Soap/Cream suggestions

Hey all,

I'm just about to the bottom of a tub of TGQ Desert Ironwood. While I have absolutely no complaints about this cream, there's a lot of other good stuff out there, so I'm looking to try something different when I restock.

I've tried a couple other TGQ flavors (Orange Patchouli, Lime Margherita, and Sandalwood Vanilla). The problem is the Lime Margherita and Sandalwood Vanilla caused my slightly sensitive skin some slight burnage. So I don't want to go buying tubs of cream or big pucks of soap without knowing what I'm getting in for.

So: does anyone with sensitive-ish skin have any favorites? Or does anyone know if Mama Bear or Colleen would be inclined to send a few samples?

Thanks,

I'm going to move this to the Soaps/Creams section where it'll get better attention.

It sounds like you should be staying away from fragrance oils in your soap/creams, as they are likely to be the ones irritating your skin, Desert Ironwood and Orange Patchouli is labeled as Esssential oil only soaps.
The safest bet for a non irritating soap is Mitchell's Wool Fat (MWF), as for samples TGQ has a sample basket listed on her page. This post over at The Shave Den, talks about getting CF samples, CF Lavender is labeled for sensitive skin it might be worth to try it.

The problem is, it's hard to predict what will and won't hurt. I got burned by Institut Karite Soap, designed for sensitive skin...but Tabac, which is heavily scented, causes no problems.

So yes, I would recommend MWF as well, becuase it's a great soap. Try Tabac, try Valobra shave stick, try Cella and also try some of the milder scented creams--J.M. Fraser's, The Body Shop, the Three Ts in Almond, etc.

Sorry to hear about your skin sensitivity to certain oils. Since each of us has slightly different blood chemistry it's hard to tell in advance what your skin will be senitive to unless you have prior experience with that oil. What I am fine with you might have issues, and vice versa. T&H make a nice cream, and the scents are quite light. Leon sells Lavanda cream but it a bit stronger. Probably the only way it will work for you is through trial and error. :gl:

can I just say (again) what a helpful bunch of people we have around here??? much different than some of the Unix groups I frequent...

If two out of three of these creams burned my skin, I would probably not be trying any others. I am sure that they are good creams as many people here use them successfully. Although it may seem as if the oils in these two creams are the culprit (as one of them works fine), it is hard to know whether the essential oils in some of creams or the formulation of the cream itself is what is causing the problem. It is also possible that the oils in the Orange/Patchouli cream are particularly good for your skin. As a sufferer of sensitive skin, I can tell you how hard it was for me to find a product that would not burn my face or made it feel like a tuned drum (dry) after a shave. I ended up making my own soap. I keep reading this forum to find commercial creams/soaps that meet my standards. I do not get irritation problems with some glycerin based soaps but their lather forming ability is considerably subpar. High end soaps are also good but pricey. One thing that has helped me and may help you while you find what really works for your skin, is applying aloe vera to your skin after you shave. Aloe is great for burns and cuts.

Al raz.

Colleen's soaps are every bit as gentle as her creams. If you haven't tried her Leatherneck soap, you haven't lived.

X

To me, it's odd that Desert Ironwood didn't bother you. I love Colleen's soap and I don't have sensative skin - but if any of them gave me a tingle - it was the DI. :shrug: :)

Jordan

The Cavendish Black started to make my face tingle after about a week. Nice scent. Too bad.

X

I asked advices to Colleen for my sensitive skin. I'm mostly fragrance sensitive so here are the scents she recommended to me:

Provence Lavender
Orange Patchouli
Savon de Campagne
Bay Rum/Sweet Orange
Highlander
Desert Ironwood

So if DI was ok for your skin, the others should be too.

Cavendish Black is not for sensitive skins :( Sorry

I just tried a Lime soap from Straight Razor Designs and had great success with it. I was really pleased with the lather and lubricity (right word?) and overall results. The scent is very clean and pure, which I think is due to the use of essential oils (as opposed to fragrance oils) in a fairly high concentration.

I don't have sensitive skin, so I can't say if these soaps will irritate your skin or not. Why not get in touch with Don, he can tell you everything about the soaps and steer you in the right direction. They carry a bunch of soaps and creams, inc MWF, so I'm sure he could recommend something that would work.

Good luck.

I picked up a puck of lime coconut while at the Classic Shaving Store in Palm Springs. I got home and the next day tried it for my shave. It burnt like hell after putting it on my face. I later came to find that many had the same problem. On the other hand, I have lime menthol and spicy lime from Mama Bear, and both are good, and don’t provide any irritation to my face.

Before I got the itch to try something new I used soaps from em’s place exclusively. They lather well, and smell good. I am pretty fond of the lavender, skindicinal, outdoors, and lime citrus.