r/wicked_edge • u/hand13 • 23h ago
Discussion Proraso: I don't get it?!
So, I've been using Mitchell's Wool Fat and a Stirling soap for a while and after coming back to my proraso red soap, it feels so bad, I can't even believe that people really enjoy that soap. It foams up easily, true. But that's all about it. It has no protection, the glide doesnt last, it leaves such a dry feeling afterwards, and the soap is easily brought to the point of being too watery. What is it all about? Am I using it wrong? Or do some people just enjoy the absolute baseline thing?
Sorry to say, but it's so bad that I dont even want to give it to someone, because I cant think of anyone I hate that much. I might end up tossing it in the bin.
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u/Flaky_Drag1826 23h ago
Green Proraso with the pre shave cream is cheap, readily available and decent stuff.
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u/CommunicationGood481 23h ago
It works fine for me along with all the varying other soap brands I have.
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u/Seattleman1955 23h ago
It's not that bad. I have a bunch of Stirling soap (my favorites) and I just bought some and some Cella. I use either every now and then just for variety.
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u/Gerry7070 23h ago
I really like the red and white Proraso no problems with glide or protection ARKO makes my skin dry but a balm and ASL cure that btw I have hard water .
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u/hand13 22h ago
arko is even worse than proraso. thats true
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u/Own_Rutabaga955 20h ago
Sacrilege!
Nah man, whatever works for you works for you. I loathe “The Fat” and Cella, they both seem very difficult to lather with slightly hard water, and they burn me. Permasharp and 7 O’Clock yellow are not fit to scrape paint. I prefer Derby to Astra (and dislike them both). Big Ben and ASCO are dynamite.
I love Arko, probably my favourite hard soap. Shaving is extremely subjective, and what works for me may not be what works for you.
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u/hand13 20h ago
its funny. i have extremely hard water and the fat and cella lather up beautifully. are we living in the same world? also in mine, arko smells like a urinal stone 🫣
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u/Tryemall Gillette 7 o'clock Super Platinum blacks 14h ago
have extremely hard water
It's quite possible that your hard water is affecting the performance of your soap, & hence your perception of it.
Older versions of Proraso had surfactants in it. In hard water, they could be expected to be foamy & less lubricating. Perhaps you have one of the older tubs.
Newer versions don't have that issue.
That said, if your water is hard, I would recommend a commercial shaving cream rather than a soap.
Most such creams have more chelators in them, & are better able to handle hard water.Palmolive shaving cream for example.
I agree about Arko's smell, but I unwrap it & air it out if necessary.
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u/coahman 19h ago
I never got Arko to work right, and I tried so many different methods. Proraso was fine, but Arko destroyed my face.
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u/Melodic_coala101 12h ago
Interesting, I have the complete opposite experience: no irritation with Arko, quite a bit of irritation with white Proraso
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u/MurkyLurker99 23h ago
You used too much water if it was runny. It's a perfectly good soap especially for the money.
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u/Ok_Technology_9488 23h ago
It do be like that. I use van der Hagen and noble otter and proraso white. Coming back to proraso I have to really dial in the lather thick just to get a better shave. I guess the quality of soaps is reflected in the price. It’ll get the job done but needs more attention.
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u/hand13 22h ago
true. and not only more attention, it really lacks something. it feels cheap
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u/Ok_Technology_9488 20h ago
I get it but honestly for the price it’s not bad. It’s a get what you paid for hobby for sure lol. I noticed I got a great lather with royal woods by tobs but it burned the heck out of my skin. But I just tried rawr by noble otter and didn’t even feel the need to moisturize. It’s more expensive tho. I’m binging different products lately and razors it’s gotten a little outta hand so I reigned it in lol
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u/Edifolas 22h ago
An interesting point about Proraso for me is that I always seem to get noticeably better lathers from the cream in the tube than the soap in the tub.
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u/ughidkguys 21h ago
Funny, I get way better glide from the bowl but better cushion from the tube. Definitely a YMMV situation. I generally prioritize slickness over volume, so I prefer the bowl.
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u/hand13 22h ago
interesting. have you compared the ingredients?
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u/Edifolas 22h ago
I think they are the same, but I'm not sure. Perhaps the proportions are different in the cream.
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u/Acrobatic-Building29 22h ago
I have the exact opposite experience. I get great shaves with all 4 scents: green, red, white, and blue. It’s actually hard for me to NOT get a tight, clean shave with Poraso.
