Thread: Porrasso.... what am I doing wrong?

My Proraso dries in my bowl. I just add a few drops and swirl it a little bit until it's back to a great lather.

Originally Posted by BingoBango

Have you been adding water to the cream? Add it drop by drop until you get the right consistency. For me, Proraso is one of the easier creams to build a lather with since it doesn't take a lot of water and is really soft out of the tube. I guess YMMV...

+1. Proraso is one the easiest products to lather. If your lather is dry and tacky it is most likely underhydrated. Extra water should do the trick, but add it SLOWLY.

BTW - Do yourself a favour and give up on the finger lathering for good. A badger brush not only feels more luxurious but does a better job of lathering under the whiskers.

+1 on Ryan's observation. It sounds to me that you are not adding enough water to the Proraso to keep it from drying out so quickly.

Just my 2 cents of advice.

ok.. i know this is a proraso thread and everything.. but i have to let you guys know that i just shaved with the bigelow.. los angeles hit the 90's today and it felt great.. i finished with an ice cube rub.. i should really start using this cream more... i also want some of that alcolado glacial stuff.

From the sounds of things, I need to try a bit more Proraso out of the tube and more water.

I've got a good badger brush and have already decided finger lather is no longer to be attempted.

The initial couple of passes are very nice and comfortable... but as I said, it dries out way too quickly... More water is in order.

Luckily, I have a good crop of facial hair building up as I am a furry bastard by nature.... I'll report back if additional water and more attention paid to building a good lather prior to application doesn't solve the issue.

also i was thinking.. a fun technique is to smooth the proraso on your face into a thin layer and then face lather with a damp brush.. similar to how you'd use a shave stick.. i've noticed you get a lot more of the menthol properties that way..

either way.. remember to enjoy what you are doing and don't ever let it get the best of you.. if is after all.. just shaving..

or is it?

If Proraso is drying out on your face, then you aren't using enough water to make your lather.

I make über lather. I work lots of Van der Hagen shaving soap into my silver tip badger brush (cheap shaving soap works fine, since I'm not into scents yet). Five to seven drops of glycerin in my scuttle. a squirt of Astroglide (a recent addition) and at least two almonds of Proraso. I work all the ingredients into the brush first, before adding any water. Then I add (a little at a time) one tablespoon of hot tap water, pumping the brush all the time to build a good lather in the brush. (I measured the water out of curiosity -- it is one tablespoon. Any less and the lather dries out prematurely.)

My über lather stays moist and rich for three full passes (I'm still a newbie so I take my time shaving). There's enough in the bowl & brush for two more passes and it's rich enough that it appears it would stay moist for two more passes as well.

But until I started adding ENOUGH WATER, it would dry out on my face before i was done with one pass.
Namaste,
Morty -_-

I have great luck with Proraso.
I place a small dab of Nivia shaving cream (about the amount of toothpaste you would place on a brush) into a warm bowl. I then put hot water into my tub of proraso for about 20 seconds then dump it out. Next I swirl my pre soaked and squeeze dried brush into the proraso and swirl it around until i get the desired amount onto the brush and mix it with the cream in a warm bowl. It turns out great after you get the water ratio perfected.

I have read thru all of the recommendations here and all are pretty good...but lets talk about your shave prep. Are you shaving right after the shower/bath or using a nice hot towel on the face to hydrate your face & soften the beard? If not, your face is "drinking" the moisture right out of the shave soap. I ask because Proraso is a great middle of the road shave soap & until you master building a lather with JUST it (don't add anything until you get this down), you need to keep on working until you do. Second, is your water/lather hot or warm? I use a candle warmer under my lather bowl and have to turn it off when I get ready for my second pass or it will get too hot and evaporate the moisture out of the lather. It's not uncommon for me to have to add 6-8 drops of warm water to my lather when I get ready for a second pass anyway. If you have a air-conditioning vent or fan nearby, it could be adding to the evaporation process as well. You should be able to make a full shave off Proraso without having to re-lather.

Recap:
Shave prep, warm lather (not hot), plenty water, air circulation.

Shave on...
Scott

+1 to shooter74743 and his shave prep. He got to it before I did. If your facial hair is dry you're going to get dry lather.

Although, if you have a dry face you're liable to not have a slick shave...so maybe this isn't the case.

Anyways, next time you go to lather add more water than you think it needs. Keep adding it slowly until it either crests or goes to the "breaking point" (turns from perfect whipped cream to imperfect egg whites). From that point you'll know how much water the cream can take and you can add the perfect amount of water.