Proraso Pre/Post Cream

**joel** · 08-12-2005, 11:21 PM

This is some very interesting stuff.... in that so many guys simply love it - yet so many feel it is somewhat useless - at least as a pre-shave. Well for some time I have been meaning to settle this (at least for me) so I went ahead and gave it a go.

It comes in a little box - very drab looking, and in all Itallian - that is somewhat useless and not all that nice looking - which I am sending straight to the circular file cabinet! Sure is a far cry from T&H and Trumper boxes!

Now some good news you Castle Forbes of yore lovers will adore.... the container is glass! Although it might not seem like a big deal - it sure ads a wonderfully regal experience to the morning routine to have a nice, hefty, manly glass jar. This sucker ain't light - and nor is the cream... that tiny little jar is 100ml and the glass is awful thick, but to me, a good thing.

Once you twist off the sturdy plastic lid - you are immediatly greeted with a lovely "proraso soap/cream" scent - however this pre/post cream seems to be not as rough around the edges. Very invigorating scent, really wakes you up in the morning and has a lot of character.

As a pre shave -
Forget it gentlemen... it is just "ok." Not BAD - but did not make much of a difference with a straigbht razor, de or feather razor -however it DOES greet you with that "old friend" proraso cooling effect. I will not use this as a pre-shave again, as does effect the scent of your lathered soap/cream in a negative way.

As a post shave -
Works incredibly well. To be honest, the verdict is still out - but thus far it is right up there with my favorite 2 or so aftershave balm/creams. The one tricky thing about this cream however - is that like CAR's a/s balm, a little goes a looonngg way. Do not try to arbitratily apply this upon your dry face - as it will immediatly form an uncomfortable, thick, greasy layer on your face, and within a few hours you will be quite oily and uncomfortable. Instead throughly wet your face with some water (or better yet hydrosol, a/s splash etc) and then take just a tiny, tiny amount and rub it all over your wet face (including your nose and forehead) and you will be rewarded with a glorious chilling/cooling effect as the water evaporates and the proraso sinks into your skin. It will leave ya soft, smooth and moisturized all day long. Used in the method I have suggested should get you around 1 years (or more) use out of this incredibly reasonable $12 or so product. For the money this has immediatly hit the "best value" list for a facial moisturizer/aftershave balm.

Nice stuff in my book!

In the next few days look forward to a review of Musgo Real A/S splash, QED DaVinci h20, QED French clay and and few others in the works.

**gage0921** · 08-13-2005, 01:33 AM

Would you say it has more or less of a cooling effect then CAR's peppermint and after application would a dry skin fellow need to apply a moisturizer as well.

**joel** · 08-13-2005, 01:43 AM

This stuff provides PLENTY of moisture - no extra cream would be necessary - however as far as your "cooling effect" question - it is my experience that the CAR moisture cream has a much more intense cooling effect, but it is a very different type of experience. The CAR is in your face "yowza" where as the proraso is cool, calm, and relaxed. Both are exceptional - and as I continue to compare the two - I'll be sure to keep you updated!

**gage0921** · 08-13-2005, 01:47 AM

Im dissapointed in myself.....the other day I placed a order with classic shaving and put this as well as the a/s balm in the cart and deleted it at the last minute. Oh well, just an excuse to place another order :D

**HlSheppard** · 08-13-2005, 12:44 PM

Joel hit this one "dead on."

It's simply OK as a pre shave but it is right up there with the CAR A/S balm. I give a sight edge to the CAR on cooling and conditioning. However, the pendulum swings back when price is considered...

**joel** · 08-13-2005, 01:05 PM

Ron,
The proraso liquid cream is similar to DR Harris a/s milk, or C&E a/s balm's.... it is very light milky liquid a/s, that has just a light amount of moisturization - the Proraso pre/post shave however is a very thick, dense, rich cream that provides a much deeper moisturizing property. You know - I suppose one could even use both - as the liquid cream is very light, and acts as somewhat of a toner (as it contains a fair amount of witch hazel) and the proraso pre/post could back it up as a moisturizer.

**Austin** · 08-16-2005, 04:56 AM

I agree with Joel's review. A little goes a long way for me.

**obsessis** · 03-08-2006, 10:51 PM

I bought some today, thanks to Target and all the talk about the CAR Peppermint Conditioner (I figure they are similar and wanted to try it).

