Thread: Sadistic Suds (Soaps to Avoid for Those with Sensitive Skin)

While those of us who suffer from a "Hollywood Face" make up only a limited percentage of the membership here at SRP, our shaving experience can be greatly influenced by factors that the rest of our brethren can freely ignore. Brushes, water temperature and soap, even those that we would love to use, can become a source of pain and discomfort that lasts throughout the day. While the first two variables are generally easy to figure out and correct for each individual it is the soaps that can cause us the most surprise and frustration. The point of this thread is to attempt to alleviate some of that.

My own journey from chemical-laden goop and cartridges to traditional wetshaving with vintage straight razors started because of my sensitive skin. I suffered my entire shaving life with uncomfortable shaves and skin issues, part of the reason why I've sported either a Van Dyke or a full beard for over twenty years. Relief came by chance, during our honeymoon my wife and I wandered past an Art of Shaving (they didn't exist in my neck of the woods at the time) and she urged me to go in, talk to the salesman and try their products. So my wetshaving journey began but it was another ten years before I found this fine community and fulfilled a desire that began when I first built lather in a bowl, the desire to learn to use a straight razor (I went directly from cartridges to a straight razor). On the rare occasions that I now suffer from an uncomfortable shave the only person I can blame is myself because I didn't get the edge on a razor that it deserved...that is unless I stumble across a soap that leaves me feeling as if I've given my face an acid bath.

At this point I'd like to express a huge thanks to Obie and his First Tier Soaps and Creams thread. Not only has Obie given us a fantastic resource for finding fantastic soaps and creams but his personal list is Hollywood Face Friendly as he suffers from his own sensitive skin issues. Also hidden within the pages of replies and updates are a number of posts that contain warnings for those that have stumbled across soaps that are problematic for those of us with sensitivity issues. The problem is that these can be hard to find in a thread dedicated to top soaps and only serve as a warning for that particular soap from that particular member.

What I'm attempting here is not only a listing of those soaps that have caused some of us pain and discomfort but an accounting of their ingredients. My hope is this clearinghouse of soaps and their components can not only serve as a warning to other members, both current and future, but as a resource for each of us to attempt to identify the ingredients that seem to cause the most problems. As always, any tips, tricks and products that have helped you tame your Hollywood face over the years are welcome!

I cannot begin to describe the regret I feel at making my first entry to the list Henri et Victoria's La Poire Francaise. The lather I managed to build with this soap was first-rate and I find the fragrance heaven-scent [/rimshot]. I happily place this shave soap in my top tier and am absolutely heart-broken that I simply can't use it. To be clear, I have endured multiple days of burn as I've tried every trick that I can think of to tame this flamethrower and nothing has worked.

Ingredient List: Potassium Stearate, Potassium Cocoate, Water, Glycerine, Potassium Ricenoalete, Parfum

The La Poire Francaise (French Pear) is the only variety of Henri et Victoria soap that I've tried but I am convinced that this is not a fragrance issue but a soap formula issue. At this point I will not purchase another variety of Henri et Victoria, unless the rumor of a tallow-based formula is true and makes its way to the marketplace.

Black Ship Grooming's soaps were the first soaps to truly show me what burn can be. I purchased a number of these samples some time back and the use of two of them (La Concorde, The Black Rose) convinced me to avoid the third (Thomas Tew). I didn't love any of these soaps enough to make a thorough attempt to tame them but between the two samples I probably tried them at least three times.

Ingredients: Coconut Oil, Shea Butter, Stearic Acid, Water, Potassium Hydroxide, Glycerin

Seeing as I tried multiple fragrances in the Black Ship line I can only assume my issues lie in the formulation of the soaps. These soaps are firmly on my "No-go" list.

I'm a fan of what Jonathan and his wife are doing over at The Sudsy Soapery and my wife and I have the receipts to prove it. I currently have four of Jonathan's shave soaps in my rotation, along with a couple of bath bars. Up until recently I never had an issue with any of the Sudsy products but a few weeks ago Delor de Treget, my favorite, began to give rise to some irritation.

