Thread: Testing soaps

I'm trying to figure out a shave system that works for my skin, and I'm looking for advice. First let me explain my situation. Whereas my cheeks don't seem to care what I use, my neck is extremely sensitive. Back when I was using a Mach III,I would always end up with redness, burning and bumps all over my neck. I switched to a straight razor to improve the experience, and things are going quite well. I have not however resolved all my problems, and areas of my neck still suffer from irritation and redness. At least the bumps have all but disappeared. I've used a wide variety of stuff to shave with and have succeeded in confusing myself as to what seems to work and what doesn't.

First I started with some soap from Classic Shaving. I think it was citrus spice. I've tried this one at several different points and it always seems to irritate my skin. Next I tried some Classic Shaving menthol. It was a painless shave, but I noticed that although my skin wouldn't seem irritated at first, about 20 minutes after the shave my neck would turn red. I tried the Proraso shaving cream with the similar results but not as bad as the menthol soap. Just today I tried Mitchell's Wool Fat. It was the best yet with very little irritation, but I noticed that when I put it on, there was a slight buring sensation. Not sure if that's going to end up being a problem or not. I've got some Haslinger aloe on order that I'll try next.

Other products that I'm trying include Proraso pre/post shave conditioner and Proraso aftershave cream. The pre/post shave seems to do well on my skin, but the aftershave cream seems to cause additional irritation. Also, I've tried an alum block that really seems to make things worse. Anyway, I'm going to try to find some witch hazel locally tomorrow.

So, my question is basically what do people with really sensitive skin reccommend trying? Most of the things I've tried don't list the ingredients, so I'm having a hard time figuring out what is causing the irritation. I've thought about applying one product a night on my skin to test for reaction, but I think that without actually shaving, it'll be hard to tell. Thanks in advance.

The three CS soaps I've tried, citrus spice, lime, and lilac burned and were very unconfortable for me. They didn't give me a rash or anything, but they were very uncomfortable. I like CO Bigelow (made by Proraso) and the menthol doesn't bother me. I love MWF soap and use an alum block without a problem. I don't have a solution for you, but I'm sure someone will come along with one soon. In the meanwhile, you might want to keep an eye on this thread http://straightrazorpalace.com/shavi...-irritate.html as your solution may spring up there.

Originally Posted by captainboog

Just today I tried Mitchell's Wool Fat. It was the best yet with very little irritation, but I noticed that when I put it on, there was a slight buring sensation.

MWF are probably the most recommend soap for sensitivity skin, but the lanolin in it might cause problems for some. One thing I've noticed are if I get the water/soap ratio a little off, too little water, the soap will leave a slight burning sensation.

You might want to check out some of Colleens EO only soaps, here's a post from another tread:

Originally Posted by cybrok

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

Do canned foams like Noxzema or Barbasol irritate as well or is it only "real" shaving soaps?

Originally Posted by omegapd

Do canned foams like Noxzema or Barbasol irritate as well or is it only "real" shaving soaps?

There is a special canned foam by Noxzema for "extra sensitive skin".

Bye,

Eric

I had a similar problem to yours for a long time, I even started making my own soap as a way of solving it. While I was developing the formula of The Bomb, my shaving cream, I improved my lathering skills significantly. I realized that part of the problem was that I was leaving the lather too dry causing the concentration of the chemicals in the soap/cream to be much higher that what it was intended. I am now able to shave with most of these products with only minimal problems. I still feel some dryness when I use them, particularly in the winter time, but without much of the redness and other problems. At that point, I tried lathering only small parts of my face and many other suggestions without much success. The bottom line is that your skin would still be more sensitive than other people's.

If you problem is severe, I would strongly recommend consulting with a dermatologist rather than asking people for their suggestions, remember there are marked differences in skin characteristics among people. You may have an allergy to some ingredients or have developed contact dermatitis after frequent use of products containing these chemicals.

I do like Mitchell's a lot, it is one of my favorites. Another thing to consider is that most people have problems shaving the neck area so it is not surprisingly that the problems get compounded there. Finally, I found that removing any trace of lather from your face and neck after you finish shaving improves the situation. It is very common that people rinse their faces very well but forget about their necks... ;-).

