Can't forget Van Der Hagen unscented. Inexpensive and very effective!
Extremely Sensitive Skin Shave Soap
- Thread starter john233
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I actually haven't tried that, and you could be right about the drying. Any suggestions for the oils?
Valobra unscented, MdC, Proraso White/Blue, Speick are all good
Try the unscented soap at The Shave Den. http://www.theshavedenshop.com/index.php?_a=product&product_id=196
When you order specify the scent "sensitive" and obviously no menthol.
When you order specify the scent "sensitive" and obviously no menthol.
I don't really use preshaves, but I believe AOS preshave is basically just olive oil and scent. Canola or Castor oil should work well too. Basically you just want a cheap, food-grade oil that doesn't stink or irritate your skin, and is liquid at skin surface temp. Could even try one of the fancy body butter oils that are semisolid, but melt on contact with skin; though I'd suspect they are quite pricey.
Noxzema gets a lot of love, too. But the scent is polarizing. People who don't like it really, really don't like it.
So I guess it's fair to say some swear by it, and others swear at it.
I find Cella to be gentle on my skin. It has a pretty short ingredient list, it doesn't even contain preservatives. It's not exciting, but I think it's tough to beat
Not to sound like a broken record about the possibility of irritation from soaps with a lot of coconut oil, but Cella irritated my face almost as much as MdC. Too much coconut oil for my skin.
Nick
Nick
With Cella, it may have been the almond scent. That is actually one of the more common irritants.
Lanolin is generally well received, but is not kind to everyone.
Almond can be problematic. I would not recommend it for sensitive skin.
This truly must be a YMMV issue...!
I have soap irritation issues as well, and had to recently dump all my fragranced soaps, yet..
Cella: for me one of the best
MWF: for me one of the worst
Mike's Unscented: One of the best
Proraso Red or Blue: one of the best
CO Bigelow Green: no issue despite menthol
Palmolive: no issue
Goodrej Lime: no issue
I also had no issue with Col Conk Almond, despite Almond being a known irritant. I strongly suspect for me it is the limonene in the MWF and others not the lanolin, but could have it mixed up.
the top two seem to be the most YMMV reading this thread..I cannot (for me) pinpoint what is or is not the irritant, but I am not shopping around any longer, I will stick with Cella/Proraso mainly, and the Palmolive or Goodrej when I can pick some up. No more experimentation here.
I have soap irritation issues as well, and had to recently dump all my fragranced soaps, yet..
Cella: for me one of the best
MWF: for me one of the worst
Mike's Unscented: One of the best
Proraso Red or Blue: one of the best
CO Bigelow Green: no issue despite menthol
Palmolive: no issue
Goodrej Lime: no issue
I also had no issue with Col Conk Almond, despite Almond being a known irritant. I strongly suspect for me it is the limonene in the MWF and others not the lanolin, but could have it mixed up.
the top two seem to be the most YMMV reading this thread..I cannot (for me) pinpoint what is or is not the irritant, but I am not shopping around any longer, I will stick with Cella/Proraso mainly, and the Palmolive or Goodrej when I can pick some up. No more experimentation here.
I've heard that about the almond scent. It was probably a combination of things, but I suspect it was mostly the coconut oil since I got exactly the same blotchy red rash that I had with MdC unscented.
Nick
I have to agree on the YMMV. I had to stop using Proraso green, it just seemed to irritate my skin giving a slight burning sensation. Arko does it to a lesser extent. While shaving I find cella feels the nicest, but MWF and Sterling feel great after shaving
In my case it's not the lanolin in MWF, it's the fragrance oils. I do just fine with Stirling soaps that contain lanolin - no irritation whatsoever.
Very much a YMMV thing.
I personally have no issue with the almond scents (Cella, RR Classic, RR P160), and seem to have dodged the lanolin sensitivity too, as MWF doesn't bother me. I do run into lots of sensitivities with other scents though. The only pattern I've found is that lime can be a problem for me (about 50% of the limes I've tried cause issues) and I've yet to find a Bay Rum that doesn't cause major irritation, often before I can even get the razor to my face. I've decided to steer clear of Bay Rum in the future. Beyond those 2, I just have to use trial and error to find what works and doesn't. Sometimes it's subtle and sometimes my face just lights up.
My strategy when trying a new soap, is to test it on the inside of my forearm. I'll put some proto-lather there and then bowl lather the soap. It usually takes me 2-3 min with a new soap as I add water slowly. If I'm really sensitive, my arm will show irritation and I'll know not to apply to my face. If there is no irritation, then I will apply to face and shave. The next test is to pay attention to the edges of my lips as that is the point that will usually show irritation first. The next step is seeing if there is delayed irritation - sometimes it doesn't show up for an hour. This is the hardest for many to identify because it can so often be mistaken for razor burn. This is why I never try a new soap while changing other parts of my routine.
If a soap can pass the arm test, the lip test, and then show no obvious irritation by an hour after the shave than it is very likely safe for me. I've only had one soap that was an exception. It actually took 2 days in a row usage before causing irritation. I could probably get away using it if I rotated off it, but I decided it wasn't special enough and there are enough other great soaps, so it got put on the bench.
I'm purposely not naming specific soaps I have problems with because I don't want to discourage people from trying them. Everyone is different, and some will have no problem with the soaps that light me up, while they can't tolerate Cella, which works great for me.
I wish it were easier to figure this stuff out and guide others. The best advice I can give someone is to have a set process for testing a new soap so that if it irritates you, it is, without a doubt, the soap's fault (and not the different blade you also were trying, or new razor, etc.).
I personally have no issue with the almond scents (Cella, RR Classic, RR P160), and seem to have dodged the lanolin sensitivity too, as MWF doesn't bother me. I do run into lots of sensitivities with other scents though. The only pattern I've found is that lime can be a problem for me (about 50% of the limes I've tried cause issues) and I've yet to find a Bay Rum that doesn't cause major irritation, often before I can even get the razor to my face. I've decided to steer clear of Bay Rum in the future. Beyond those 2, I just have to use trial and error to find what works and doesn't. Sometimes it's subtle and sometimes my face just lights up.
My strategy when trying a new soap, is to test it on the inside of my forearm. I'll put some proto-lather there and then bowl lather the soap. It usually takes me 2-3 min with a new soap as I add water slowly. If I'm really sensitive, my arm will show irritation and I'll know not to apply to my face. If there is no irritation, then I will apply to face and shave. The next test is to pay attention to the edges of my lips as that is the point that will usually show irritation first. The next step is seeing if there is delayed irritation - sometimes it doesn't show up for an hour. This is the hardest for many to identify because it can so often be mistaken for razor burn. This is why I never try a new soap while changing other parts of my routine.
If a soap can pass the arm test, the lip test, and then show no obvious irritation by an hour after the shave than it is very likely safe for me. I've only had one soap that was an exception. It actually took 2 days in a row usage before causing irritation. I could probably get away using it if I rotated off it, but I decided it wasn't special enough and there are enough other great soaps, so it got put on the bench.
I'm purposely not naming specific soaps I have problems with because I don't want to discourage people from trying them. Everyone is different, and some will have no problem with the soaps that light me up, while they can't tolerate Cella, which works great for me.
I wish it were easier to figure this stuff out and guide others. The best advice I can give someone is to have a set process for testing a new soap so that if it irritates you, it is, without a doubt, the soap's fault (and not the different blade you also were trying, or new razor, etc.).
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