First soap recommendation for newbie with sensitive skin

[Bastiat]

Hi, newbie here.

First of all, Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year for you all.

The title says it all. So TL;DR: look at the title and pick one of the three, please.

I have a Mühle R106 with ASTRA Superior Platinum blades, waiting for me at the post office as my first ever safety razor. I did a lot of research and lurking on all the forums and Youtube channels, before I actually made this purchase. I am talking weeks instead of days.

Soon I would also like to order my first dedicated shaving soap. I know the soap will last very long. I also know that I have very little space in my Amsterdam bathroom, so I am not eager to become a shaving afishinado with a ****load of razors, brushes and soaps. This may sound laughable on a forum like this, but I just do not have the space for it and I love Amsterdam too much to see my wife and me moving elsewhere anytime soon. (Also, living in the Netherlands means I have to watch shipping costs and perhaps import duties and customs.)

Now, after weeks of research and lurking, considering soaps, it comes down to one of the above three soaps. I am leaning towards Declaration Grooming, since their soap seems to be less hard and therefore easier to get a separate part in a bowl, which I would prefer, if I have a choice. However the hard- or softness is no deal breaker. D.R. Harris with its triple-milled hard soap is the only one of the above three that I can get locally and do not have to import myself.

My non-important wishes are: I would like to make my future shaving lather in bowl, instead of on my face or on the soap/puck itself; and I would like it not to interfere too much with my Jack Black Double Duty Face Moisterizer SPF20 aftershave balsem or perhaps other colognes.

I have a pretty sensitive skin (and I should shave every 24 hours to look clean--talking Gillette Fusion here).

So which of the above soaps can you recommend for sensitive skin? Is there anyone with sensitive skin here who has experience with one/them? And which of them has the shortest lasting and/or most subdued scent? Despite YMMV and all.

Thank you in advance!

 

[Bastiat]

PS Please mind I am no native speaker. I am not leaning towards Declaration Grooming just because their soap seems a little bit softer, as it looks like I have stated above. I will keep using Jack Black Double Duty SPF20 no matter what. (The cologne I sometimes wear is Pi by Givenchy by the way.)

 

[sarimento1]

Sir Bastiat, Welcome to B&B!!

FWIW, let me suggest that you focus more on Preshave Prep as key step for your sensitive skin!
Hot towel, preshave oil, glycerin soap (my personal favorite), preshave balm...many options!
Experiment to see what works best for you!

 

[Schnitzel52]

Welcome!!
I saw your previous post and now this one.
You have received excellent advice from the same people who helped me, including sarimento1 above.
He is correct.
I am a new DE shaver since late July.
I thought I had sensitive skin, too.
When I started to moisturize and care for my skin, my sensitive condition cleared in less than a week.
I live in Denver Colorado. Our humidity now is in single digits. Very dry.
When I told my wife's skin doctor about my sk in sensitivity clearing he said; "Dry skin is irritated skin."
A healthy skin regimen will help you greatly combined with nourishing soaps will help you greatly.
Why not try Haslinger's Schaffmilche?
It lathers generously and provides a cushioned and slippery lather.
The post shave feel is smooth, soothing and comfortable.
Also, Nivea Post Shave Balm is soothing post shave.

Good Luck on your journey!

 

[Hannah's Dad]

Nothing — and I mean nothing — is kinder to my sensitive skin than Barrister & Mann Reserve soap and matching aftershave. (Any scent) When I use these products, I get zero stinging, zero redness, zero ingrowns and zero drama. I highly recommend this to you.

The Fern might be the subtle scent you need.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Mitchell's Wool Fat is the best I've found for my skin so far, but some people do have issues with lanolin. If you do, be careful with the Haslingers too.

As I suggested to you in the other thread to keep using your current foam/gel to simplify the learning curve, I'm going to clarify that by adding "until you feel competent with the razor"

After that, how about trying a few soap samples. As you rightly say, soaps last ages, and trying to find what works best for you is a big commitment in terms of how many months of soap you end up with. Samples would simplify that, at least until you find a "base" product that you know works for you.

