You should try it as a shave stick. I have a shave stick tube I bought from WCS filled with Cella. I pack the tube with Cella and press down on it. I then twist the soap until it is over the lip of the tube and a quick pass around my beard gives me enough soap for a four pass shave. It is fantastic that way. You don't have to rub as much as you do with a hard shave stick such as La Toja and there is no need to wet the shave stick.
Cella - Did I miss step one?
- Thread starter norcalairman
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You should try it as a shave stick. I have a shave stick tube I bought from WCS filled with Cella. I pack the tube with Cella and press down on it. I then twist the soap until it is over the lip of the tube and a quick pass around my beard gives me enough soap for a four pass shave. It is fantastic that way. You don't have to rub as much as you do with a hard shave stick such as La Toja and there is no need to wet the shave stick.
Interesting. I guess I was picturing a shave stick like Palmolive which isn't in a case. I can see it working well the way you're suggesting. Thank you Sir.
I would pack it into the bottom of a coffee mug or cereal bowl instead. I have done Marco's method a couple times with different soaps and I don't think I could face lather without losing half of the soup that it starts out as.
The magic to me in this method is the wet/watery soup slowly churning into thick rich lather as it is worked with the brush. I think you'd lose that in a face lather.
That said, as a beginner I don't know that you have to go with Marco's method either. You can certainly load with a dryer brush and face lather. I do this almost every day and get great shaves. You just have to try lots of things and find out what you like and don't like.
With Cella, which I have just started using, I'm just face lathering straight from the tub and getting excellent results. I find the lather very moisturising and have been having great irritation free shaves. No complications.
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- #25
Day two. I packed the Cella into the bowl, got the brush nice and soaked then gave it one hard flick. About twenty to thirty swirls to load, then I face lathered. Great shave. Very little soap wasted.
Thank you for the advice, gentlemen.
Thank you for the advice, gentlemen.
Actually, I have made shave sticks out of every soap I like. I have a MWF shave stick which I made by grating the soap up and putting it in a tube. However, it doesn't work as nicely as Cella.
Jim, have you ever made a stick of P.160 (or ever used it)? Today, after a long time, I used the Tipo Morbido again and I almost forgot how great it is. A TRUE Italian barbershop gem!
Marco, I have used P. 160 but used it up long before I started making shave sticks. It is one of the best soaps ever produced.
Some good info here. I've been using Cella off and on for the past 2 months. Still working on my lather.
My first lather on brand new Cella has always been mysteriously underwhelming. I've learned to just rinse that first lather off my brush, use a different soap and then return to Cella the next day for a great shave. I do not know what it is about Cella's chemistry that makes this so. Same issue with both the block and the red bowl. Water seems to activate some sort of rapid last minute but needed curing? (Just guessing.)
Curiously, I have experienced the exact same thing with Cella but also with many other italian soft soaps. Nowadays when I get one, I just lather it up, put it away wet and let it air/water cure for two or three days. After that, I get consistently great shaves and usually the scent develops much better too. Maybe the process of filling the tubs and letting them cure creates a little protective layer on top that you need to get off before the soap can develop to it's true potential?
Has anyone else experienced this? Marco, as our in house italian soft soap expert, can you enlighten us on the issue?
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- #32
Day Three. After drying in the covered bowl overnight, the Cella's loose, soft surface loaded the brush effortlessly. I followed the same method, loading then lathering on my face. Once the lather reaches a good consistency, I squeeze the bottom of the brush (just above the handle) and pull toward the tips to draw the lather out. Then I apply that to my face. It works great. Today's shave was better still than yesterday or Monday.
I do not think Cella or other Italian soft soaps need any "curing" time, but certainly they seem to lather up faster and better by wetting/warming the surface of the soap right before starting to swirl. As about the scent in many cases the fragrance just blooms and develops as soon as the lather builds up, in the brush first and on the face later.
This is my experience as well.
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