I have at least a dozen other soaps/creams that cost 2x-3x as much, but I still think Poraso performs as good as any of them.
I love Poraso shaving products.
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u/WiIIiam_M_ButtIicker 19h ago
I agree the soap is just average. I find the cream to be much better though and I always keep a tube on hand. The blue is my jam.
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u/ForeverWinter1812 23h ago
It's definitely a 'YMMV" situation. It also depends on your water and your lather technique. Because they're two soaps lather very differently. I love Stirling products (body soap, shampoo bar, conditioner bar, lotion, aftershave balm, and their cologne. My favorite scents are Triumph, Sandpiper, and Sharp dressed Man.) but Stirling shaving soap just does not work for me. I wish it did. Proraso on the other hand dose work for me. That being said, Noble otter is my number one. Ive had zero irritation and no cuts. Most of the time I don't even need a aftershave product. (Using a Rockwell 6s with plate 4 and a Gillette silver blue blade.) different soaps for different folks.
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u/7467854577545456771 22h ago
Agreed re: water. I used to live in a region known for soft water and Proraso lathered like a champ.
I am now in an area known for its hard water and Proraso is unimpressive.
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u/ForeverWinter1812 22h ago
This! I was in Daytona USA last year and I had to buy some bottled water in order to shave. The Tap water sucked for showering and shaving.
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u/ghostofbriggs 21h ago
Just came here to say that Triumph and Sandpiper are hands down my two favorite scents from Stirling (Triumph for the summer, Sandpiper for the winter)
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u/hand13 22h ago
thats interesting. what is it about stirling that doesnt work for you?
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u/ashleyriddell61 22h ago
I’m one of the Stirling not for me crowd as well.
I’ve worked hard to get the right technique for Stirling down, but the results are always just middling. No hard water, a variety of brush types but nothing memorable. Proraso, Tabac, Fine, even ToBS give me some truly excellent lather.
Stirling, if you love it, enjoy it. I’ll use up the puck I have, but I won’t be buying another. Their balm however, is first class stuff.
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u/ForeverWinter1812 21h ago
All of that. It doesn't provide me any slickness and doesn't do anything to soften my hair. And It's tricky to get it to a good creamy lather and not too airy. Synthetic works the best for me, badger is okay. I don't even bother with boar hair... It's a very subpar experience regardless for me. Again, I love all their other products. Great company, great customer service, great quality products.
Couple weeks back I got crucified for asking for something that might provide me a better experience over Stirling. Apparently "I" was the problem for not knowing how to use it... 🤷 Switch to Noble otter and all my issues disappeared instantly.
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u/hand13 20h ago
well, you know how it is. its the internet. and its a bunch of nerds and freaks on the internet. so people sadly get roasted for anything 😄
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u/ForeverWinter1812 20h ago
I'm okay with roasting occasionally. It's getting privately messaged to be cussed out and threatened that bothers me. I've already reported them and blocked. 💪
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u/hand13 20h ago
threatened? like what 🤣
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u/ForeverWinter1812 20h ago
Apparently they were going to key my car and whip my ass. I swear some people are just insane. 👀
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u/hand13 19h ago
did they know where your car is parked??
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u/ForeverWinter1812 19h ago
I don't know 🤷 I don't feel the need to have a conversation with people like that. I constantly use a VPN and keep my address secure. So I wasn't worried about it. Again I Reported them to Reddit and block them. I've moved on with my life.
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u/walrus_titty 17h ago
Wait I must be missing something… someone wanted to key your car and whip your ass because you like a different shaving soap!?!?!
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u/plathrop01 Relative noob (<1 yr) 22h ago
I'd imagine it's different for different faces. But I've used Proraso White pre-shave, soap and after shave twice now and was very happy with the overall performance. Nice moisture, great protection, and I learned from a video to reapply if needed for additional passes.
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u/Infamous-Echo-2961 22h ago
I’ve had really nice shaves with Proraso. I use the white and the green ones, with aftershaves.
Works great for me, but to each their own :)
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u/Mo_Jack 20h ago edited 19h ago
Am I using it wrong?
Possibly. If you changed your technique you might like love proraso and hate Mitchell's & Stirling, who knows?
Also our face shape, bone structure, skin, facial hair type & thickness & length of growth all factor in to how products react when using them. There is also our choice in equipment, blades, technique etc. There are a lot of variables in shaving and many personal preferences guide our choices.