I recently got some samples from Shavedash.com and am working through those. I don't want to be collecting great swathes of soap either. They do soap and creams, so you can try enough for four or five shaves to get a feel for it, without being stuck with six months of soap that you're not keen on, or which irritates your skin. I got 8 samples delivered for £17, I think it was. Not the cheapest way to buy soap, but the most sensible way to explore different ones without overstocking.

Again, as I said before, if you start experimenting and trying to learn lather at the same time as trying to learn a new razor style, you might come unstuck. So either get to grips with the DE razor before exploring the new soaps ... or... maybe more sensibly.... put the new razor aside for now, find the right soap and lather type with the cartridge razor, and then once you know the lather is right for your skin, then pick up the DE.

... and yes, I know, I've not given you any suggestions yet

Have a rummage through shavedash, and look for unscented products. They're the ones less likely to give you a chemical irritation. Lanolin might be good for you, or bad for you, so add a Haslinger or Mitchell's Wool Fat sample too, and see how that works out.

 

[Hooman]

I would strongly recommend that you check Grooming Dept's unscented soaps (problem being that you'd have to know when the release date is since they are not always available and mostly sold-out).

Barrister and Mann Reserve base is also an excellent soap, since they are scented, they may or may not cause irritation.

Also, check Valobra unscented, very gentle on sensitive skin.

 

[SV650Squid]

Get some samples of what you're considering from someplace like maggard's and go from there.

 

[johnwick]

My recommendation is to use a soap manufactured in Europe rather than a US soap you’ll need to ship across the pond. You said that shipping costs were important to you.

I recommend Haslinger as a great first soap over Mitchell’s Wool Fat, as Haslinger is easier to load and build a lather. Much more beginner friendly than others.

Second, or first, you can order reasonably priced samples from shavedash.com. The owner Jim is based in the UK and had an excellent selection!

 

[Bastiat]

Thank you all for the warm welcomes and all the extensive advice!! I will thoroughly bear it all in mind!

FWIW, let me suggest that you focus more on Preshave Prep as key step for your sensitive skin!
Hot towel, preshave oil, glycerin soap (my personal favorite), preshave balm...many options!
Experiment to see what works best for you!

I would like to stress that I have been taking care of my skin for a long time already. I have been using soap-free soaps for my face for almost two decades. I only shave after I shower. And my showers are never short (remembering my siblings complain lol). I have been using Nivea for men Sensitive shaving gel, for over fifteen years and I used to finish it off with Nivea for men Sensitive shaving balsem. I also have been using face scrub at least twice a week for over a decade--always learnt to NOT scrub/exfoliate before you shave by the way(?) So one day scrubbing/exfoliating, next day shaving. (In Dutch we use the English "scrub", also as a verb, but I am guessing the English use "exfoliate" instead?)

Long time ago already, I also learnt that (after smoking) the sun is the biggest enemy of your skin, especially in the aging department, so I am also using some sort of sunblock, every day, 365 days a year, for well over a decade. I actually often have it in my in bag. Although I never put sunblock on parts I just shaved, if it was not really necessary. Just two years ago, I discovered Jack Black Double-Duty SPF20. So no I use that to finish my face off with, every day.

Further, my skin is sensitive, but not excessively, I guess. Acne has never been a problem for me, but my skin does get red easily (red of irritation, not sunburn). I also always had razor burn, but that got less over the years/decades. Perhaps because I got more careful with my skin, perhaps because my skin got older and more used to shaving. My skin always was super dry, but has gotten much fatter when I got older. Of course knowledge helps a lot too. I got more knowledgeable over the years. When I started shaving with my dad, I started with an electric razor and finished off with an alcohol based aftershave cologne trollolol! Nowadays I do not understand why these alcohol based aftershaves still exist (the only reason you need alcohol on your skin is when you want to thoroughly disinfect yourself, in my humble opinion).

Additionally, I am of the opinion, that it never hurts, to use the "sensitive" version of something, even if you do not have sensitive skin. In general, I think it doesn't hurt to use paraben-, silicone-, SLS- and synthetic dye-free products anyway.

