Pros: very protective and slick, easy to lather, excellent value for money, provides a very close and comfortable shave
Cons: love it or hate it scent
A best-seller and a permanent presence on wet shaving forums, the Proraso Shaving Soap is definitely a crowd-pleaser.
Being widely available, reasonably priced and with a unique menthol scent, this soft soap definitely has some appeal to it.
But how good it actually is? Well, let’s find out in our Proraso Shaving Soap review.
Packaging
The Proraso Shaving Soap in this review comes in a 5.2 oz plastic tub.
The packaging features the notorious green color scheme used by Proraso for their menthol based products.
The price per oz is fantastic, especially when compared to other products that offer similar performance for twice the price.
In terms of value for money, the Proraso Menthol Shaving Soap is off to a great start.
Scent
Proraso is infamous for the use of menthol and eucalyptus oil in their shaving products. So when it comes to the fragrance of this particular soap, you pretty much know what to expect.
To be perfectly honest, I’m not too fond of menthol in personal care products. The scent of this soap is quite potent and a bit harsh upon opening the tub. It has a strong and refreshing menthol note that you can either love or hate depending on your stance on menthol.
As expected, the fragrance is more pleasant and subdued once you lather the soap and while I can’t say that it’s among my favorites, I’ve come to like it along the way.
Lathering
This has got to be one of the easiest to lather soaps I’ve ever used. Since it has a very soft consistency, loading even a softer brush is an easy task.
Even if you’re just getting into wet shaving you’ll probably have no problems in getting a quality lather from this soap.
After soaking your brush and shaking off the excess water, begin swirling and pumping; I recommend adding a few drops of water along the way if needed.
When the soap on your brush has that pasty texture you can start building your lather.
I prefer to use a bowl, but you can very well start build it directly on your face.
I found that this soap needs a bit more water than other soft soaps; with the right amount it will take little effort to get tons of wonderful, creamy lather, easily enough for 3 passes.
When taking a whiff of the lather you’ll be greeted with a nice menthol aroma that is more pleasant and less harsh than the product in the tub.
I must also mention that after experimenting with various lather consistencies, I got the best results with this soap when I used a bit more water.
However, this may depend on your personal preference.
Shaving performance
Let’s now see how good the Proaso menthol soap really is.
In short, it’s amazing. If the menthol scent doesn’t turn you off, this one is a winner.
It’s protective and slick and I feel very confident even when using a very sharp blade. This allowed me to get very close and fast shaves.
I’d go as far as saying that this Proraso soap is alongside Speick one of the best inexpensive products if you’re mainly concerned with getting a very close shave.
The comfort during and after the shave was top notch. If don’t have any menthol sensitivity, I totally recommend it for sensitive skin as well.
Throughout your shave you’ll constantly get that cooling, tingling sensation from the menthol and eucalyptus found in this soap.
I was actually skeptical before trying it out as I have sensitive skin and I wasn’t sure how it will get along with the menthol. This is one of the reasons why I sticked mostly to Proraso’s sensitive skin creams and soaps.
However, the results were completely unexpected, with the regular products providing significantly better performance compared to the menthol free variant.
Another surprising aspect has to be the fragrance; while at the beginning I didn’t like it, it has grown on me and I must say that I actually enjoy it.
After completing the shave and washing any lather residues the scent is very discreet and will be gone completely after 30 minutes or so.
If you really can’t stand menthol there’s also a Sandalwood variation. While I haven’t tested that one yet, if it’s anything like the Proraso Sandalwood cream, I think you’ll be more than pleased with its performance.
To wrapup this review, the Proraso Shaving Soap deserves all the hype and really is a fantastic product suitable for anyone that once to improve their shaving experience without spending a ton of money on a premium soap.