Proraso. Which one?

I've been reading this forum for a while and enjoy all of the reviews, tips, etc..

Currently I used Kiehls Blue Eagle shave cream and it works good for me. I have no irritation from it at all (although I have to shave every other day since I have pretty sensitive skin when shaving too often).

I was out of shaving cream the other day and picked up the Bigelow shaving cream from bath body works which is made by Proraso. I didn't care for the menthol, but loved it nonetheless. My question basically is, which proraso shave cream is the "best", between the red, white, etc?

Thanks

My personal favorite is Green, but if you don't like menthol you'll want to try Blue and Red. I honestly believe that White has MORE menthol than Green does, despite being called "sensitive".

Blue and Red, however, have no menthol at all. Red is supposed to be sandalwood and shea butter scented, and blue is kind of a modernish generic "manly" scent with aloe and vitamin E. Between the two I liked Blue the most, but overall I prefer the medicinal scent from the eucalyptus in Green. Blue only comes as a cream, but Red comes as both a cream and a soap.

It's a little rare, but there is also a Proraso Yellow with lanolin. Only comes in aerosol cans. Hard to find, but I've been told it's better than Barbasol.

Dave,

You're leaning towards a wonderful family of products. I currently have all four--I think I may be able to help you out or at least do a quick compare/contrast for your benefit. Hopefully it helps answer your question.

On Proraso's website, the red is meant for coarse beards, and it is super moisturizing and slick. The smell is also a more masculine rendition of sandalwood.

White has a bit of a cleaner, lighter scent, not as luscious a scent as bar soap but not far off from a fancy one. This one is meant for sensitive skin but in reality shaves just as nicely.

Green, as you know, is basically a mentholated pleasure, and it's meant to register a sort of astringent property to the skin to help prevent razor burn.

Blue is blue, only a cream is offered, it smells like speed stick deodorant but shaves vey nicely.

The answer to best depends on your mood / preference / need. I like them all, but some may require the need of one over the other. I will say I prefer Soaps to creams, so, if you choose to buy, for example, proraso white in a tub, be sure to check out some lathering tutorials to make the best assessment!

If you have any more questions, post them here and we'll answer. Good luck.

Hard to say, I use the Blue (cream) and Green (soap).

The scent are both very good, and they lather well. I do enjoy building a lather from a puck more than a glob of cream.

The Green reminds me of my childhood barbershop, while the Blue's scent is very nice it does not invoke any memories.

Try them all!

Lomoru said:

I honestly believe that White has MORE menthol than Green does, despite being called "sensitive".

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You must've had a different white than I did, because I've had red, green, and white, and green was absolutely the only one with menthol. Red is a very earthy sandalwood, and white really doesn't smell like much other than a very light soap and oat scent - and it certainly had not even the faintest trace of menthol at all. Now I hear that that blue in the tube might have a little menthol in it, or at least feel like it does, but I've never tried. Is it possible you have a mislabeled tub of white?

I have the green tub and the red tube. Both are very good, but are not likely to be replaced when finished. I do take the green with me when traveling because I find it very easy to lather and I never know what kind of water the next hotel may have.

itsdavetime said:

I w picked up the Bigelow shaving cream from bath body works which is made by Proraso. I didn't care for the menthol, but loved it nonetheless. My question basically is, which proraso shave cream is the "best", between the red, white, etc?

Thanks

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If you did not like the Bigelow you won't like the green Proraso.

Red (sandalwood) is my favorite. Don't have any at the present time but should I get one of their products it would the the red again

PGHChris said:

Now I hear that that blue in the tube might have a little menthol in it, or at least feel like it does, but I've never tried.

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I love the blue. I cannot say for sure whether it has menthol, but there is a very light cooling sensation when using it. Could be very mildly mentholated. I don't like the heavy menthol in green, but blue is just right for me.

I love the Green in the Summer, the Red in the Fall and Winter

PGHChris said:

You must've had a different white than I did, because I've had red, green, and white, and green was absolutely the only one with menthol...white really doesn't smell like much other than a very light soap and oat scent - and it certainly had not even the faintest trace of menthol at all. Is it possible you have a mislabeled tub of white?

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+2

Absolutely no hint of menthol in the White. Which I adore. A completely different smelling animal than the Green.

Before my artisan soap disorder began, I was using the Blue cream. Works great, lathers easily, and leaves your face feeling smooth. I prefer it over the green. The red is supposed to be a nice scented sadalwood. I went with the blue because I have sensitive skin. Eitherway, you get a great product. My answer is Yes, get both!

I like the smell of the Red best. I like the feel of the Green best, especially on summer mornings. I like the Blue for a change of pace. If I had to pick one, I would pick the Green.

PGHChris said:

You must've had a different white than I did, because I've had red, green, and white, and green was absolutely the only one with menthol. Red is a very earthy sandalwood, and white really doesn't smell like much other than a very light soap and oat scent - and it certainly had not even the faintest trace of menthol at all. Now I hear that that blue in the tube might have a little menthol in it, or at least feel like it does, but I've never tried. Is it possible you have a mislabeled tub of white?

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Proraso White Ingredients: Aqua (water), Stearic Acid, Cocos nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Potassium Hydroxide, Glycerin, Sodium Hydroxide, Lactic Acid, Parfum (fragrance), Menthol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Sodium Hydroxymethylgycinate, Hexyl Cinnamal, Geraniol, Citral Limonene, Linalool, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-di-t-butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Thymus vulgaris (Thyme) Flower/Leaf Extract, Etidronic Acid, Tetrasodium EDTA

It always freezes my face off, almost to the point of being painful. I get no such freeze from Green, just light cooling.

I believe you should try all of them and keep the one(s) you like the most. You can sell the others easily at a small loss

I've used green & red and I love them both dearly. For me, the scent of the green is 100% barbershop.

One of my favorite superlathers is to load my brush with MWF, squirt a dab of green Proraso in the bowl, and then lather it.

I like the green and have the Bigelow and Proraso "versions". The Bigelow seems a little thicker to me but I get good results from both.

I think that they are all terrific creams and soaps (don't forget to try there soap bowls). I find these days that I mix up there use as much as anything. Back when I started wet shaving, only the Eucalyptus, Menthol version was available, but I equally enjoy the Red and Blue.

Haven't tried the white, sensitive soap yet, but it's on the list.

After years of using various creams and soaps of all prices I have decided that Proraso works best for me. The only creams and soaps currently in my den are Proraso. I have green, red and blue and love them all but I reach for the green most of the time as it is the soap that I purchased when I bought my DE razor. I use the pre/post as well but mainly as a post shave balm.

Thanks for all of the responses. I used the green this morning and the menthol takes some getting used to for me. Followed it up with some clubman pinaud (what a burn). Seems Amazon has some decent prices for the Proraso tubs, so I'll purchase the various "colors" and see which works best for me. Probably get their post shave also since it sounds like it's popular.

Side question - best to apply with hands or use a brush?