Since I was a teenager, with dry skin, I started caring for my face skin. Long before I needed to shave my face, I already started to use the Nivea body lotion from my mom, on my face, after showers--my face would be so dry that I literally got white little crusts on my face (I do not know the Dutch word for this, my wife who speaks six languages also does not know a or any word for this, so I wrongly used "crusts" here, but I am guessing you will get what I mean). My point is, I do am and have been careful with my face for a long time already.

Honestly, I am not very eager to also be adding all kinds of pre-shaving oils and lotions to my small Amsterdam bathroom and was hoping that just a dedicated quality shaving soap and brush would be enough (finishing off with Jack Black Double-Duty as stated before). I have read about Glycerine, but I was not planning to turn my small bathroom into a chemistry lab, creating my own uberlather or whatever. Safety razor shaving will take up more time (and space) and I am often running late already. A lot of soaps have Glycerine already in them and I was actually hoping that is enough. Also, the Gillette and Nivea will not be thrown out of the small bathroom either, creating some space for the new stuff, since I do not see myself shaving my *** and balls with a double edge safety razor anytime soon lol.

 

[H4nk]

Olive oil as a pre-shave.Hopefully, you already have it as part of your heart-healthy diet.

 

[sarimento1]

Thank you all for the warm welcomes and all the extensive advice!! I will thoroughly bear it all in mind!



I would like to stress that I have been taking care of my skin for a long time already. I have been using soap-free soaps for my face for almost two decades. I only shave after I shower. And my showers are never short (remembering my siblings complain lol). I have been using Nivea for men Sensitive shaving gel, for over fifteen years and I used to finish it off with Nivea for men Sensitive shaving balsem. I also have been using face scrub at least twice a week for over a decade--always learnt to NOT scrub/exfoliate before you shave by the way(?) So one day scrubbing/exfoliating, next day shaving. (In Dutch we use the English "scrub", also as a verb, but I am guessing the English use "exfoliate" instead?)

Long time ago already, I also learnt that (after smoking) the sun is the biggest enemy of your skin, especially in the aging department, so I am also using some sort of sunblock, every day, 365 days a year, for well over a decade. I actually often have it in my in bag. Although I never put sunblock on parts I just shaved, if it was not really necessary. Just two years ago, I discovered Jack Black Double-Duty SPF20. So no I use that to finish my face off with, every day.

Further, my skin is sensitive, but not excessively, I guess. Acne has never been a problem for me, but my skin does get red easily (red of irritation, not sunburn). I also always had razor burn, but that got less over the years/decades. Perhaps because I got more careful with my skin, perhaps because my skin got older and more used to shaving. My skin always was super dry, but has gotten much fatter when I got older. Of course knowledge helps a lot too. I got more knowledgeable over the years. When I started shaving with my dad, I started with an electric razor and finished off with an alcohol based aftershave cologne trollolol! Nowadays I do not understand why these alcohol based aftershaves still exist (the only reason you need alcohol on your skin is when you want to thoroughly disinfect yourself, in my humble opinion).

Additionally, I am of the opinion, that it never hurts, to use the "sensitive" version of something, even if you do not have sensitive skin. In general, I think it doesn't hurt to use paraben-, silicone-, SLS- and synthetic dye-free products anyway.

Since I was a teenager, with dry skin, I started caring for my face skin. Long before I needed to shave my face, I already started to use the Nivea body lotion from my mom, on my face, after showers--my face would be so dry that I literally got white little crusts on my face (I do not know the Dutch word for this, my wife who speaks six languages also does not know a or any word for this, so I wrongly used "crusts" here, but I am guessing you will get what I mean). My point is, I do am and have been careful with my face for a long time already.

Honestly, I am not very eager to also be adding all kinds of pre-shaving oils and lotions to my small Amsterdam bathroom and was hoping that just a dedicated quality shaving soap and brush would be enough (finishing off with Jack Black Double-Duty as stated before). I have read about Glycerine, but I was not planning to turn my small bathroom into a chemistry lab, creating my own uberlather or whatever. Safety razor shaving will take up more time (and space) and I am often running late already. A lot of soaps have Glycerine already in them and I was actually hoping that is enough. Also, the Gillette and Nivea will not be thrown out of the small bathroom either, creating some space for the new stuff, since I do not see myself shaving my *** and balls with a double edge safety razor anytime soon lol.

