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Second shave with 3P

I received some 3P, another almond-scented Italian soft soap - and I mean soft. It has a consistency like ricotta cheese pressed into a block. I simply scooped it out of the bag and transferred it to a small screw top tin. I thought I would share may initial thoughts of what appears to be a terrific tallow-free soap.

The scent was a nice almond scent (very similar to R-160). The scent was less "sweet" than red tub Cella and a bit more pronounced than brick Cella and Vitos.

I loaded my brush for a full 45 seconds because I tend to "underload" soaps and did not want to bias the quality of the shave. While building the lather on my face, I added no more that 1/4 teaspoon (yes, I measured) of water to get the lather where I wanted it to be. This soap seems clearly in the class of Cella, Vitos and R-160. It is extremely easy to achieve a thick, frosting-like lather devoid of visible air bubbles, that is also slick and protective. The first shave was with a 39C/Lord Platinum Class blade, and the second was with a Fatboy set at 5 with the same blade. The second shave was superior because I was careful to sufficiently load the brush.

The shave was superb, especially with a Fatboy at 5, which I consider moderately aggressive. No irritation, no weepers or tugging and minimal aftershave sting. In the second pass, it felt as if the blade was missing in the goatee region. What appears somewhat special is the post-shave feel of my skin. It had that squeaky clean feel while clearly not dried out; in other words the moisturizing was quite adequate. I personally don't concern myself with moisturizing properties of a soap b/c I always use a post-shave balm.

One can purchase about 10 grams, 125 grams or 1 kg at connaughtshaving.com. Shaving.ie sells only the 1 kg brick.

Being somewhat obsessive I am now planning to compare 3P, Vitos, Cella (brick) and R-160 side-by-side. I do not expect major differences, but I'm certain my fan base will demand that I do this.:001_rolle
 
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Great review, I am a big fan of the 3P Pre/Post Cream and use it before and after I shave. I was not aware they had a shaving cream, but now I might have to try it too!
 
I have heard good things about the 3P pre/post. I'll pick some up soon. I assume it can be used as an aftershave balm.
 
Thanks mate, that is perfect. Any chance to post now the full ingredients list, please?

The complete ingredient list is:
Stearic acid, water, cocos nucifera, potassium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, parfum and potassium carbonate.

Interesting in that it is a relatively simple recipe. It may explain its odd texture; it is definitely the softest of the Italian almond soft soaps. Even softer than red tub Cella, although I do not know about the P.160s. Take care.
 
Thanks for the review Ted - especially being a non-tallow soap it sounds like it compares favorably with the "classic" Italians.

Keen to see the comparison with the ones quoted.
 

Marco

B&B's Man in Italy
The complete ingredient list is:
Stearic acid, water, cocos nucifera, potassium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, parfum and potassium carbonate.

Interesting in that it is a relatively simple recipe. It may explain its odd texture; it is definitely the softest of the Italian almond soft soaps. Even softer than red tub Cella, although I do not know about the P.160s. Take care.

Thank you, Ted. It's a simple short list as in Cella, but with no tallow. Very interested in seeing what this lather looks like.
 
Some photos of the lather have been requested.


$IMG_0158.jpg $IMG_0160_1.jpg
 
Looks very good, thanks for sharing.

Following P.160's discontinuation, it's nice to have Vitos and 3P around (and of course having Cella). I noticed it in Shaving.ie months ago but to be honest as soon as I read it's non-tallow based I backed off.

Last December and while in Italy I tried the Mondial Almond soap, in that nice wooden bowl. Made by TFS in Milan, veggie-based, it gave me a nice slick lather. It was also available in Sandalwood.

Point to make: Italians truly know how to make excellent soap, tallow- or veggie-based.
 
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