Noob soap question - looking to purchase my 2nd soap

Did I miss it or has no one mentioned Cella yet?

The other recs are all great. You've obviously noticed an emerging theme.
MWF, Proraso, CF, Tabac, DR Harris, and those are all amazing and in my line up.

But don't forget the Cella. It's known for being extremely easy to lather. With little effort you'll have a very impressive lather.

It's an old (since 1899), simple recipie (Ingredients: Cocos Nucifera Oil, Tallow, Stearic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Sodium Hydroxide, Aqua, Potassium Carbonate, Parfum), that's been in Italian barber shops for a years, so I'm told (never been to Italy). I would dare say it's the gold standard for Italian soft soaps (let the debate ensue:) It's also cheap.

It comes in the "red," a 150 gram red tub and in 1 kg varieties.

Cella Shaving Creme Bowl 150gr:Amazon:Health & Personal Care

Amazon.com: CELLA Shaving cream Soap - XL GIANT Size - One Kilo Box 1000GR - almond shave creme - Fills cella container 12 times !!: Health & Personal Care

Well, the wife brought home the Maca Root cream from the Body Shop yesterday & I gave it a try. For my first try with a cream it definitely produces what appears to be a more luxurious lather than the OSMA soap. Can understand why it's called cream. It's thicker/creamier(doh!) than the soap I've been using, also feels a little stickier, but it's just as good a shave as the OSMA. Still managed to nick myself a couple of times because I'm trying to push myself to do more ATG passes, I just can't seem to get a clean shave anywhere but my cheeks without finishing off with the Mach 3. It is getting more natural but no amount of good soap/cream is going to help my bad technique.

I'll keep the Cella in mind as well, but I'll have to have a look on the .co.uk Amazon when I get time. Unfortunately I don't think the vouchers are transferable between .com & co.uk.

That is a relief that you had what seems like a decent result from the Maca Root. You hate to suggest a product and have it bomb for someone. I don't know if you have seen this Shaving passes - Straight Razor Place Wiki but it might help with the ATG pass. It took me quite a while to get comfortable with doing ATG and I still don't do it from my chin to lower lip section.

Bob

I keep meaning to have a look at the Wiki & some more video's to help with my technique, but the wife takes the mick out of me so I've got to wait for her to jigger off out. She laughed her arse off when she found out I'm in a shaving forum because apparently all we do is vainly talk about our faces, & she laughed again because I had a shave yesterday evening just to try out the Maca root cream & I didn't really need one that much. It's nice to have some support & not feel self conscious about this stuff.

I just wish I was fast & witty enough to come up with a retort about her Facebook crochet group.

Believe me, YOU will have the last laugh when she turns to butter in your arms after feeling how smooth your face will be once you perfect your technique & equipment :D

Recently I'm digging the soft Italian soaps. They're easy to find in the UK. One of the UK websites (decorum and forum rules prevent me from giving them a shout-out,) sells Cella and Vitos (in the 1kg bricks), Valobra, and Omega.

As opposed to the hard English pucks, the soft Italians respond to every kind of brush and are very forgiving when it comes to lathering technique. They're easy to use, reasonably priced, and make great lather. They also make great Uberlather :)

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Originally Posted by MarkinLondon

Recently I'm digging the soft Italian soaps. They're easy to find in the UK. One of the UK websites (decorum and forum rules prevent me from giving them a shout-out,) sells Cella and Vitos (in the 1kg bricks), Valobra, and Omega.

As opposed to the hard English pucks, the soft Italians respond to every kind of brush and are very forgiving when it comes to lathering technique. They're easy to use, reasonably priced, and make great lather. They also make great Uberlather :)

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I'd never got into the whole Italian soaps hoo-ha. I tried Cella in the red tub once and sold it soon after as it didn't provide a smooth a shave as I like. I would love to grab a hold of a Valobra stick from somewhere though.

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Originally Posted by rum

I'd never got into the whole Italian soaps hoo-ha. I tried Cella in the red tub once and sold it soon after as it didn't provide a smooth a shave as I like. I would love to grab a hold of a Valobra stick from somewhere though.

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Breaking my heart. Do you just prefer the hard stuff? I'm trying to think about what soap I should get next...

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Originally Posted by lakechuck

Breaking my heart. Do you just prefer the hard stuff? I'm trying to think about what soap I should get next...

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I've got on well with the "hard stuff" and they treat my face quite well!

I seem to be in the minority when it comes to MWF and Tabac. Tabac I never even got to use. The smell was so offensive to me that I couldn't spread it all over my face. My head was spinning. As for MWF, I really didn't like the lather at all.....or the smell for that matter. It dried the hell out of my face. After having tried quite a few, I'm stuck on DR Harris and Castle and Forbes. Both provide me with luxurious lather that is slick, drys slowly, and leaves my skin feeling great.