Dry Skin: Soaps or Creams?

[ZlinMan]

Living up North, we get some pretty cold winters, and the dry cold air co-mingled with my dry skin = a day where I can't smile with fear my face might fall apart. I'm a newbie to the wet shaving community, and thus far have only experimented with soaps (Williams and VDH to be specific). Both give a great shave, but even after an aftershave balm and a face moisturizer, I'm still pretty dry. Should I be using a different soap, or abandon them altogether and stick with creams?

Cheers!

>Nathan

 

[Leche]

MWF Soap!

 

[dmachine]

IMO, TOBS Avocado shaving cream has good moisturizing properties. YMMV of course.

 

[ZlinMan]

I'll have to keep an eye out for TOBS, seems like good stuff. As for MWF, seems a bit pricey, being a student, but what do I know maybe I can find some here on the B/S/T. I'll keep my eyes peeled. Appreciate it gents!

 

[Leche]

I'll have to keep an eye out for TOBS, seems like good stuff. As for MWF, seems a bit pricey, being a student, but what do I know maybe I can find some here on the B/S/T. I'll keep my eyes peeled. Appreciate it gents!

Refill pucks are around 12 to 15 bucks. I think 13 at WCS which is the same as TOBS and will last longer.

 

[ceebee]

Detergent-based soaps and creams are much more drying than soaps and creams which have a fatty acid soap as the primary ingredient. Detergents are very efficient at stripping beneficial oils from the surface and the pores of skin. The most commonly used detergents in cosmetic products are sodium or ammonium laureth sulfate (SLS). The term 'lauryl' is synonomous with laureth. Another name for this ubiquitous detergent is sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS).

True soaps are derived from fatty acids. These have one fatty/oily end of the molecule and the other end is ionic and water-loving. Because of the fatty component, true soaps are less drying than detergents. These soaps are derived directly from fats such as tallow, or manufactured using some of the fatty acids found in tallow. The most common fatty acids in tallow are palmitic acid, oleic acid and stearic acid. So, when you look at the ingredients, look for one or more of those if it doesn't say tallow.

That said, manufacturers are not always candid with their ingredient lists. I won't be repititous here, but you may want to look at my post of a few weeks back when I found that the Institute Karite cream, which I thought was fatty acid based, turned out to be SLS based and explained the drying effect on my skin http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=125432

Another thing you may want to consider is to use a small amount of a pre-shave oil. A pre-shave oil will not only improve razor glide, but it will help the epidermis retain the moisture it has just achieved by the facial wash/prep. Grapeseed oil is one of the best oils for skin as it is readily absorbed by the epidermis. It is a chief component of many pre-shave oils, but you can get high grade grapeseed oil at a supermarket for fracion of the cost---just no scent. Typically, you would want to prep the face as usual, and then apply 10-15 drops of the oil to the beard area, rubbing it in well. Lather comes next. When using a pre-shave oil, it is better to use the lather-in-the-bowl technique, and then 'paint' the pre-formed lather onto the prepped beard. The reason is that if you work up a lather on your face with a brush, you will emulsify the oil which you just applied and greatly reduce its beneficial effects. Also, this technique largely avoids accumulating oil residues on the bristles of the brush.

 

[ZlinMan]

Ceebee, thanks for the ton of information, as a newbie you can see how this can be immensely helpful. I plan on raiding the B/S/T (after some "ingredient researcing" of course ) and grabbing some tallow-based soaps. As for the pre-shave oil, I had never even considered using it before, seeing it as more of a "luxury" than a "necessity" in my case, and plan on grabbing the next bottle I see. Thanks again for all the help.

>Nathan

 

[dreadpirate]

Well - I can't do any better than ceebee, but I will say that I found Musgo Real shaving cream with lanolin to feel less dry than my soaps.

 

[cvac]

If cost is a concern, order a tub of regular JM Frasers shave cream. It comes in a 450ml tub, which is 3 times the size of a normal tub of shave cream. Not expensive either. Plus you should be able to order it from a Canadian vendor easily such as RasagePoulin.com or Fendrihan.com.

 

[ceebee]

A big +1 on cvac's endorsement of J. M. Fraser's Cream. What a buy and a great performer! It contains no detergents. First ingredient after water is stearic acid, and it also contains coconut oil (moisturizer) and glycerin (moisturizer). Good stuff, indeed.

 

[Marco]

I suggest two shaving creams that are excellent for dry skins: Taylors Avocado and Trumpers Coconut Oil.
They are both very moisturising, slick and cushioning.

 

[sombra]

Try the French shea butter soaps, such as Provence Sante or Pre de Provence. They really do offer a great shave and moisturize well.

Also, I have been using Penghalion's English Fern. It's darn expensive, but probably one of the best soaps for slick, moisturizing, lather.