Thread: Bad reaction from old soap?

I bought some Old Spice shaving soap off of eBay a few weeks ago. It appeared to be in great shape and was unused. I shaved with it two days in a row and about two days after that, I noticed the skin on my face was peeling, similar to how it would if it was sunburned. I put some moisturizer on it but it only offered temporary help. I put some 1% hydrocortisone cream on it and that seems to have done the trick.

I know that Old Spice shaving soap was discontinued at least 5 years ago or probably longer and I suspect my soap is probably closer to 10 years old by now. I'm wondering if this old soap is what is causing my skin problem. I've never had this reaction with any other soaps and after I noticed the problem, I stopped using it and went back to my electric razor to see if it would get any better.

When I first unboxed the the soap, it looked o.k., but was a beige color (I think the original soap was also a tan color-so this may not be an issue). When I used the soap, it lathered up really well and smelled just like Old Spice soap should. Still, perhaps some of the chemicals or compounds in the soap have changed with age and now are irritating my skin. Has anyone else experienced this sort of thing with really old soap? I'd hate to throw it out, but that may be my only choice.

I don't know a true scientific reason behind this, but I suspect that soap is long since expired and that whatever chemicals that were in it have changed to something else entirely.

You also don't know, it coming from ebay, how it was stored, or where, or for how long.

Soap is pretty cheap. I say toss it in the basket and buy a new cake. If you really like the Old Spice scent, I think several places make similar scents.