Proraso Shaving Cream vs Proraso Foam – Which Is Best?
It had been some time since I purchased a canned type of shaving foam and put down the shaving brush in favor of a quick squirt and rub on the face.
If you have been wet shaving in the traditional fashion for any length of time, you’ll know all about the Italian shaving cream in the tube Proraso.
I am a big fan of their tubed lubricant, which includes the popular Proraso Red Shaving Cream and others. It’s a cream that is hard to beat based on its quality and price point.
I decided to purchase Proraso shaving foam in a can–mostly out of curiosity to see how it compared with the shaving cream. I had no idea what to expect, as canned shaving foam has been off my shaving supplies shopping list for quite some time.
The foam and cream all come in the four available types and scents. These are as follows:
- Red – Sandalwood scent and designed for coarse beards
- White – For sensitive skin types that contain Oat and Green Tea extracts
- Blue – A musk scent dn designed as a protective cream containing Aloe
- Green – A refreshing cream for those who enjoy a menthol and eucalyptus feel
For this cream and foam battle of the best or what’s most suitable, I used Proraso Red.
Ingredient Differences
While we know the application or how it gets to our face is very different, the ingredients should tell us something. The tubed cream is great stuff, but how can they get that into a can?
The can and tube both contain Sandalwood Oil, Shea Butter, and Glycerin, which help get that glide, moisturizing effect, and lather (the Glcerin helps the lather). The foam does not contain coconut oil, but it does contain macadamia ternifolia seed oil (conditions skin), so these are different, but both will prevent dryness and condition the skin.
The Proraso foam in a can also contains Propane and Isobutane to help get the foam out of the can, I guess. The foam also contains benzyl alcohol, and this possibly explains something I found peculiar when using it (a slight stinging).
There are a few other slight differences. It mostly looks like more is added to the canned foam, as I would expect to enable it to become foam without lathering it.
Scent
The scent is only a mild sandalwood in a tube, but the foam is even milder.
I likely get more of the scent from the tube because I lather it with a brush, which will disturb the ingredients and bring out the scent.
If you usually use other canned foams, then the Proraso Red might be a good barber scent different from other branded canned you have used. For experienced traditional wet-shaving gents, the scents of these won’t be anything unusual or potent, and you’ll find them mild.
The Foam vs Lather
When I first got some of the foam on my hand, I was pleasantly surprised as it was more creamy than I remember with past foams. It looked like I had whipped up the best lather possible with a brush.
I could have easily started to think I was better off with a tin of foam than spending time lathering up with a brush until I applied it and compared how they both lubricate and the after-effects.
Applying and Shaving Compared
Applying shaving foam was weird at first after using a brush for so long. It kind of felt like trying to stick something to my face. I eventually found a small amount of foam rubbed into the stubble bristles was the way to go.
I didn’t realize I must have been previously skilled at applying shaving foam!
I missed the exfoliating part of what a shaving brush does when using the foam.
I shaved using a safety razor (I was actually testing out a Parker Injector Adjustable) and a cartridge razor (Gillette ProGlide) with both the tube and canned foam versions.
The foam dried out quicker than the tubed cream, and it did not feel close to the skin if that makes sense.
The foam still was pretty good with the safety razor and better than expected, but the cream was superior.
While the foam is good with the Gillette ProGlide (cartridge razor) I used, I still preferred the tube. Proraso shaving cream is generally not that gummy and does not clog the multiple-blade type razors, while some traditional shaving soaps and cream can be too gummy. Proraso is a good shaving cream option for safety and cartridge razors alike.
When using the foam, I got a slight stinging feeling, which I have never felt with the soap and creams I have used. That’s not something I want!
Post Shave
Proraso isn’t my favorite post-shave cream, well, not the Proraso Red I am using here. The cream does not give me the best moisturized lasting effect I get from other superior creams or soaps, but these generally cost more.
The foam-based Proraso offered less of an effect I try to get post-shave than the cream. Dryness occurred much quicker with the foam.
In my experience, either of these is best suited when using a post-shave balm or after-shave. However, I have lubricants that see to my post-shave needs without anything added.
Final Thoughts — Which Is Best?
If I take myself back a fair few years and think about other shaving foams I have used, the Proraso foam is very good and superior to many. It has a good barbershop scent, and the foam is more creamy than foamy.
I will not be switching back from creams or soaps to foam cans any time soon. The lack of a brush that exfoliates and what feels like added deeper protection while shaving was missing with foam, plus the lack of post-shave effects, will keep me attached to the traditional stuff.
I’m not knocking guys who use foam, and I am in no way a gung-ho traditional wet shaving purist against all things nontraditional–I test, use, and review all products. There was just a significant difference between these!
It was a fun experience, and I am glad I got to experiment and revisit part of my old shaving routine with a can.
