Thread: Soap vs. Cream

I am brand new and have very sensitive skin. Any recommendations or advice on soap vs. cream.

Thanks!

don't know enough to answer the question but would like to address another part of your question. I used to think that I had sensitive skin when I sued a Sensor or an electric. When I picked up a double edge I found that I do not have sensitive skin and I can do this job with a broken coke bottle if I wish. My point is this, just becuase you think that you have sensitive skin does not mean that you actually have sensitive skin. I would recommend that you try shaving with non-sensitive products and see what happends. Of course I would stick with el-cheapo products in case I am wrong. I would go with Derby shave cream, since it is real real cheap.

I could be worng but I don't think that I am.

Right now I wash my face in the shower, use a pre-shave oil, shave gel, Anthony aftershave soothing balm and change my razor blades every few days. I still get red irritated skin and razor bumps along my throat. I switched to Art of Shaving creme and a brush application it seems to help, some. I am hoping an ultra sharp blade and plenty of practice will help even more.

I would recommend stoping that oil, but again as I said earlier I do not know enough to give you an answer. I hope someone will be along shortly to give you a better answer to your question.

I would say light touch and paying attention to the angle of the blade will do wonders for sensitive skin. I wouldn't go for a BBS shave, just shorten the whiskers a touch. Next pass shorten them some more. Even do a second ATG pass with the light pressure and I bet your problems will go away.

Oh yeah, make sure your blade is sharp. This is a standard line but it does need to be said.

I have fewest problems using a straight, everything else causes more irritation.

Good skinprep. is essential. Proraso is very nice stuff, use a not heavily perfumed A/S balm without alcohol.

Use a sharp blade and as little pressure as possible.

When you say you're changing blades often I assume you are using a DE ? If so many people find a milder blade such as a Derby to be less irritating than a sharper one such as a Feather.

While I have sensitive skin to the point that I can only do two passes without irritation I've never suffered from the razor bumps and learned the no pressure gradual stubble removal technique (link) and that made things a lot better for me regardless of the shaving tool.

I wash my face vigorously twice in the shower before every shave. Prep makes a great difference in shaving comfort as does technique, skin stretching and blade angle. As for cream versus soap, I like to take an almond sized dollop of cream in the shaving bowl and then load the brush with soap and make super lather. That is the most cushioning and comfort I've found.

Everything in shaving is individual preference known as YMMV but I've also found that for me lathering in a bowl is much better than face lathering.

Currently using a mach 3, but my first Straight Razor is being shipped as we speak!! I am very excited. I think/hope using the significant upgrade in shaving utensil will make a big difference after I get the hang of it. The only downside is I fell in to another expensive and addictive hobby.

Originally Posted by jbcohen

I would recommend stoping that oil, but again as I said earlier I do not know enough to give you an answer.

Then why would you give one nonetheless? From a probably relevant article in the Wiki:

Get a better shaving result by improving your preparation - Straight Razor Place Wiki
In the market there are several different pre shave oils to choose from. The main purpose is to help the blade glide over the skin without so much exfoliation. They do soften the whiskers too but the main idea is to protect the skin

Originally Posted by jbcohen

I hope someone will be along shortly to give you a better answer to your question.

To begin with, a search of this forum will deliver hundreds of posts regarding shaving oil. Same for "sensitive skin" +soap. A good place to search would be our very own review section.

In a nutshell: Personally, I believe that human skins vary too widely to make any definitive recommendations, but it seems that you cannot go wrong with Castle Forbes. Personally, I use either CF's pre shave, or AOS's pre shave oils.

Good luck, and keep us updated on your progress.

Regards,
Robin

Originally Posted by rockysopus

change my razor blades every few days

What razor are you using?

In the past I have used some pre-shave oils with good results but I am not a big fan myself. Please keep in mind that the skin of every person is different so my results and yours could be completely different. However, the Art of Shaving cream seems to irritate the skin of several people, including mine. I have very sensitive skin and I find that out of the commercially available products, Mitchell's Wool Fat and Castle Forbes, excell in conditioning of the skin. You cannot go wrong with either. One thing that I found to be critical in preventing irritation is to use lather of the proper consistency. Lathering is a skill, which is often overlooked among wet shavers. This process can be divided into 3 stages:

1) loading the brush; 2) building the lather; and 3) hydrating the lather. It is important to pay careful attention to each stage.

When lathering, the most important thing is to be sure of finding the peak of the soap/cream (the point where no more lather can be produced). Both dry (before reaching the peak) and too wet (over the peak) lather can be problematic. Dry lather looks similar to cake frosting and can easily be detected by passing your brush over. If the brush leaves grooves, the lather is too dry. Lather has been obtained with too much water (past the peak) vanishes almost immediately after it touches the skin and can appear dry. These are very common problems among new and seasoned users. There is a good section in the wiki about lathering, if you have not done so already, a visit is in order:

Category:Lather - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Also, I think this that you may find this video useful:

YouTube - How To Build And Apply Traditional Shaving Lather