Why do some soaps irritate face?

[Roy]

Over the past year I have used mainly SV soaps and recently Haslinger. Neither hardly ever irritate my face.
However, lately I have tried other soaps and creams, Including a cheap, but one which gives a good shave. All give my face some slight bumps which vanish after a few shaves with SV or Haslinger.

What ingredients cause irritation in some guys and what soaps give no problems at all. I'm wary of even trying MdC which seems to be heavily scented and would probably be a problem.......if scents can cause it.

 

[naughtilus]

Aside from the potential allergens, it could be that you are simply sensitive to higher alkalinity soaps.

 

[sarimento1]

^+1.

Excess (leftover) lye or potash lends to residual alkali.
Fragrance is separate potential issue.
You will just have to experiment and determine what works/does not.

Additionally, you can experiment with preshaves, which leave glycerin and protect your skin.

Enjoy your explorations!!

 

[EL Alamein]

For me it was glycerin content and fragrance.

I mainly use hard soaps so glycerin content it very low and I can get on with them for a few shaves unless they are heavily scented. If they are heavily scented then I only use them for a shave or two and all is well.

I mainly stick to low scented hard soaps like lavender. They do me just fine and I can use them until Kingdom come with no irritation.

Chris

 

[Timeclo]

For me it's bentonite clay that irritates my skin. Also, preservatives dry out my face but they do not irritate it.

 

[Reyort]

For me it seems to be fragrance. Anything with clove is a no no for me.

 

[Roy]

Back to the very light scent of Haslinger and a treat for my skin!

 

[nav]

So many fragrance components light me up, or cause chemical sensitivity/allergy (migraines, choking feeling etc).

I find the hard milled pucks are lighter in scent so I get on better with them. I react to maybe 1 out of 15 whereas it's more like 1 out of 5 with artisan soaps as the fragrances are much more potent.

In terms of specific fragrances, clove, cinnamon, alcohol scents light up my skin while all the aldehydes cause internal issues.

 

[Rudy Vey]

I believe it could be any ingredient, but mostly the fragrance and essential oils. High pH could also be a factor, I had some issues years ago with lanolin in Musgo Real cream.

 

[psfred]

Creams will usually have triethanolamine, which can irritate, but the usual suspects in soap irritation are the fragrances and non-saponifiable materials in some of the base oils. As noted, cinnamon, clove, and similar EOs can be VERY irritating, and the current trend of making soaps and other toiletries stink to high heaven isn't helping much.

Check the ingredient list of your soaps and see if you can identify a common ingredient that bothers you, makes it easier to avoid problems in the future.

Or make your own soaps so you know exactly what's in it. I greatly prefer nearly scentless products, and it's easy enough to make shaving soap.

 

[BigJ]

^+1.

Excess (leftover) lye or potash lends to residual alkali.
Fragrance is separate potential issue.
You will just have to experiment and determine what works/does not.

Additionally, you can experiment with preshaves, which leave glycerin and protect your skin.

Enjoy your explorations!!

Great suggestion!! The main thing is to enjoy the journey!