Soap burn?

[JunkerJorge]

Without telling us which soap it was we can only guess. But usual suspect is sesitivity to certain ingredients (essential oils, lanolin,...). For me one of main culprits is menthol. My skin just doesn't like it. I also can't use L'occitane shave soap and balm, both are burning for me

I put a pic above because I couldn’t spell it. Ha. It’s Murphy and McNeil Crann Bethadh. I’ve never had any irritation from anything. And like I said it didn’t leave any lasting effects. Just a very uncomfortable burning sensation while on the face. Just making sure that wasn’t a “feature” of soaps in general.

 

[JunkerJorge]

Look up shave stores. A lot of them do samples of soaps. Depending on your location you might find one right in town. Some other members here will come in with some names but I haven't bought testers in so long...

And keep a lookout for soap PIFs or giveaways. You could get some for free if you are lucky.

I don’t live in an area with much stuff but I just realized I’m super close to west coast shaving (which is super weird since I live on the east coast, but I digress). I will have to see if they have a retail presence.

 

[LRod]

I've never had a soap burn on its own but some soap/aftershave combos have given me that sensation. Proraso red for example followed by Aqua velva cream balm will give me a burning feel.

 

[Trollky]

The only soap/cream that genuinely burned my skin was Bodyshop's Macca Root cream.

Any other time I've had lather irritation has been down to some overly vigorous face lathering on my part.

The trick for me is to refrain from trying to splay the brush too soon. Instead, I gently work the brush, let the lather blossom between the bristles which in turn splays the brush.

 

[Phoenixkh]

I may give it a go again. Any recommendations for beginner friendly soaps that also have samples available so I don’t end up with 4 ounces of face napalm?

I have skin issues resulting from psoriatic arthritis and some soaps/creams set it off.... I did just recently get some Canada Shaving Soap.... got it from Amazon... (only ten left in stock, I just checked)... it's very hard but I just scraped some off into my shaving bowl... lathered up brilliantly... I have no issues whatsoever.... unscented, so that might help.

 

[nav]

The only soap/cream that genuinely burned my skin was Bodyshop's Macca Root cream.

Any other time I've had lather irritation has been down to some overly vigorous face lathering on my part.

The trick for me is to refrain from trying to splay the brush too soon. Instead, I gently work the brush, let the lather blossom between the bristles which in turn splays the brush.

Interesting...I've recently started to get the lather going on my palm just to thicken it up a bit and then move to face lather.

 

[Roy]

I find only a few soaps and creams bring up reddish bumps on my chin. Those that are a treat for my skin are Proraso white tub, MdC natural, any SV, meißner . Although Palmolive, arko and tabac perform well, they affect my face. Still, plenty of choice for me.

 

[HazMat Shaver]

I don’t live in an area with much stuff but I just realized I’m super close to west coast shaving (which is super weird since I live on the east coast, but I digress). I will have to see if they have a retail presence.

I guess I never looked them up. But I see what you're saying. Myrtle Beach, SC is their location. LOL. I'd had thought they were in CA.
It looks like they have a store but you never know. If you find a brick-and-mortar store let us know.

 

[Roedeer]

Something in Speick Stick (old tallow formula) gave me burn. Arko does the same, but not so obviously; if I was stuck with nothing else, I could put up with Arko. Both of them perform perfectly well, apart from being incompatible with my skin.

This is not a "hard soaps versus creams" thing, as Boots Cool Cologne cream also gives me a light sting, and MWF gets a clean bill of health.

 

[steveclarkus]

So excuse my total newb question. Does soap typically burn vs cream? I picked up my first soap and it gave me a significant burning sensation. I have used several creams and never had any reactions or anything. I didn’t have any lasting effects, just discomfort while the lather was on my face. Is this a common thing with soap or does this seem like a fluke situation?

All mentholated soaps/creams burn me. Both Tabac and Cella irritate my face. I’ve settled on ARKO; it’s cheap and performs well with no side effects.

 

[Avi]

All mentholated soaps/creams burn me. Both Tabac and Cella irritate my face. I’ve settled on ARKO; it’s cheap and performs well with no side effects.

It is interesting you say that, I recently went through a sample of zingari man - the socialite and it uniquely had such a strange cold burn sensation I had to look up the ingredients. This is advertised as their only cooling soap and it is a menthol derivative called koolada 23.