How exactly are you supposed to apply it? I sprayed my face with Thayers and put just a tiny bit on my finger and then rubbed my hands together thinking it would apply that way. It just ended up going into my hands. If you are supposed to only use a little bit how exactly is the best way to make sure that you can make the little bit last and go all over your face/neck?

Also, how much are you supposed to apply...size wise?

**Nick** · 03-08-2006, 11:02 PM

Joseph,

My favorite method of application is to liberally wet my face with some da Vinci water hydrosol, then dab a little out of the jar, split that between my fingers, rub a little to the mustache area, and then massage the rest all over my face (save for the eyes). I don't rub it in my hands first. In fact, when I first put it on my face, I use pretty much just my finger tips, to work it around and thin it out.

It's potent stuff, so just because your whole face doesn't feel greasy doesn't mean you haven't gotten a fairly smooth application. If you can feel the Proraso tingle all over, you're good to go.

Some people will just leave their face wet with cool water and use that to thin it out. I've even heard of people making a Proraso/water slurry in their hand to thin it out.

As for quantity, I'll use a little bit less than a pea sized dollop. Joel has harassed me for using twice as much as necessary. So, in short, use enough to get an even distribution, if your face feels gunky, filmy, greasy, or like there's residue on it, you've used too much.

-Nick

**obsessis** · 03-08-2006, 11:36 PM

okay, so split a pea-sized amount across the fingertips (a little on each) and kind of strategically dab them around the face/neck before using just the fingertips to massage it in and spread it around?

You use it on the neck also?

**rtaylor61** · 03-08-2006, 11:44 PM

I used it for the first time today, well, yesterday at this point, and I just touched my fingertip into the jar and rubbed it over my face to get a good covering. I didn't use it as post, only as pre, and I was impressed. It's a trial and error thing.

Randy

**Nick** · 03-08-2006, 11:46 PM

Give it a shot.

I apply it everywhere that I've shaved which includes the neck, as well as the parts of my face that I haven't shaved (save for the eyes).

-Nick

**Nick** · 03-08-2006, 11:47 PM

I tried it as a pre once, and felt it was just so-so, whereas I think it shines as a post. Then again, for how many uses you get out of it due to the miniscule amount needed per application, you could use it as a pre, post, and during and still have it last forever.

-Nick

**obsessis** · 03-09-2006, 01:27 AM

I have read that someone uses Nivea face cream as a pre-shave cream/balm. I assume it is similar to proraso, only unscented/no cooling effect. I have two tins of Nivea, regular and soft, that I got for $1 from Walgreens to try it. I don't have particularly tough or thick facial hair, though, so I don't really need it for a pre-shave.

**guenron** · 03-09-2006, 04:45 AM

Hey Joel and Gang,
Some time ago I bought the Crema Liquida Dopobarba. An all around excellent aftershave balm for mature skin (tends to need a bit of moisturizer). Reasonably price at QED, I find a dime-sized drop great after either my DaVinci Water spritzes or even just cold water rinse.

It's on the left.

**ouch** · 03-09-2006, 06:50 AM

I was all set to post a contrasting opinion regarding the pre/post, but then I used it again this morning. I still really do not like the scent (reminds me a bit of mommy rubbing Noxema on my chest decades ago), but I must say that this is fine stuff indeed. The problem is learning to properly apply it. Administered to a fairly dry face, the result will be alternating patches of barren, untreated skin and areas of waxy, white smears. I get much better results when I totally soak my face and then immediately apply a really teeny amount. The paste gets fully incorporated this way, and it's amazing how little is required. This little jar should last years.

**Kyle** · 03-10-2006, 10:12 PM

I've now used this product for a couple of days, and I think if you use the pre/post in combination with the tube cream and cream a/s, the results are fantastic. I've not yet tried the products separately from one another but will eventually begin to experiment in this fashion.

**Tony** · 04-02-2006, 06:17 PM

I just bought the Proraso Pre/Post Shave at TARGET - the box reads Crema Pre Barba (Pre Shave) rather than Crema Pre & Dopo Barba (Pre and After Shave) - yet the instructions say it can be used post shave. Is Proraso making a separate line for TARGET? I hope it the same product. The box the same, volume is 100 ml., and the jar is glass with a glass cover..............Any comments?

**Tony** · 04-02-2006, 06:22 PM

Correction to last reply:

It is a Glass jar with a Plastic cover - looks exactly the same except for the exclusion of the Post Shave part of the label.......................