Proraso sapone (green) review

[matthewoli98]

Out of all the shaving products ive tested over the last few months, by far the majority ive given the thumb of approval and a general rating about five out of 10, however that is about to change.

Don't get me wrong, i absolutely love the proraso company, and ive been a huge huge fan of them since i started wet shaving. I just love the fact that while other mainstream companies move more and more towards canned foams and gels, they continue to offer traditional wet shaving products.

I cant speak for their other products as i haven't tried them yet, but id love to and im sure i will test the entire range one day, and it absolutely pains me to say that i DON'T recommend this soap. Without further ado, lets get the actual review started.

Lather: 5/10, took a while to build the lather after a 20 second loading period, took the longest out of any soap ive tried so far, However with a little work it produced enough lather for 3 passes. Lather seemed to dry out quickly no Matter how much water i added.

Slickness: 3/10, this is one of the categories that really let the proraso down, its slickness was absolutely terrible, at first i thought maybe i didnt add enough water but after each pass i added more to the bowl with exactly the same result.

Residual slickness: 1/10, absolutely appalling. Terrible slickness after completing a pass, the worst ive seen from any soap or cream so far, bear in mind i tested two different brushes with this soap so its definitely not the brush. I used to get better residual slickness from nivea gels back when i started de shaving, so thats saying something.

Scent: 7/10, a beautiful eucalyptus/ menthol scent, absolutely gorgeous, my only complaint is it is a bit muted after lathering.

Post shave care: 5/10, not fantastic, but a little drying.

Skin feel (during shave) 10/10, perfect amount of menthol, not too mild or too strong, perfectly bearable for even those who arent huge fans of strong menthol.

All in all, i just can't recommend this soap.
I cant speak about the soaps in the red or white container's yet or any of the creams yet but this is definitely the first soap im not a fan of, i always favour performance over scent, (i loved the performance of the arko sticks for example but not the scent for example, although the scent grew on me and now im a fan for sure).

I desperately wanted to love this soap, but at the end of the day I thought it best to write a perfectly honest review according to my experience, although I'll update this review as i work my way through the puck.

Again a huge thank you to Sav for all the new shave gear! Unfortunately in the world of wet shaving some products work better or worse depending on the person.

Many of your experiences may differ with this soap, but heres a link to a review which shares my views.

Redirect Notice ... mrNHJZtfEO

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[naughtilus]

Guess what the Proraso preshave is for.

 

[matthewoli98]

Guess what the Proraso preshave is for.

A good soap shouldn't need a pre shave to get a relatively decent result. Every other soap ive ever used now totalling about 12 different manufacturers in total, have had a minimum of double the slickness.

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[naughtilus]

A good soap shouldn't need a pre shave to get a relatively decent result. Every other soap ive ever used now totalling about 12 different manufacturers in total, have had a minimum of double the slickness.
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Remember YMMV. I don't need the preshave and I don't get drying lather etc. Someone who does can buy the pre-shave. But most will just spend the money on a different soap, that's cool too. Their Single Edge line of creams is very slick and easy to lather, with more up-market scents.

 

[matthewoli98]

Remember YMMV. I don't need the preshave and I don't get drying lather etc. Someone who does can buy the pre-shave. But most will just spend the money on a different soap, that's cool too. Their Single Edge line of creams is very slick and easy to lather, with more up-market scents.

Yep, YMMV for sure, ive heard their creams are pretty decent and ive heard their other products are great, especially the pre shave, but this particular soap doesnt work too well for me.

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[ScottChapin]

To each his own. It’s a go to for me. One of the reasons is the ease of building a lather. The healing affect of menthol eucalyptus is incredible as well. It never leaves a film on my face.


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[matthewoli98]

To each his own. It’s a go to for me. One of the reasons is the ease of building a lather. The healing affect of menthol eucalyptus is incredible as well. It never leaves a film on my face.


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Yep, certainly a case of YMMV, i totally agree, the menthol and eucalyptus is amazing, one of my favourite soaps in the skin feel department.

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[rreynoso]

I love to use it, but when I have the flu (like today), that preshave and then the soap gives my nostrils a good menthol relief and helps the dryness of my nose skin. BTW, I have to get another tub .

Cheers

 

[matthewoli98]

I love to use it, but when I have the flu (like today), that preshave and then the soap gives my nostrils a good menthol relief and helps the dryness of my nose skin. BTW, I have to get another tub .

View attachment 980749

Cheers

Super glad it works well for you! And it definitely clears your nostrils very well!

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[rreynoso]

Super glad it works well for you! And it definitely clears your nostrils very well!

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Thanks! Shame it doesn't worked for you. But that's what I love about this hobby: YMMV. And that there's always another soap to try.

