Thread: Problems with Carbon Steel?

Originally Posted by BobH

I'd still have the blade that is giving you trouble honed by a reputable honemeister to be sure it is not the edge that is giving you grief. There are shaving creams/soaps made with goats milk too.

If you haven't tried Enstilar for your psoriasis it may be worth checking out. You may need a prescription to get but seems to work well for the boss. It is quite a bit cheaper if you can get it from Canada or England.

Bob

Thank you - I will try this. I am always looking for new products to fall back on.

Originally Posted by bluesman7

My bad! I was thinking of nickle allergies too. Not chromium though chromium is also a dangerous heavy metal.

That's what confused me from what I read.

Originally Posted by JP5

I was thinking of nickel too, but it looks like stainless blades have their share of nickel too.

FYI
I have a skin condition (most likely psoriasis judging by the breakouts) and washing my face with natural goat's milk soap I bought from an Amish soap maker has really helped. If I go back to another soap I can see the red patches start coming back. Next time I go there I'm stocking up!

I will look for goat's milk soap. Thanks for the tip.

Your welcome. It certainly isn't a cure, but as uncomfortable as it is having red/flaky skin on the face I wish I had tried it earlier.

Does rotating skin products help prevent your skin from becoming intolerant of them, or is it just something that happens regardless of how frequently you use them?

Like your avatar picture by the way.

This is all very confusing. I have never heard of someone having an allergy to chromium. In 99% of the cases it's always Nickel and stainless steel is loaded with the stuff. You see it more with watches where a stainless case causes someone's wrist to have red blotches and eruptions and it goes south from there. There are stainless alloys with tiny amounts of nickel or none at all.

Usually a change of materials solves the problem. Carbon Steel usually does not have enough nickel in it to cause problems.

it might be a improperly honed razor or some shave prep with ingredients you are sensitive to.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

This is all very confusing. I have never heard of someone having an allergy to chromium. In 99% of the cases it's always Nickel and stainless steel is loaded with the stuff. You see it more with watches where a stainless case causes someone's wrist to have red blotches and eruptions and it goes south from there. There are stainless alloys with tiny amounts of nickel or none at all.

Usually a change of materials solves the problem. Carbon Steel usually does not have enough nickel in it to cause problems.

it might be a improperly honed razor or some shave prep with ingredients you are sensitive to.

Bluesman mentioned in his next post he mistakenly wrote chromium instead of nickel. So if it was an allergy the SS would have more likely been the problem.

The most common metal allergies are Nickel, Copper, Cobalt, and Chromium are the four most common metal allergies. Chromium allergy affects 1% to 3% of the population.

Originally Posted by JP5

Your welcome. It certainly isn't a cure, but as uncomfortable as it is having red/flaky skin on the face I wish I had tried it earlier.

Does rotating skin products help prevent your skin from becoming intolerant of them, or is it just something that happens regardless of how frequently you use them?

Like your avatar picture by the way.

Thanks for the Avatar comment.

Rotation helps a little. If I rotate too frequently it actually causes problems. For instance at the moment I alternate between two shampoos. A month ago, the one I am currently using was intolerable but right now is fine and the one I was using a month ago now burns my scalp. In a couple of months this will likely switch because last summer they were the other way round.

I am generally OK with TOBS Jermyn street and mostly OK with Proraso Sensitive. Aftershaves are strange. One day I can be fine with a balm and then - boom - can't use it for weeks. Floris Elite which is alcohol based is the one I seem to be able to return to if all else fails.

My Great Uncle got to the stage later in life where he reacted to anything he put on his skin. In retirement he would have three hot showers a day and wash in water only because he could not use soap of any kind. I believe he used a straight razor with water only to shave.

My son is even more sensitive than I am. He is coming up to shaving age.

Originally Posted by criswilson10

There is a pretty easy way to figure out if it is a metal allergy or your edge or a reaction between your skin, soap, and blade.
Run the spine of the blade across your dry face in one place. If you get a reaction, then you are allergic to the metal. If not then it might not be the metal.
Run the spine of the blade across a wet part of your face on the other side. If you get a reaction, then you are having a galvanic skin reaction to the metal. If no reaction then run the spine of the blade across a soaped area of your face in a third spot. I guess we know that is going to react, but if the other two tests above don't react then this will prove it is a reaction between the metal, soap, and your skin - changing soaps might be the answer.

So I tried this.

Spine of the razor back and forth on my neck.
No water: nothing.
Wet neck and back of razor: Thiers Issard - slight irritation. Swedish steel custom: it came up bright red.

So now I am confused - surely two carbon steels are the same?

I tried to shave with that TI razor and made only one pass ATG. I got out alive with little or no irritation. Diving straight in ATG goes against the grain (!) of everything I learnt when I was taught to shave years and years ago.

My gut is telling me that, regardless of reaction to metal, the posts on this thread about sharpness make sense. I am going to study all the honing guides and try to take one carbon blade as sharp as I can, and then shave with it.

Originally Posted by Seveneighth

So now I am confused - surely two carbon steels are the same?


My gut is telling me that, regardless of reaction to metal, the posts on this thread about sharpness make sense. I am going to study all the honing guides and try to take one carbon blade as sharp as I can, and then shave with it.

Not all carbon steels, including stainless steels, are made up of the same percentage mix of elements. One could have slightly more nickel content than the other for example.

Unless you are good at honing the best bet is to send a razor to a recognized pro honer, if possible, to ensure you have a truly shave ready edge. If you do that, do not strop the razor first before shaving the first time. That is to eliminate the possibility that your stropping is dulling the edge. If you strop before the second shave and the blade feels duller you will know that your stropping is a possible culprit wrt to dull edges.

Bob