Thread: Skin has turned hypersensitive. Suggestions?

Hi folks!
I am not sure why, but my skin has turned hyper sensitive lately. I previously had no problems with Trumper's and Mama Bear shaving soaps/creams, but now it seems that almost anything will irritate the skin. It has lasted over a week. Could be because of a shift in weather from cool to hot here (I have noticed a slight tendency before), but I am not sure. Hopefully it will pass, but meanwhile what to do? Putting oils on the skin seems to help a bit. But do you guys know of a shaving soap/cream that is for supersensitive skin? I seem to remember there was some kind of shaving cream that was not supposed to be whipped up with a brush, just applied like a face cream (thickly I presume). Is this any better?

Meanwhile I will try to mix Trumper's with various things to see if it helps.

Maybe switch brands and see if the sensitivity subsides.

Certain fragrant brands light me up. D. R. Harris Marlborough shaving cream and T & H Trafalgar irritate my skin. I own two Harris soaps which don't irritate my skin so I suspect it's something in the cream I reacted to.

If you don't have to shave daily, switch to every other day for awhile an see if that helps. MWF is a pretty neutral soap, with lanolin, and little or no fragrance, which might help. Maybe wash your shaving brush with dish soap and make sure it didn't pick anything up. Some fragrances can cause reactions with some people, and allergies which were non existent in the past can develop over time.

This is the mildest soap I have used.

haslinger honig honey

WELCOME TO MY WORLD! My skin is crazy sensitive. I rarely try new soaps because 70% of them light me up. Prorasso White and Green are my go to soaps.

If you have a preshave oil, put some on before each pass. It'll protect your skin from the soap.

Do not wash your face before shaving. I wash the upper part of my face in the shower. I see people recommend washing the beard before shaving but I don't understand why. You are washing your face with each shaving pass. This strips your skin of all its oily goodness.

Shave before exercising or working up a sweat. Some of my worst irritation has been the result of shaving after long bicycle rides. You mentioned the weather has been warming up. Have you been out sweating in the heat?

Originally Posted by rolodave

This is the mildest soap I have used.

haslinger honig honey

How does it perform?

I use Noxema as a pre shave. Some soaps do not get along with some people. Try something light in scent, or scent free, and see if you get along better with glycerin based soaps or tallow based. Also the type of brush and the amount of time you spend working the brush on your face.

I have struggled with sensitive skin at times in my life.

Here is what I've found:

Get some soap with no scent. The most common irritant is the scent. I agree with a previous poster that MWF doesn't have much scent.

You can make your own pre-shave oil, four parts olive oil to one part mineral oil. You could probably use olive oil by itself if you don't have mineral oil.

The word 'hypoallergenic' is your good friend.

Wet Shaving Products (WSP) has a hypoallergenic soap. I like the ingredient list on this one. I haven't used this soap, but have had good luck with their Formula T soap.

https://wetshavingproducts.com/colle...nt=29918397959

I'm allergic to deoderant, which you really can't skip in the US. I spent a lot of years with irritated underarms until I learned the word hypoallergenic and found some hypoallergenic deoderant.

A caution about hypoallergenic. Small companies may call something hypoallergenic when it isn't, hence my comment about liking the WSP au Natual ingredients. Scent and essential oils are to be avoided. The term essential oils is a marketing term. It isn't a term describing something your skin needs.

Not to hijack this thread, but if you have deodorant allergies or sensitivities then you can use zinc ointment under your arms in place of deodorant and it will be very effective. I use diaper rash cream because it is cheaper than my mother in law, and so am I, or there are other zinc ointments out there too. Gold Bond I believe makes one.

Originally Posted by BeJay

WELCOME TO MY WORLD! My skin is crazy sensitive. I rarely try new soaps because 70% of them light me up. Prorasso White and Green are my go to soaps.

If you have a preshave oil, put some on before each pass. It'll protect your skin from the soap.

Do not wash your face before shaving. I wash the upper part of my face in the shower. I see people recommend washing the beard before shaving but I don't understand why. You are washing your face with each shaving pass. This strips your skin of all its oily goodness.

Shave before exercising or working up a sweat. Some of my worst irritation has been the result of shaving after long bicycle rides. You mentioned the weather has been warming up. Have you been out sweating in the heat?

I don't think I have been sweating that much.
This reminds me; I actually have the proraso soap somewhere. Haven't used that in a while. I will try to put some oil on first, and maybe not whip the brush around on my face when lathering up, just applying it softly.