Originally Posted by captainboog

I'm trying to figure out a shave system that works for my skin, and I'm looking for advice. First let me explain my situation. Whereas my cheeks don't seem to care what I use, my neck is extremely sensitive. Back when I was using a Mach III,I would always end up with redness, burning and bumps all over my neck. I switched to a straight razor to improve the experience, and things are going quite well. I have not however resolved all my problems, and areas of my neck still suffer from irritation and redness. At least the bumps have all but disappeared. I've used a wide variety of stuff to shave with and have succeeded in confusing myself as to what seems to work and what doesn't.

First I started with some soap from Classic Shaving. I think it was citrus spice. I've tried this one at several different points and it always seems to irritate my skin. Next I tried some Classic Shaving menthol. It was a painless shave, but I noticed that although my skin wouldn't seem irritated at first, about 20 minutes after the shave my neck would turn red. I tried the Proraso shaving cream with the similar results but not as bad as the menthol soap. Just today I tried Mitchell's Wool Fat. It was the best yet with very little irritation, but I noticed that when I put it on, there was a slight buring sensation. Not sure if that's going to end up being a problem or not. I've got some Haslinger aloe on order that I'll try next.

Other products that I'm trying include Proraso pre/post shave conditioner and Proraso aftershave cream. The pre/post shave seems to do well on my skin, but the aftershave cream seems to cause additional irritation. Also, I've tried an alum block that really seems to make things worse. Anyway, I'm going to try to find some witch hazel locally tomorrow.

So, my question is basically what do people with really sensitive skin reccommend trying? Most of the things I've tried don't list the ingredients, so I'm having a hard time figuring out what is causing the irritation. I've thought about applying one product a night on my skin to test for reaction, but I think that without actually shaving, it'll be hard to tell. Thanks in advance.

If you take a look at the ingredients, you would realize that the ingredients are very similar in both the can and traditional shaving soaps/creams. Other than concentration it is hard to think of other reasons why the latter should be more prone to giving these problems. I think that making good quality lather is the key here but again, a visit to the dermatologist may prove to be beneficial.

Originally Posted by omegapd

Do canned foams like Noxzema or Barbasol irritate as well or is it only "real" shaving soaps?

Al raz.

I'm no dermatologist, but it seems logical to me that if your skin is going to react something, then your whole face will react.

Best thing to do is try your lather product on your face without shaving; just leave it on a while and see if you get any irritation or burn. If so, don't use that product. If it doesn't, but does after a shave, it's your technique.

Lots of men get irritation with M3/multiblades, and while some really do have sensitive skin - many are surprised to find out they actually don't once they change their regime and tools. Moving to DE or straight can improve or eliminate it. But the learning period of both can still cause the same problems til you've got it down.

During my learning process with DEs I had to take care on my neck, simply because my neck was more sensitive to razoring, than my cheeks.

EDIT - Gents, this is a pretty old post that's been revived, I just noticed...

You should try Kell's soaps Kell's Original . Its for people with sensitive skin and i love it, and from what i read it came about because the owner due to Rheumatoid Arthritis, and the medication he was on made him have extremely sensitive skin, and so he made his own soap . I have a lot of his soap and its great!!! May i recommend Aloe Blend in Amber,good stuff!

Re: Aftershave Balm causing increased irritation:

I have always had hellacious ingrown hair trouble. We're talking an field of what looks like acne they're so thick. The switch to straights helped a lot, but I still fight off quite a few. The first (and currently only) ASB I bought was the 'Sensitive Skin' kind from Nivea, because a lot of guys say good things about it...


...irritates the *&@% out of my skin. Gives me ingrowns like you wouldn't believe...

I have recently found, however, that a single drop of castor oil, warmed between my rubbing palms, gently patted in to the skin of my face and neck, does wonders to reduce ingrowns and irritation.


YMMV.

Lots of men get irritation with M3/multiblades, and while some really do have sensitive skin - many are surprised to find out they actually don't once they change their regime and tools. Moving to DE or straight can improve or eliminate it. But the learning period of both can still cause the same problems til you've got it down.

During my learning process with DEs I had to take care on my neck, simply because my neck was more sensitive to razoring, than my cheeks.

+1 to this. I was sure I had super sensitive skin, I bought castle and forbes lime for sensitive skin and the nivea aftershave balm for sensitive skin and still had irritation on my neck long after my face had come around. I started to pay more attention to the direction the whiskers grow and found that there were two patches that grew different than the rest. After my pressure got better, and shaving in the correct direction, then experimenting with the direction I pulled the skin to stretch, no more irritation. I also learned not to try to get too smooth, I do two passes on my neck and leave it be. Good luck.