love it. As mentioned above, it lathers easily, feels great and offers a great shave. What's the difference between the red and green?

[superfly]

The Red Proraso contains wheat germ oil and is formulated to protect and lubricate sensitive skin.

Thanx to Lynn at SRP, who was gentlemen and send me some Proraso green soap, I had the chance to try this amazing... well, hard cream, really... I am using ClassicShaving soap, Taylors, Tabac, and I must say, the Proraso is right there at the top. This week I am reaching exclusively for it... Love the tingling sensation, too...

Nenad

[Jonnybc]

I tried Proraso for the first time today and very am pleased with the results. It didn't lather as well as my soft creams from Trumpers and Taylors and getting it onto the brush took some doing but once on my face I had the sensation of coolness which was interesting as I've never used a menthol or eucalyptus on my face before. I eventually got a good lather up and started shaving, I used my Merkur Vision (wide open) and set to work. Three passes later, the last being firmly against the grain, I've hav one of the best shaves I have ever had. I can't help thinking that the menthol acts an a sort of local anesthetic making a much more comfortable shave.

The big test for me is the application of the alum block, it stung a bit but nothing significant. Next time I use Proraso I'll use softened water, hopefully this will help with the lathering process, the water here is terribly hard.