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

I've tried Proraso several times now... used it for a couple years with a multi-blade disposable by lathering it on my face with my fingers.... it worked well in that job.

Fast forward to straight razor use...
I find it dries way to fast and becomes "tacky" on the face.... obviously that's bad. Led to the most bloody shave I've ever experienced.

I've tried it four times total... same result every time.

I tried lathering with my fingers on my face.
I tried lathering with very wet hands/fingers on my face.
I tried lathering with a wet brush on my face.
I tried lathering with a brush in a mug...

Any of the above build a good lather... but even when I put just one cheeks worth of lather on the face... it's dried to a tacky consistancy before I can do the four strokes necessary to clear the cheek. (And no... I'm not that slow... a full shave with SRD soaps take less than 15 min for two passes) Also, the blade I'm using is sharp... it shaves fine with standard soap.

The only way I've found I can shave with it is to lather about a blade-width at a time.... so put it on and shave it off within seconds. Not acceptable to me for a cream to dry this quickly.... Help!

What am I missing or doing wrong with Proraso?

I would suggest using twice as much cream as you are currently using and probably a little less water. I get best results from Proraso when I am generous with the serving size - maybe two or three raw almonds worth.

It's a fun shaving cream but it's not the best, but you shouldn't be having it dry up on you.

I use the Bigelow cream every now and then. Today I used it. Just a little bit of that stuff in my lather bowl and I could have probably shaved my entire body.

Originally Posted by AnarchoPhil

I use the Bigelow cream every now and then. Today I used it. Just a little bit of that stuff in my lather bowl and I could have probably shaved my entire body.

same here, that stuff is extra extra fluffy

sounds like you need a drop or two more water

i too use the bigelow.. i had resorted to using super small amounts.. i'm a single pass guy.. but i use a small pea size.. the stuff is very fluffy..

Thanks for the ideas.... I'll try tripling down the amount I use and perhaps a touch of water in the mug....

Worst case senario... I buy Bigelows.

Originally Posted by OiRogers

Thanks for the ideas.... I'll try tripling down the amount I use and perhaps a touch of water in the mug....

Worst case senario... I buy Bigelows.

Bigelows is the same thing, so stick to your Proraso till you get it right!

proraso and the bigelow are pretty much the same.. but i think they lather slightly differently.. and the c.o. doesn't smell quite as strong.

i know the c.o. bigelow is made by proraso.. but it does vary slightly.. and i do mean slightly... hardly noticeable

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...