I can relate to your problem as I battled skin irritation for many years, I don't know if my skin is hypersensitive or not but it is tender and in contrast I also develop extremely hard stubble. I have tried the whole spectrum of products from foams to gels, soap and creams. Lately as I returned to the brush and bowl I have been using a combination off products to make my lather. As a base I'm using an inexpensive shaving puck like the Williams. While making the lather I squirt a bit of Nivea sensitive face wash in the bowl followed by a dab of cream like Clinique cream shave or "Shave" from American Crew. See I noticed that soap on its own is too light and then to dry the skin, the cream is too thick and doesn't hold water so well. So why not mix the both. The Nivea cleaner left a slimy residue after wash but while combined with the other two it helps to create a moisture rich and silky lather. Since there is minimal fragrance, only the one from the soap it keeps the mixture fairly inert and mild for the skin. Try, it might work for you you might even have the stuff in you cabinets from your previous trials.