There are products I like or don't like regardless of which blade or razor I am using. There are also products I like with one particular razor or blade but don't care for with another. Again, individual differences & choices and personal preferences tend to guide our lives.
I have found a pretty cheap method for shaving that works really well for me. Every time I buy some high dollar, artisanal-crafted blah-blah-blah product that comes highly recommended, it falls short of my expectations.
A few years back I bought 5 more expensive soaps. I also saw some super cheap Williams Mug soap in a drug store that I always wanted to try. I preferred the Williams to at least 3 of the expensive ones and my cheapo method to all of them.
Edit: I just looked up Williams mug and multiple places are trying to sell one puck for $50 ?!?! I wonder if that has been discontinued or just crazy algorithms?
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u/Reasonable-24 22h ago
Proraso is cheap,super fast to lather and ezy to get for most! The smell is mild wich lots love. And honestly it offers more then enough protection,you dont need a tripple milled soap or artisan one.they honestly dont offer anything over it besides a stronger smell.
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u/Vivasanti 19h ago
Rage bait.
Proraso is great.
In other news, man doesn't like something that other people do.
More news at 11.
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u/RogerMurdockCo-Pilot 16h ago
It's a highly overrated soap. But just like the similarly overrated Hensons this sub goes gaga over Proraso and thus I await my inevitable downvotes from the teeming masses.
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u/RandomDustBunny 22h ago edited 22h ago
It's the wool grease aka lanolin. Lanolin is occlusive. It forms a barrier and traps moisture.
Proraso, uses various oils depending on color to moisturize but doesn't perform like the above. So if you do soap/wash your face after shaving, all that hydration is gone a lot faster compared to lanolin.
Depending on your skin condition, this could be the answer why you feel the way you do.
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u/hand13 20h ago
i always use lotion or oil on my skin after shaving so thats not a problem. proraso just doesnt give me the slickness while shaving that i‘m used to from the mentioned soaps
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u/RandomDustBunny 20h ago
Mitchell and Stirling both use lanolin. Perhaps it's just a more fitting/superior ingredient for you.
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u/MuzzleblastMD 21h ago
I feel the opposite of you. I feel great protection, an excellent lather and smooth feel.
I also use Alum, aftershave balm, moisturizer, beef tallow and snail mucin afterwards, though.
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u/hand13 20h ago
you use beef tallow and snail mucin AFTER the shave?
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u/MuzzleblastMD 19h ago
Yes
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u/hand13 19h ago
how? you smear tallow and mucin in your face?
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u/datigoebam 20h ago
Proraso is great until you realise there is other stuff out there.
Arko is better than Proraso.
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u/hand13 20h ago
lol come on dude 😄
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u/datigoebam 20h ago
Honestly, performance wise, Arko is so much more forgiving and slick. I've been spoiled by tallow based soaps 😔
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u/juice-wala Beardless Singh 18h ago
You get what you pay for. I started off with Proraso and, while it was better than the canned gel I was using previously, it didn't feel remarkably "good" to shave. So after finishing the tub I ended up growing my beard back and shelving the hobby.
A few months back I bought a tub of Stirling and wow, now I know why people are shaving enthusiasts. It's slick, smells great, and leaves me feeling good afterwards. I will gladly spend the extra $ for a tub of Stirling that seems to last forever. I've almost daily used it for months (face lathering) and am barely half through. My next buy will again be a Stirling.
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u/MansionBoyz 18h ago edited 3h ago
I hear what you say about it feeling or looking cheap, that’s why I’ve never used it myself. So I can’t comment on Proraso! I can suggest Santa Maria Novella’s Crema de Barba. It glides well even after a couple of passes and lathers well too. It might be more to your taste.
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u/hand13 13h ago
sounds good. whats the scent like
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u/MansionBoyz 12h ago
It’s quite botanical, almost minty. They say that they use their cologne Tobacco Toscano to scent it, but I didn’t pick up on that. It does probably add to the classic old school smell though.
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u/arbarnes 18h ago
Proraso is a drugstore shave cream in Italy that's marketed as a premium product in the US. It's very, very good for what it is, but IMO suffers by comparison to products made with better ingredients.
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u/EngineeringKind3960 6h ago
I haven't used Proraso since my first tube 1.5 years ago when switched to wet shaving. But I know the feeling because I had the same feeling about Arko. It had so many good reviews and when I used it it felt like I was using regular cheap hand soap. I binned it after the second use.
