Before the shave: softening the hair
Before shaving you can use a pre-shave, which softens the hair and prepares the skin for the blade. Musgo Real offers the Classic Scent Olio Pre-Rasatura, with sweet almond and grape seed oil, to apply on damp skin.
Geo F. Trumper has Skin Food, a light, non-greasy formula based on glycerin. Massaged against the grain, it lifts and softens the hair, and once the shave is done it soothes. It comes in several of the house's fragrances, namely Eucris, Coral and Sandalwood, also in a travel size.
The classic barber shop ritual: cream, soap and brush
If you want to shave the classic barber shop way, choose a cream or a soap, which you whip up with a brush into a dense lather. Geo F. Trumper's Eucris Crema da Barba in Ciotola carries the fragrance of Eucris cologne, the one Ian Fleming places in Marc-Ange Draco's bathroom in a James Bond novel, and a little is enough for each shave. For the travel kit, the same cream comes in a tube, which you can also spread with your fingers.
Acca Kappa, a house from the Veneto active since 1869, makes the Sapone da Barba Muschio Bianco, designed for a bristle brush: worked wet, it gives a creamy lather that lets the blade glide. The Pennello da Barbiere by Antica Barbieria Colla has natural bristles and a hand-worked aluminum handle.
For sensitive, irritated or dry skin
If your skin is sensitive or dries out from shaving, there are formulas made for that, to use before, during or after the razor. Antica Barbieria Colla's Crema Pre Barba Olio di Mandorla e Aloe is massaged onto the face: the shop recommends it to soften the beard and protect the skin from the blade, even when it is very sensitive. Acca Kappa's 1869 shaving foam combines aloe vera, shea butter, rice bran oil and sweet almond oil and is designed for easily irritated skin and very tough beards. Biotherm's alcohol-free After Shave Emulsion is formulated for skin that is dry or dried out by shaving.
After the shave: refreshing the skin
Aftershave comes as a lotion, balm or emulsion, and if you want it alcohol-free there are formulas for that. Antica Barbieria Colla's Dopobarba Mallo di Albicocche refreshes and tones without alcohol, and the same shop's Latte Dopobarba Olio di Mandorla is a soft emulsion.
Splash lotions are the classic form of aftershave. Floris Elite, the woody fragrance created in 1979 by Michael Bodenham, contains witch hazel, a natural astringent, and glycerin: pour it into your hands and apply with downward strokes to face and neck. Then there is the Knize Ten aftershave lotion, the bold, spicy leather born in the 1920s with the grooming line of the Viennese tailor Knize. The Carthusia Uomo balm has a fresh fragrance with notes of sea, fruit and leather.
Caring for a long beard
To wash beard and mustache there is shampoo made specifically for facial hair, and you can add a conditioner to the wash. Antica Barbieria Colla's Shampoo per Barba Legno Scuro is formulated for facial hair and cleanses it with a discreet fragrance. The same house's Balsamo per Barba con Olio di Jojoba is used at every wash, and the shop recommends it for detangling coarse hair.
For daily care there are serums and oils. Acca Kappa's Barber Shop Collection Siero Barba is a light leave-in fluid with argan and moringa, to apply after daily cleansing. Tom Ford's Beard Oil Tobacco Vanilla combines almond, jojoba, grape seed oil and vitamin E, and the house suggests finishing with a comb to spread it evenly.
The rest of the range is in the pre-shave, shaving and aftershave sections, and combs and other tools are in beard accessories.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between shaving cream, shaving soap and shaving foam?
The texture and how you use them. Cream and soap in a bowl are whipped up with a brush into a dense lather, as with Geo F. Trumper's Eucris Crema da Barba. Acca Kappa's 1869 foam, on the other hand, comes ready to use and is designed for easily irritated skin and tough beards.
Do you need a pre-shave before shaving?
A pre-shave softens the beard and protects the skin from the razor. Antica Barbieria Colla's Crema Pre Barba Olio di Mandorla e Aloe is massaged onto the face before shaving, while Geo F. Trumper's Skin Food can be used both before and after the shave.
What is Geo F. Trumper Skin Food?
It is a light, non-greasy formula based on glycerin, used before or after shaving. Massaged against the grain, it lifts and softens the hair; after the razor it soothes the skin. It comes in the Eucris, Coral and Sandalwood fragrances.
How do you use beard oil?
A little is enough: spread it through the beard and then finish with a comb, as Tom Ford suggests for its Beard Oil Tobacco Vanilla. Geo F. Trumper also has an oil, the Extract of Limes Olio per Barba, with jojoba and sunflower, which softens the hair and keeps it in the shape you want.
What's the difference between beard conditioner and beard oil?
Conditioner is used during washing, oil for daily care. Antica Barbieria Colla's Balsamo per Barba con Olio di Jojoba is applied at every wash to detangle and soften coarse hair, while Tom Ford's Beard Oil Tobacco Vanilla, with almond, jojoba and vitamin E, softens and nourishes the beard every day.
What shampoo should you use on your beard?
A shampoo made specifically for facial hair. Antica Barbieria Colla's Shampoo per Barba Legno Scuro cleanses beard and mustache deeply and leaves them clean and soft. It has a delicate, gentle fragrance, and the shop recommends it for the daily care of anyone who wears a beard.
How do you lather shaving cream with a brush?
Wet the brush and work the cream or soap until it turns into a creamy lather. Acca Kappa's Sapone da Barba Muschio Bianco is made for this ritual, and with Geo F. Trumper's Eucris Crema da Barba in Ciotola a little goes a long way. Antica Barbieria Colla's Pennello da Barbiere has natural bristles.
What aftershave is best for dry skin?
For dry skin there is Biotherm's alcohol-free After Shave Emulsion, formulated specifically for skin that is dry or dried out by shaving, and it leaves a protective film. Antica Barbieria Colla instead offers the Latte Dopobarba Olio di Mandorla, based on almond, which the shop describes as softening.
