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New to Proraso shave cream What am I doing wrong?

Basically new to De shaving in general but decided to get the Proraso Shaving Cream, Refreshing and Toning, 5.2 oz tube

When I see videos of guys using this it looks very thick and pillowy and covers the face with no skin showing but when I use it appears to be see through or pasty like face paint.

I understand this isn't rocket science here but I am doing exactly the same as what they are doing same water content ect. It cant be that hard of a learning curve here. More water, less water.More product,Less product.

My Question: Is Proraso supposed to foam the same as a can foam? And could my new not broken in boar brush be the culprit?
 
It will never really be the same as can foam, but it can get quite close. One thing to remember about boar brushes is that there is much less hairs in them than good badger brushes. So each swish of your wrist is only doing half or a third of the work of the badgers.

Generally the way I use a cream is to add a snurdle of cream to the bowl, then start swishing with the soaked and shaken dry brush. When you get a bit of lather going, drip in a bit of water, then swish it into a lather again, and drip a bit of water and swish into a lather until the lather has a bit of a shine to it.

Some pics might help, but it might just be that the brush isn't applying enough foam to your face. You can troubleshoot that by wringing out the brush and rubbing it on your face.
 
Hi and Welcome,

How long are you working the cream? It might be not enough of the product, not enough water, too much water, not mixing long enough, or the brush not being broken in.

I would put an almond size portion of the cream in your hand and then start working the cream with a fairly dry brush that has been soaked for a bit (for my natural hair brushes: horse, boar, badger, I soak them in warm water while I am taking a shower and shake out most of the water right before working the cream), then add just a few drops of water and work the lather/cream. Play around with it. I am recommending the hand so that you can feel the cream changing to lather, and so that you don't irritate your face. Another option is to get a bowl and work the lather up there. Same process more or less. I just think since it is a new boar brush, I might keep it off the face a bit for now till it breaks in a bit more.

I personally face lather and it takes a good few minutes of face lathering to get the desired cushion I want. I usually put the cream on my face like I am painting something, then I add water using a painting motion until my skin starts to show through the cream. At that point I start to work the cream in a circular motion to get the desired cushion I want. I just looked at one of my videos and I painted the soap/cream onto my face for about 2 minutes adding water 6 times, and then worked the soap/cream for another minute in a circular motion after I added the last bit of water. When I add water I am just getting the tips of my brush with the cream on it wet again real quick. Just a flick through the water coming out of the faucet.

I have been using the same Omega S-Brush 10019 Synthetic hair for about two months now and it started off super stiff (like my boar) and irritated my face a lot. It took a month to break in really well.

I hope this helps and let us know how things are going. Pictures of the process you are doing or video can help a lot if you want more detail on what you are doing.

Good Luck!
 
And could my new not broken in boar brush be the culprit?

Yup, it's the brush. Persist with it for few more shaves and things improve significantly. Make sure you soak the knot 2 min. or more in warm water before shaving and giving it a good towel stropping after. Some bristles take 4, some 20 wet/dry cycles to break in.
 
I wouldn't even bother lathering cream with a boar brush now days.

I use about half as much cream and get twice as much lathering speed with a synthetic brush lathering shaving cream. You don't even need a great synthetic to get good results with cream, just about any will do.

If you use a boar brush, you're going to have to have alot of patience and a strong wrist. When you think the cream has arrived, lather it some more, because odds are it still needs mixing. It could take up to two minutes of lathering with a boar brush to make shaving cream lather.

Exactly how your cream should look is going to depend on your shaving gear and style and you'll have to discover that through trial and error. Some guys like thin, slick lather, others like thicker lather with more cushion.
 
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The other thing to try is a different soap/cream. I love proraso but it can be finicky and a lot of work to make into a foam. It's actually a professional product and pro barbers rarely use the dense mousse -almost marshmallow thick foams that you see in the SOTD forum.

You can see here that traditional barbers will actually use a fairly light bubbly lather that you can see through. We can't spray your face with running water, we have to remove the soap with a couple of damp towels. With a thick concentrated lather we could be there all day wiping your face off.


It could be that your current soap just isn't the one for you.There are tons of cheap and good shave software out there.

In Turkey, it is traditional to use running water for rinsing your face.
So IF you are in the US you can get a couple sticks of Arko for about $4. If you can't get thick lather from Arko, then it's a technique problem.
 
I wouldn't even bother lathering cream with a boar brush now days.

I use about half as much cream and get twice as much lathering speed with a synthetic brush lathering shaving cream. You don't even need a great synthetic to get good results with cream, just about any will do.

If you use a boar brush, you're going to have to have alot of patience and a strong wrist. When you think the cream has arrived, lather it some more, because odds are it still needs mixing. It could take up to two minutes of lathering with a boar brush to make shaving cream lather.

Exactly how your cream should look is going to depend on your shaving gear and style and you'll have to discover that through trial and error. Some guys like thin, slick lather, others like thicker lather with more cushion.

Firedragon I did spend more time then I was, trying to lather in a bowl and was able to produce what looked like a good lather.I am shaving tonight so I will see if it is to my liking.
 
If you face lather as I do, try to smear a small amount with your fingers on your wet face and then work it with your wet brush. I found that for me this works better than putting it directly on your brush.
 
If you face lather as I do, try to smear a small amount with your fingers on your wet face and then work it with your wet brush. I found that for me this works better than putting it directly on your brush.
This, and don’t be afraid to use a little extra. Too little cream is pretty common among folks having trouble lathering them. Proraso is one of the easiest to lather creams....if you use enough To begin with.
 
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