Some backstory is in order on this one. I purchased my first Sudsy product back in June 2017 an the St. Louis Wetshavers' Meet after experiencing the delightful scent of Delor de Treget. This soaps was a limited cooperation between Jonathan at Sudsy and Shawn at Chatillon Lux, essentially a Sudsy shave soap using a scent formulated by Shawn for his line of aftershave splashes and balms. The fragrance is a personal favorite and I've subsequently picked up two extra tubs of the soap so that it remains in my rotation for a very long time.

Recently I began to experience some irritation with the Delore de Treget despite the fact that I've had no issues with my other Sudsy soaps. The irritation was relatively minimal but concerning and I quickly got to reviewing how I've modified my shave routine over the last couple of months. The fact is that my choice of brush and water temperature were the variables that appear to be at issue. Having purchased my original tub of soap back in June means that, until recently, I've only used this soap during a cold water shave (heat tends to be a component that influences sensitive skin issues for me) and my tendency had been to use my Cashmere synthetic brush when building a lather with the Delor de Treget. The fact is that the deep freeze of December has had me turning the tap for hot water ever since and my recent tendencies has been bringing my silvertip badger brush to my hand more often as of late. By moving back to a cold water shave and a soft synthetic brush I've managed to eliminate the irritation that I was experiencing with my beloved Delor de Treget.

Ingredients: Coconut Oil, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Shea Butter, Butyrospermum Parkii, Castor Oil, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Kokum Butter, Garcinia Indica Seed Butter, Lanolin Anhydrous, USP, with Multani Mitti Clay, Solun Fullcnum (Fuller's Earth), Glycerin Vegetable, USP, Sodium Lactate, Essential Oils, Bentonite Clay, French Yellow Clay

The bottom line is that while this soap can cause some irritation I can eliminate it with the proper brush and water temperature. I've also become fond of finishing up with Chatillon Lux's matching splash and balm, which may also help to quench any irritation that I may experience. This may be too much effort for most but seeing as Delor de Treget has become my signature scent it is worth it to me.

I'm not terribly sensitive to most soap fragrances, but Mike's Hungarian Lavender lights me up like a Bernz-O-Matic. I also get a tingle from CRSW Savon #1 which also contains Hungarian/Bulgarian lavender. French, English, and Spanish products with lavender do not bother me at all. The Brutalt Bra TSN soap gives me a slight tingle, too. Like you, I am disappointed that I can't use these, all have great scents.

But there's another common factor between your list and mine, they're all artisan soaps. Sometimes I feel like the artisans just use too much fragrance or some other ingredient whereas most commericial soaps have the bugs worked out. JMO. I've never had a commercial soap give me any reaction. Some also gave little lather but that's another thread...

Cheers, Steve

Lavender is a known skin irritant. Just depends on the dose.

Henri et Victoria Savon Fin (La Poire Francaise)

i had the same horrible experience. It felt like acid!

Artisan soaps are always a gamble but the particular strain of SAD that I suffer from draws me to them. That isn't to say that I don't have soaps from established producers in my shave den but it's the artisans that tend to draw my attention when my SAD flares up. This little fact makes it far more likely that I get burned, both literally and figuratively, but I generally do at least some minimal research before I buy a new soap. Even then I prefer to start with samples to keep my risk low and generally only buy a full tub if I have some decent feedback or if the soap in question really grabs my attention.

All-in-all I would probably be an ideal guinea pig for testing artisan soaps if it wasn't for the fact that I generally keep my SAD under control. As it is my trials inspired me to start this thread, which I hope creates enough traffic to hang around and help others.

One interesting point to note is that, at present, I have yet to run across a tallow soap that has caused me issues. This is fine since I tend to prefer tallow formulas anyway. Unfortunately it seems that an increasing number of the established producers are going vegan and many artisans start there.

It really is unfortunate that some individuals are not able to use scented soaps that they really enjoy the scent of.
One of the easiest ways, for those who have overly sensitive skin, to rectify this situation would be to use unscented soaps and seeing as there are quite a few being offered by many great artisans, it may be a very prudent thing to consider.

Originally Posted by rolodave

Henri et Victoria Savon Fin (La Poire Francaise)

i had the same horrible experience. It felt like acid!

I wonder if that batch was not cured long enough leaving it somewhat caustic ?