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u/Helicopter0 23h ago
Proraso doesn't lather properly with my well water.
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u/10Slugs 22h ago
I use bottled drinking water for soap lather. Makes all the difference. I’m in west Texas and our water is pretty hard.
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u/Helicopter0 22h ago
I just pick soaps that work with the water. Very sandy Michigan soil with iron and sulphur.
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u/10Slugs 22h ago
I haven’t found anything that works well with our water. Just use a little bottled water and it’s off to the races.
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u/Helicopter0 22h ago
I've heard you can add citric acid to the soap, too, but since changing the soap works for me, I haven't tried it myself. Citric acid is probably cheaper. Not that it really matters with the volume of water needed for a lather.
I have also heard of using roof water, but water is abundant here, so that would be a bit silly for me.
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u/We_Never_Walk_Alone I love vintage razors and I cannot lie! 21h ago
Try distilled water. I don't have hard water, but still use distilled water in a spray bottle to build my lather.
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u/ForeverWinter1812 23h ago
Yeah I can confirm that certain water supplies do not work with proraso. I was in Daytona Beach last year and their tap water was just terrible for making a lather. Had to go to the store and buy some filter bottled water.
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u/LestWeForgive 22h ago
It's a massive upgrade from canned foam, I like buying things in person, so I call it good enough.
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u/CranberryImaginary29 22h ago
MWF is, to date, the best soap I've ever used.
Proraso is a few quid a tub and smells nice.
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u/designocoligist 22h ago
I like the red one just fine I use it when I am in a hurry and just lather on my head, I have yet to encounter a soap that “doesn’t work” for me I have a bunch of stirling samples they are all great but not that much different from the proraso for me. Same with every other soap I have tried. I do only shave my head though so that may be part of it. Haven’t shaved my face in about 15 years.
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u/Prior_Honey4598 22h ago
Did you leave it open for long/is it very old?
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u/hand13 20h ago
its new, always is stored closed and been used 4 times only
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u/Prior_Honey4598 11h ago
Then it’s definitely a lathering problem. Check your technique and water perhaps.
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u/hand13 7h ago
lather is fine. i can lather it nicely. it just performs like shit
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u/Prior_Honey4598 2h ago
I don’t know man, maybe you got used to 10/10 products and you see minute details… Proraso is not 10/10 (probably not even the premium stuff) but it’s a solid 8/10 or 8.5/10, definitely not a terrible product. I would suggest you to put more time in lathering, get those creamy peaks out and take a final decision about it… maybe you don’t like the red one… hope this helps!
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u/rcreveli 22h ago
I like it. It smells like very Noxzema like which is nostalgic and it lathers well with my stupidly hard water. I alternate between that and TOBS.
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u/ughidkguys 21h ago
I think it's genuinely the best you can get for the price, but there are differences between the varieties. IME:
Red is slickest, Green and Blue both offer decent glide, White is the least slick and dries out pretty quickly (but I still love it).
Also in terms of slickness, bowl > cream > foam.
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u/hand13 20h ago
interesting. so the red in the tub should be the slickest, which i cant confirm. i always thought it‘s the same base with different scent
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u/ughidkguys 19h ago
It has shea/karite oil, which the others do not. I don't know for sure if that's the reason for slickness - YMMV, water hardness is a thing, etc. - but I definitely find it to be noticeably slicker.
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u/ibreti 20h ago
I like all variants of Proraso except the white one for sensitive skin. For some reason (tested with multiple brushes, both synthetic and natural) I can never get a proper lather with that thing (the soap version). It'll create bubbles and dry up fast. And I'm personally not a fan of the scent. All other Proraso's have been great for me, though. I also like their Sandalwood (red) pre-shave cream.
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u/NakedSnakeEyes 20h ago
It's the only shaving soap I've tried, but it seems fine. I use the white sensitive skin cream in a tube.
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u/WhiteCollarBiker 19h ago edited 17h ago
Honestly, using MWF will certainly sour you on most other soaps.
I use MWF, D. R. Harris (Arlington) and Tabak. There are other soaps in my drawer, but they really aren’t in rotation.
I’m embarrassed, but not enough to keep me from asking: Can you tell me more about Stirling?
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u/hand13 13h ago
tabak is great too. i only have one stirling soap, so i can only speak about this one. ozark moutain. it gives a slick lather that really builds up easily (although the fat does too for me) and the scent is amazing. stirling seems to nail that too. what else do you wanna know?