Cheers

 

[BudgetShaverGuy]

It gets lots of love, but none from me either, don't feel bad.

 

[shavefan]

No worries, I tried it about 10 years ago and was nonplussed after reading so many rave reviews. I moved on and never looked back. The good news is that there are many soaps that do work (for me).

 

[matthewoli98]

No worries, I tried it about 10 years ago and was nonplussed after reading so many rave reviews. I moved on and never looked back. The good news is that there are many soaps that do work (for me).

Thats very true!

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[ScottChapin]

Thats very true!

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Yep, I finally got ahold of MWF and it was/is OK, but there is no wow factor.


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[Boar Fighter]

Lather: 5/10, took a while to build the lather after a 20 second loading period, took the longest out of any soap ive tried so far, However with a little work it produced enough lather for 3 passes. Lather seemed to dry out quickly no Matter how much water i added.

Slickness: 3/10, this is one of the categories that really let the proraso down, its slickness was absolutely terrible, at first i thought maybe i didnt add enough water but after each pass i added more to the bowl with exactly the same result.

Disclaimer: I am italian and the proraso green is also nicknamed "national green" in wetshaving circles and i have used it exclusively in the 80s, so i could be accused of bias.

However, allow me to suggest that you load more. I load 40-60 seconds from the Proraso tub. Of course the question is "how many swirls are there in a second" and that's hard to answer and the same goes for water hardness and how much the brush is wet.

But, 20 seconds seems to me too little. And if your brush is very dry, it's definitely too little. If you don't load enough, this will make the lather dissipate and you won't feel slickness either.

So, try to load more and tell us if something changes. Proraso is used by italian barbers and if they can use it, so should you. The red is slicker. The white is more tricky about the water. If you have problems with the green, with the white you will have most likely a disaster.

This said, i agree that in the same price range, there are slicker creams out there and not just a few, but many. And it pains me to say so. And with much less or no white residue, which is also an annoying Proraso "trait". But, there is no logical reason that you should get so bad results, unless you are doing something wrong. And that something, might be that you load insufficiently.

Proraso green was commercialized to be the cheap workhorse soap for the average Italian shaver. Being cheap, it was never meant to be used in "stingy" mode. Load it like you hate it. Think of it as the italian equivalent of the american "Williams". Who cares how much Williams he will use in his shave? Nobody. The same should be applied to Proraso.

 

[naughtilus]

I load for a full minute with a boar brush and get lather for 4 passes plus touch-ups. Brush needs to be wet to pick up soap in the knot.

 

[Billy T.]

You can't beat it at that price point. Sure 20$ artisan soaps are better. Good scent, good lather, sufficient slickness. A classic. But if you have a soap recommendation at around the same price point I am open to it.

 

[ScottChapin]

Disclaimer: I am italian and the proraso green is also nicknamed "national green" in wetshaving circles and i have used it exclusively in the 80s, so i could be accused of bias.

However, allow me to suggest that you load more. I load 40-60 seconds from the Proraso tub. Of course the question is "how many swirls are there in a second" and that's hard to answer and the same goes for water hardness and how much the brush is wet.

But, 20 seconds seems to me too little. And if your brush is very dry, it's definitely too little. If you don't load enough, this will make the lather dissipate and you won't feel slickness either.

So, try to load more and tell us if something changes. Proraso is used by italian barbers and if they can use it, so should you. The red is slicker. The white is more tricky about the water. If you have problems with the green, with the white you will have most likely a disaster.

This said, i agree that in the same price range, there are slicker creams out there and not just a few, but many. And it pains me to say so. And with much less or no white residue, which is also an annoying Proraso "trait". But, there is no logical reason that you should get so bad results, unless you are doing something wrong. And that something, might be that you load insufficiently.

Proraso green was commercialized to be the cheap workhorse soap for the average Italian shaver. Being cheap, it was never meant to be used in "stingy" mode. Load it like you hate it. Think of it as the italian equivalent of the american "Williams". Who cares how much Williams he will use in his shave? Nobody. The same should be applied to Proraso.

I have no concept of the stickiness. Perhaps I’m doing something wrong. I do shower after I shave, so maybe I thoroughly rinse it off?


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[shavefan]

You can't beat it at that price point. Sure 20$ artisan soaps are better. Good scent, good lather, sufficient slickness. A classic. But if you have a soap recommendation at around the same price point I am open to it.

Debatable, but here are a few options for your consideration...

Spieck
Haslinger
Arko
Tabac
La Toja
RR P.160

All, ( I think) can be had for $6-$7 in the states.

 

[User 306]

I like the soap but much prefer their shaving cream and it's been a staple in my den for years so a big fan of the brand. You know the old saying... 1000 Italian barbers can't be wrong! LOL