What's new

Good soaps for extremely sensitive skin

Hi all,

I have had great success with proraso white shaving soap. I want to try something new, maybe a bit more exciting but am uncertain what to go for.

For context my skin is very sensitive. Most moisturisers make me itch and I use soap free body wash to reduce irritation from showering which I avoid doing daily or with hot water because my skin does simply does not like it. Maybe because many shaving soaps tend to be quite simple in composition I'll have more luck with them than other dermatological products though. I'd prefer to get small sizes of soap just so if it doesn't work out for me it's not just a massive waste. -although I just got my brother to get his de shaving kit so maybe I can palm some off on him 😈

So now that you know what I'm up against where should I start?
 

EclipseRedRing

I smell like a Christmas pudding
If you don't mind a softer cream then Jermyn Street by Taylor of Old Bond Street is excellent and designed for sensitive skin. It is my favourite of the TOBS creams, it performs wonderfully, and the scent is divine. I mostly use hard soaps now and if that is also your preference then I would avoid TOBS completely. Good luck.
 
If you don't mind a softer cream then Jermyn Street by Taylor of Old Bond Street is excellent and designed for sensitive skin. It is my favourite of the TOBS creams, it performs wonderfully, and the scent is divine. I mostly use hard soaps now and if that is also your preference then I would avoid TOBS completely. Good luck.
Thanks for your reply. I haven't used a shaving cream so far. Don't see a reason not to though. Why do you prefer hard soaps?
 
If you're willing to try a hard soap, I would recommend Martin de Candre Nature (unscented). Very short ingredient list and all vegetal. I would even consider their scented soaps friendly to sensitive skin as they only use essential oils and no fragrance oils. Haslinger is another fine option, I really like their aloe soap. Shavedash has a lot of great sample options and is UK-based if I'm not mistaken.
 

EclipseRedRing

I smell like a Christmas pudding
Thanks for your reply. I haven't used a shaving cream so far. Don't see a reason not to though. Why do you prefer hard soaps?
I exclusively face lather and enjoy the process of 30 seconds of loading the brush from the puck, usually in a vintage mug, and then vigorously face lathering with a short lofted scrubby brush. I mainly use vintage products now and the creams I have acquired are pre 1970s and have solidified - to the point where they make decent hard soaps 🤣
 
If you don't mind a softer cream then Jermyn Street by Taylor of Old Bond Street is excellent and designed for sensitive skin. It is my favourite of the TOBS creams, it performs wonderfully, and the scent is divine. I mostly use hard soaps now and if that is also your preference then I would avoid TOBS completely. Good luck.
I have TOBS Sandalwood in the wood bowl and love it. I get great lathers from it. That said, if someone is used to making lather from creams or easier soaps from which to make lather (e.g., Tabac), TOBS soap could prove more challenging.

My solution is to bloom the soap face down in a shaving bowl with enough water to cover only the face of the puck. Once the water becomes filmy, I pour out the bloom water into another container and pick up the puck of TOBS in my left hand while I swirl a brush (held in my right hand) across the face of the TOBS puck for a minute. Next, I gather all the protolather on the puck and dump it into my shaving bowl before whipping it with my brush. I add the bloom water back to the bowl in small increments until I make a good lather that's ready for use.

801A48E0-62E6-4CB0-8068-40CA7028E0AD.jpeg
 
Haslinger Sensitive is a great hard soap and worth a try. Esteem shaving soaps are a British artisan that are all designed for sensitive skin, they have an unscented aftershave balm as well and worth checking out.
 
There are some great UK artisans, Wickhams Soap Co. 1912, Phoeni &Beau, Signature Soaps and probably a few more I can't think of right now.
 
Have you tried "Mitchell's Wool Fat" AKA MWF ? Also, Kent shaving soap is pretty much the same and may simply be rebranded. At least that was the case the last time I tried it a few years ago.
It has almost no scent. Look it up and see other peoples opinions.

They are based in the UK and you can buy directly from them.
Tell them I sent you. (only kidding, they don't know me from a bar of soap 🤣
🤣🤣)

To answer your other question; Hard soaps last longer than creams.
 
If you're willing to try a hard soap, I would recommend Martin de Candre Nature (unscented). Very short ingredient list and all vegetal. I would even consider their scented soaps friendly to sensitive skin as they only use essential oils and no fragrance oils. Haslinger is another fine option, I really like their aloe soap. Shavedash has a lot of great sample options and is UK-based if I'm not mistaken.
I googled it and it's over £50? Am I barking up the wrong tree or is that correct. Outside of my price range if it is.
 
I googled it and it's over £50? Am I barking up the wrong tree or is that correct. Outside of my price range if it is.
If I were you I would start by saying "Thank you Benoni for your recommendation, but unfortunately, my wallet is as sensitive as my skin."
And you can expand from here.
 
Speick shave stick is a great soap but lavender is known to be a skin irritant. Just a word of caution.
The other Speick, MEN Active Shaving Soap, the puck, while does not have lavender oil, its ingredients list include Parfum (Fragrance). Also dicey.
I might be wrong, as I have been wrong before, many times.
 
To add to my previous note...

Vetyver and agrumes are the only scents that don't contain benzoin, in case that matters in your case. I was surprised that nature (unscented) did not make this list. However, in my experience nature still has a faint scent similar to the original.

I have tried 5 out of the 6 scents, all except rose. The scents can be strong when new and it helps to leave the jar open at least for a few days. I actually just leave it open all the time.
 
St. James has worked pretty well for me, but my wife cannot stand any of their scents. At all.
I would never recommend SJOL, and most creams made by Creighton, for sensitive skin as their scents are way too strong and there's something in their creams that irritates my skin.
 
Top Bottom