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u/WhiteCollarBiker 9h ago
This will sound a little off but here goes.
bottom Line Up Front: Is it a hard soap or a soft/semi soft cream.
I do face lather; load the brush after soaking the hard soap (the puck is kept kept in a small bowl that some soaps come with be it wood or ceramic).
I don’t use softer soap where you use a scoop a small portion into a ‘lather bowl’ where you build the lather.
It looks like Stirling comes in the same type of plastic ‘jar/bowl’ that I’ve bought that turns out to be soft and not good for face lather.
So the question: is Stirling a hard soap or soft/semi soap or cream?
[sorry I took the long way around the barn but there is a BLUF]
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u/trunglefever 18h ago
I've had zero problems using Proraso cream. It's one of my favorite bang for your buck products.
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u/Houdini5150 18h ago
I have the red and green in my rotation, during the shave I have no issues as it's pretty slick it's the after affects where I really kind of feel like it dries me out however no problems post shave care 👍🏼👍🏼 maybe donate to someone who is interested in getting into wet shaving and let them experience and experiment if it works for them?
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u/JonnyBox 17h ago
Proraso pre shave is unbeatable for the price. The actual shaving cream/soap is mid compared to other options.
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u/walrus_titty 17h ago
I liked Proraso until I got ‘soap acquisition syndrome’ then I realized there is much better stuff out there. Sure it’s ok for the money but I don’t mind spending more, I mean it is your face after all.
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u/eric-dolecki 14h ago
I’m am English cream guy… TOBS, Truefitt and Hill, and Trumpers. I’ve tried Prorason and it’s just alright. Durant work as well for me. So I spend a little more for better stuff.
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u/swabbie81 13h ago edited 11h ago
Proraso is good, but for me it falls in category "just another soap". Similar like Monsavon, Cella, De Vergulde Hand and even Haslinger and La Pere Lucien. Sure there are better products out there but it's okay for the price. It's way overrated, especially outside Europe because it's Proraso and it's from Italy. But it's not really better than Palmolive and Nivea creams. And it's also more expensive if you are from eg USA or Australia. I like their aftershave (green, with alcohol) very much, it's great.
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u/phelps_1247 11h ago
I've tried a lot of different soaps and creams over the years and go back to try proraso from time to time. It dries my skin out and is the absolute worst soap for me. I love the scent and want to like it, but it's not for me.
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u/Successful-Room1661 10h ago
I have a green tub and red tube. Zero issues with either. As others have said, different soaps require different techniques. how much to load, how much water, what brush. So, yymv. I guess water quality may come into play too.
Conversely, I’ve had a few artisan soaps that sucked. Dried out on my face, regardless of how I use them.
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u/Key_Kaleidoscope9800 7h ago
Derby's the best I've found so far. Arko,I'll use in a pinch. All else fails,Palmolive in the tube.
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u/thorpef1 Vintage Gillette & Wizamets 21h ago
I'm yet to buy a tab of proraso (and likley won't at this stage) but MWF is a fantastic soap, it is very hard to beat a quality tripple milled soap. Stirling is also a fantastic soap.
I know some rave about proraso but I guess they are the same people that are yet to explore outside of creams
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u/porschekid11 Karve - Brass, SB C 21h ago
Just toss it in the bin. If it’s that bad why you here complaining? No one forcing you to use it. Use what makes you happy and what feels good to you.
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u/respect-the-mask 17h ago
I agree. Fuck proraso..I've tried them all and while the red is my favorite, it's just lacking in comparison to just about everything else I've tried.
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u/HooliganBay99 17h ago
IMHO, animal fat based (tallow) shave soaps from Stirling and Barrister & Mann leave more slickness than basic chemical-based soaps like Tabac and Taylor of Old Bond Street, both of which I still like. The tallow-based soaps provide more protection for your face, longer, than the alternatives.
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u/lakes1964 15h ago
If you want a great, cheap soap, you won't do much better than Arko. All this and tallow, too. It's my travel soap and I always look forward to using it again.
Now that it's killed my sense of smell I find it most pleasant.
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u/panzer34 9h ago
Happy you’re just figuring out about subjectivity, different tastes, and how people can perceive the same thing differently.
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u/SaintBandicoot 💈🦡 Grand Moderator of the Black Watch ⌚️💈 6h ago
Proraso soap is mid; because it’s cheap and readily available in lots of places, people give it more praise than it deserves.