Thread: The Keepers

+1 Thanks for this thread! It is great, but I fear it is going to cost me some coins!

MdC is my favorite soap, unfortunately I have found a slight allergic response to it after 3 passes it will start to itch and burn. The scent is the ultimate and I love the cushion, suds-ability, and glide. One jar as a lone soap in the den could last forever it seems and so there really is no need for any others however I have just ordered a jar of their unscented variety to see if I can grate the two up and blend them to dilute/reduce the irritation. I love the scent and would hate to use unscented alone. I will try the unscented alone first to see if it really does not cause the allergic response and my biggest fear is that it would also irritate and then Obie might be receiving a nice christmas gift from me. I somehow think Obie might root for the wrong team on this one

Has anyone here tried grating MdC and mixing it with another soap such as MWF? Trying to bring the best qualities of a blend together? I don't uber-lather much using glycerine however I do sometimes put a bit of cream in with a soap and have never tried blending soaps. It would be an interesting blend I think called 'Obie's Keepers', a cake composed of all of Obie's keepers for the rest of us to enjoy with an updated formula each year. If you ever consider doing this Obie mark me down for a guaranteed sale each year.

Sacrilege or sacred?

Originally Posted by groovyd

MdC is my favorite soap, unfortunately I have found a slight allergic response to it after 3 passes it will start to itch and burn.
....snip...

Has anyone here tried grating MdC and mixing it with another soap such as MWF? Trying to bring the best qualities of a blend together? I don't uber-lather much using glycerine however I do sometimes put a bit of cream in with a soap and have never tried blending soaps. It would be an interesting blend I think called 'Obie's Keepers', a cake composed of all of Obie's keepers for the rest of us to enjoy with an updated formula each year. If you ever consider doing this Obie mark me down for a guaranteed sale each year.

Sacrilege or sacred?

Save your MdC for one pass days. An irritation can haunt you for days. It just
takes too long for skin to heal to abuse it more than we must.

You can grate a little or MWF and MdC mix and tamp down in a coffee-mug/bowl and try it.
just a little... My guess is that the result will not be an improvement but YSMV.

Try an alum block and other blades.... the rash may be more razor burn than reaction to soap.

Thanks for the advice but it only ever happens with MdC and using any blade. It isn't terrible but yeah day to day it builds. I am hoping dumbing down the scented with the unscented takes the edge off but will try the unscented alone first to see if it is something more. I will also try a blend in a small cup first before committing the whole cake.

Originally Posted by groovyd

Thanks for the advice but it only ever happens with MdC and using any blade. It isn't terrible but yeah day to day it builds. I am hoping dumbing down the scented with the unscented takes the edge off but will try the unscented alone first to see if it is something more. I will also try a blend in a small cup first before committing the whole cake.

Have you tried other soaps or creams with lavender oil in it? Some people have sensitivity to lavender as it can be an irritant, especially in EO form.

Originally Posted by Theseus

Have you tried other soaps or creams with lavender oil in it? Some people have sensitivity to lavender as it can be an irritant, especially in EO form.

I do think it is the lavender that does it for me, terrible though since I love lavender. I had some lavender EO I used to put in a vaporizer in the bedroom to help sleep but noticed as well my eyes would get itchy whenever I did that. I love the MdC smell, wish they had one with the same (or some) smell to it without the lavender but using some similar substitute. Would grating the soap and letting it sit out for a few days (weeks, months) before pressing it back together help reduce the EO?

If anyone knows, specifically of the famous wet shaving soaps and creams which ones have lavender in them this might make my search for the perfect soap a lot easier. I seem to get some irritation out of MWF as well. Would be really nice to see a thread indicating soaps by ingredient might help people with allergies. for example:

...
- lanolin - MWF, Lou's Bomb, ... (perhaps strongest to weakest)
- lavender - MdC, Tabac, TOBS Lavender, ...
- menthol - Proraso...
...

I wouldn't mind putting a spreadsheet together if people send me the ingredient lists of different soaps. After some time we might have a pretty complete list that I could post up here. It could also indicate the various scientific and natural names for the different ingredients to help people choose what suits them.

I actually think perhaps many people just getting into wet shaving might complain of razor burn when really they are experiencing allergies with the traditional (EO rich) products. My guess is the supermarket canned creams have long ago formulated all allergins completely out of the products to try and satisfy the largest market, but they aren't nearly as fun.

For a citrus fragrance, I would like to recommend a small natural soap maker in my area. They make a Citrus and a Lemon fragrance that are very nice. The shaving soap is their Camp Bar(actually a puck):

Sea Hag Soaps & Art Mercantile
1044 McCormick Rd
Brackney, PA 18812
Phone - 570-663-2297
Fax: - 570-663-2878
E-Mail: - colleen@seahagsoaps.com

Obie,
Well done my friend!! Carry on with your search!!

Originally Posted by Theseus

Have you tried other soaps or creams with lavender oil in it? Some people have sensitivity to lavender as it can be an irritant, especially in EO form.

Most confusing is that there are two types of lavender oil.
One can be good when the other not so good.

If it irritates set it to the side. A problem product
can mess up the next shave (or more) so just take
it out of the rotation for long enough that you know
some other product is not causing trouble.

After a number of negative shave results pass it
on to someone else or just toss it. If your skin
hates it and the nose likes it wrap it in paper
and keep in you shirt drawer.

Originally Posted by groovyd

....snip....
I actually think perhaps many people just getting into wet shaving might complain of razor burn when really they are experiencing allergies with the traditional (EO rich) products. My guess is the supermarket canned creams have long ago formulated all allergins completely out of the products to try and satisfy the largest market, but they aren't nearly as fun.

The major brands can be as bad as any.

The interesting thing is that "fragrance" often triggers toxic reactions
in contrast to allergic reactions. The result is almost the same but
gives some big brand names a place to hide. Animal testing is
out in most of the world today to you and I are the testers.

When picking a shave soap I go for the old brands or I go for the
shop that has a fragrance free version. If I get a good lather and
good shave from the fragrance free version I then explore the others.

The toxins permitted in products under the word "fragrance" would
astound most folk. My antihistamine tablet has 10mg of active
ingredient in it.... miligrams.... My chemistry prof once remarked that some nerve
gas poisons were curious because they permitted the counting
of nerve cells -- even at very low doses they were lethal.

The toxic effects of fragrances is one of my pain points.
Time to get down from my high horse.