I must admit I kept alternating btwn the sensation being really almost painful unpleasant ( during ) to being super pleasant ( after ) that I concluded I had a previously unknown s&m relationship to my soap

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I cannot use anything with menthol, as I get a severe skin burn with that (depending on the concentration). Yet I can eat menthol sweets. I also got discomfort, albeit less severe than with menthol, from La Toja soap. Probably due to the salts.

The third one is a bit of a mystery. Berry Fields O' Blair by Wickhams didn't burn in the same way as the others I mention, but gave me a kind of prickly heat reaction afterwards, as though it clogged my pores. I haven't identified why, and don't have a problem with any other Wickhams soap (so far).

 

[RayClem]

If you have sensitive skin like I do, there will be certain ingredients in some soaps that can irritate your skin. For my face, the primary offenders are cloves, cinnamon, peppermint, menthol, lime, lemon and grapefruit. Your skin might be sensitive to other scents. I also do not like high levels of glycerin. Some people are sensitive to lanolin. Some people are sensitive to oakmoss, which is found in many Fougere scents.

Murphy & McNeil Crann Bethadh is produced in the AON soap base. The ingredients are: Stearic Acid, Water, Beef Tallow, Duck Fat, Potassium Hydroxide, Kokum Butter, Castor Oil, Shea Butter, Vegetable Glycerin, Sodium Hydroxide, Coconut Milk, Kaolin Clay, Lanolin, Tocopheral, Fragrance, Tussah Silk

If you are allergic to lanolin, that could be an issue for you. I do not have an issue with the AON soap base, but you might.


The scent notes are:
Top: Lemon, Verbena
Heart: Violet, Iris
Base: Sandalwood, Amber

Because one of the primary scent notes is lemon, I will get some irritation from this particular soap, but not so much that I cannot use it. I tend to like very complex scents as none of the individual scent notes will be concentrated enough to irritate my skin. I could consider this to be a moderately complex scent since it has six scent notes. A highly complex scent might have ten or more different scent notes.

 

[richardjl41]

For me, no lanolin at all, and soaps do not lather well!
The worst experience was with a TFS soap made in collaboration of Barbieria Carottese, my cheeks went burning for hours after the shave! From this moment, I banned all soaps from TFS which are not great compared to Phoenix Accoutrements or Fine!

 

[DrStrange]

I may give it a go again. Any recommendations for beginner friendly soaps that also have samples available so I don’t end up with 4 ounces of face napalm?

Shave Soap Samples (Pack of 5)

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[timetofly]

In my years of shaving I have had only one soap give me a burning sensation - B&M Ocean. I sold it on BST.

 

[RobD57]

I have sensetive skin caused by psoriosis and I've been on the hunt for a few soaps I know
cause no issues to keep as a rotation while I try others.

The triggers for me so far are lanolin and (I think), essential oils. I even had a bad reaction to MWF
and a mild reaction to Cella Extra Extra Purissima! Bummer on both counts.

The ones that are on the nice list so far are Arko, Proraso Green, Stirling Unscented with Beeswax,
D.R. Harris "Arlington" and Lucky Tiger Liquid Cream Shave.

I already had all of them but the Stirling on hand, and Arko and Proraso are favorites so win some
etc,,,

YMMV of course.

 

[wulfgar1976]

I get redness/burning/irritation from La Toja quite often. I never used to and I don't believe their ingredients have changed.

I had an Erasmic "premium" shave stick that really irritated my skin, and I think the problem ingredient was sodium lauryl sulphate (hardly a "premium" ingredient). I have reacted to SLS for years and can't use toothpaste with it as it gives me mouth ulcers.

Menthol didn't give me issues when I used Ingram shaving cream but it can sting a bit when used in aftershave balm.

 

[Juanmosey]

I used a $6 Razorock Classic soap today and got burn. I think it's the Stearic acid since I've never got burn from Bigelow cream or Speick. A year ago I remember burn from Sterling's Margarita. In my case I think my skin doesn't like soaps. FYI the Razorock didn't perform as well as my two creams.

 

[Frinstance]

Looking at ingredient lists I think it's the proportion of potassium hydroxide that gives me a mild burn. I have trouble with most creams I've tried but only one brand of soap - Henri et Victoria.