Besides Proraso, can someone suggest 3-4 good Italian shaving soaps? I'm not interested in $40-50 pucks. Thanks.
Boellis Panama. The best of the "almond/marzipan-type" shave soaps. Plus 3P Almond Shave Soap. Just as good and, IMO, far better than Cella.
Complicated ask. Are you just asking for cheap Italian brands? Or "traditional barbershop" style Italian shaving soap? There is a difference. Traditional shave soap barbershop scent in Italy is sweet almond or bitter almond, which is a marzipan type of scent, almost a buttery sweet cherry type of smell. Razorock P. 160 is a recreation of a vintage Italian shave soap, and is now in it's third reformulation, if I've kept track correctly. 3P is a cheap veggie based version. Cella Red is the cheap tallow version. Boellis Panama is the expensive tallow version. Just throwing it in since it's been mentioned already, but it would fall into the $40-50 exclusion range, as would Saponifico Verisino as a brand, which I would consider to be the rightful 'King of the Italian soaps.' You need to be careful when you say stuff like "...I'm not interested in $40-50 pucks..," because in terms of cost per shave, those 'expensive' pucks last way longer than any cheap water filled soft soaps, and end up usually being the much cheaper option for the long term. All the brands mentioned above are true "Italian made" soaps. If you just want the scent, and don't care where it's made, Stirling Soap Co. makes an "almond creme" scented soap that nails the traditional Italian scent.
I guess I would like to try an Italian soap that an Italian barber in Italy might actually use. Maybe they use different grades of soap, and charge accordingly?
3P, or red cella. Comes in 1kg. blocks. Arguably the best bang for buck shave soaps out there. (They will last about 2-3 years if used exclusively). Cella Red comes in a tub as well. 3P does not. Prorazo had barber sized bags of a new formula stuff. Not sure if that ever took off or not.
We in Italy find in barbershop mostly these: • Proraso Green • Cella Red • Vitos Green IMHO, best is Cella. Available in little jar too.
Italian barber = Razorock XXX regular, Razorock "The Dead Sea", Razorock "Santa Maria del Fiore" all very nice soap scents with excellent lather qualities and have used more than 1 tub of each.
it would really be deemed an artisan?.not really mass produced for international market.at least in the past.
I don't think barbers know niche products wellknown in afecionados communities. In Italy, for sure. But I feel this is a global trend ...
Extro Cosmesi gives great bang for your buck. For around $20-$25 you get 5oz Italian shave croaps in a nice, heavy duty glass jar. EC comes in a wide variety of scents; some of my personal favorites of theirs are Barocco, British Leather, Lavanda Muschio and Tobacco. If you’re looking for more budget friendly products then Razorock, TFS and Cella are excellent options as well.
Yes. But this is a false perception. The price is high. But best soaps last way longer. About q/p ratio, they've better performances at (almost) the same cost. Same thing about shavette / blade ... The real difference is knowledge.
I advise against considering only initial puck cost in most* contexts; Many high end soaps are triple milled and last thrice as long as softer soaps. A $16 soap that has to be replaced every 2 months isn't more economical than a $40 dollar puck that lasts a year. That said, if you've already got decades worth of soap stashed and are, therefore, unlikely to finish any soap you buy regardless of price, then initial cost becomes the only fiscal consideration, as duration doesn't matter if said duration is greater than your own...but I digress: Saponificio Varesino is the epitome of Italian shaving soaps and, indeed, among the finest shave soaps in production but would likely exceed your price range (it can sometimes be found for $37-$39. Cella and Vitos are classic Italian soft soaps that target the average man. Both main offerings have the traditional almond scent, but do over other scents and formulations. There are many others.
