Citral may be the problem

There are some aftershaves that cause me some problems and some that don't. So, I have been label reading to try and figure out what ingredient it might be. It seems like my skin has become sensitized to Citral as this is the ingredient that seems to be consistent with products that cause me problems, specifically; stinging and red blotchiness and then super dry scaly skin and I can't shave for a few days. Some of the products I have been using for a long time, such as Limes Skinfood, and no problems until the past couple of months. I don't seem to have problems with citronellol or limonene in the ingredients list. Any thoughts? Does anyone else have any problems with citral? Could it be something else?

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Originally Posted by DaveStraight

There are some aftershaves that cause me some problems and some that don't. So, I have been label reading to try and figure out what ingredient it might be. It seems like my skin has become sensitized to Citral as this is the ingredient that seems to be consistent with products that cause me problems, specifically; stinging and red blotchiness and then super dry scaly skin and I can't shave for a few days. Some of the products I have been using for a long time, such as Limes Skinfood, and no problems until the past couple of months. I don't seem to have problems with citronellol or limonene in the ingredients list. Any thoughts? Does anyone else have any problems with citral? Could it be something else?

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It can be anything.

If you have a sensitive skin and shave go for the mildest
fragrance free soap you can find. Rinse WELL. Save fragrance for
after shave and then only after giving the skin 20 min
to rest and dry.

For those of us with sensitive skin -- less is more.

Thanks Tom,

I took your advice this morning and will continue along with my process of elimination.

Cheers,

Dave

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Originally Posted by DaveStraight

Thanks Tom,

I took your advice this morning and will continue along with my process of elimination.

Cheers,

Dave

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You are welcome...

I like to use a three day rule when eliminating things.
Three days because for me a bad shave today is almost
always the result of a problem yesterday and todays
bad shave will be most apparent tomorrow.

i.e. change things slower than you might expect.

Critical effect
The critical effect of citral is assessed to be contactallergy. Because of the allergenic potential of citral, humans allergenic to the substance should avoid skin contact, as there is no lower limit for this adverse effect.

Miljøstyrelsen

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Originally Posted by niftyshaving

You are welcome...

I like to use a three day rule when eliminating things.
Three days because for me a bad shave today is almost
always the result of a problem yesterday and todays
bad shave will be most apparent tomorrow.

i.e. change things slower than you might expect.

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That's really interesting that you say that - I notice that things will be going just fine for about 6-8 weeks and then no matter how I shave I end up with scale face and have to take several days off. I was thinking there must be some cumulative effect going on. I also rotate too many products and should probably change things up from week to week rather than shave to shave.