Thread: burning sensation

I've tried some different shave soaps from coleen's to some on the classic shaving website and they all leave a burning sensation until I rinse it off.
Col. Conks almond shave soap is the only one I've tried with no problem.
Anybody out there with the same problem and do you have any soap suggestions?

Thanks, Mark

I've had that with Cavendish Black when I used a plastic bristled brush but when I switched to badger, I was fine. CB and Leatherneck are Fragrant Oil based soaps. When I used her Essential Oil based soaps I was fine even when using the Wilkinson plastic brush.

I use a dovo silver tip badger. Both the cavendish and bayrum I got burning from!?!

Essential based?? please explain.

I used BB, so your bristles should be gentler on the face than mine. 2 other quite possible explanations:
1) Your skin is more sensitive than mine (mine is sensitive but it's not as bad as some people's). In that case Colleen can hook you up with some gentler formulas.
2) Your blade and/or technique may not be up to par and they're scraping your face raw, thus making it more sensitive to heavily scented soaps.

The way to test this is to give your face a day of rest from shaving and just apply the Bay Rum soap (it's the gentler of the two). If your face doesn't burn when you apply the soap, you need to reevaluate the edge/your technique.

Essential Oil (EO) = natural oil extracted from a plant
Fragrant Oil (FO) = artificially produced oil with a fragrance, generally more likely to cause irritation than EOs

I think my skin might be more sensitive. I've used Dominica bay rum after shave for years and it never fails to let me know if I've been to rough on my face, but I think I'll give it a try anyways!!
Come to think of it, I used to use a boar bristle brush when I first started using straights and I got a similar sensation only not as bad.

Good Morning Gentlemen,

I'm always surfing for those "burning" questions....so thought I'd chime in here.

First off Mark, I'm sorry you've had some difficulty with the soaps.

FiReSTaRT has given you excellent pointers regarding the difference in the soaps. It is true that the "Cavendish Black" is NOT for people with sensitive skin so I am never surprised to hear when that one will not work for someone. The Cavendish Black is a blend of Fragrance oils only.

The Bay Rum is a blend of Bay Pimento racemosa essential oil and Sweet Orange Citrus sinensis oil. Which "should" be ok for you, but I've certainly learned that everyone is different.

I'll be happy to send you some samples of other shaving soaps to try "On the House"...and we will find something that will work for you. Send me a PM.

Or contact me at: thegentlemensquarter@verizon.net

XXWarm Regards, Colleen

The fact that all the soaps are giving aburning sensation, not just Colleens, makes me suspect your razor or your technique is not up to scratch. Maybe try using the soap with a commercial safety razor. If your face does not burn then, it is down to your honing skills or shaving technique.

"The way to test this is to give your face a day of rest from shaving and just apply the Bay Rum soap (it's the gentler of the two). If your face doesn't burn when you apply the soap, you need to reevaluate the edge/your technique."
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Well, I tried after a day of rest and the lather still gives a burning sensation and my lips are slightly rough and dry from where the lather touched my lips the first time I tried. too bad because this is some of the best lather and the bay rum sweet orange is by far one of the best aromas!! any suggestions?

Try the Bay Rum cream instead or take Colleen up on her offer of the test samples and find a soap that does work.