Sir Bastiat, obviously I cannot add to your knowledge on this!!

 

[Tonysco]

I have particularly sensitive skin, especially in regards to heavily scented products or "essential" oils.

By far the best product I've found is TOBS organic, which is as clean of a shaving soap that i think you can get;

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Taylor-Old...id=1545946218&sr=8-3&keywords=Organic+shaving

Other tips I've found out over the years;

Get the skin good and hot, ideally have a shower before you shave, Don't use soap on your face, not the areas you plan to shave anyway, just give the hot water a good rub in.

Get a nice well hydrated lather, slickness is more important than cushioning imo, go for a sharp blade, i find more aggressive razors actually provide a smoother and more comfortable shave for me. Very little pressure, just enough to guide the razor and keep it on the skin, don't go against the grain ideally. Don't scrub your face too hard with the brush.

After the shave rinse all the soap residue off your face with warm water, i use my hands instead of a cloth so i can feel if any is still there. Get a cloth and soak it in cold water, then apply to your face. Do this before applying any form of aftershave. I find non-alcoholic aftershaves the best, Nivea balm is good and easily had. Lucky Tiger is great too, smells of peeled oranges but is £20 a bottle here.

If its freezing cold outside then apply a few drops of oil before going out, it can be a proper shaving oil but even a few drops of olive oil or sunflower oil works well, keeps the moisture in the skin better than a light balm.

Products I've found to work well;

- Palmolive soap and cream
- Arko sticks
- Lea cream
- Edwin jagger aloe soap
- MWF
- Proraso red
- TOBS aloe
- Nivea sensitive cream
- Bulldog sensitive cream (brushless, but very slick and great on my skin)

Be aware of anything that contains a decent amount of menthol, in particular white proraso, which has more than you would expect from a product billed as sensitive.

I can get away with a decently scented product if i only shave every 2-3 days. Also you might be surprised how well the canned stuff works for your skin, depending on what your having a reaction to.

 

[1959tony]

Out of the 3 I would recommend DR Hartis since you can get it locally. It is high quality soap with a nice choice of scents.

 

[BigJ]

Get some samples of what you're considering from someplace like maggard's and go from there.

+1! Best bet is to try the options yourself!!

 

[Bastiat]

Thank you all again!

Just to be sure (written communication + lost in translation perhaps) it was nor is my intention to come off as a smart*ss or knowitall.

Further, I never would have guessed that the three letter synonym for b*tt, or clunis in medical Latin, would be censored here, even when you're talking about shaving it. I am guessing that I am not the only male who shaves his b*ttocks.

The local climate is not really affecting my skin that much. Colorado or Nevada for example are in a completely different ballgame I guess. Wikipedia states about the Dutch climate: "The predominant wind direction in the European Netherlands is southwest, which causes a mild maritime climate, with moderately warm summers and cool winters, and typically high humidity. This is especially true close to the Dutch coastline, where the difference in temperature between summer and winter, as well as between day and night is noticeably smaller than it is in the southeast of the country." Naturally we feel the climate change too, which, over the last two decades, have given the Netherlands hotter springs, summers and autumns and less cold winters, with summers also lasting longer--all on average of course. (So I am actually pretty happy with the change in climate lol.) Of course I am using bucket loads of lotion in the dry winter and bucket loads of sunblock in the summer, but then I am not talking about my face specifically. Again, Jack Black's Double-Duty SPF20 is serving me just fine for my face most of the time. As long as I am not laying in the sun or doing summer city trips to Rome or Athens or visiting the inlaws in Brazil, the SPF20 is OK (of course, the higher the better).

Maggard is an excellent recommendation and was already at the top of my list since they offer international shipping from 6.37 USD (without tracking though) which is actually cheaper than shipping a package within my own tiny country lol!? (South Carolina is almost twice as big as the Netherlands.) Declaration Grooming charges 14 USD for international shipping with tracking. So shipping costs below 15 USD on a two year lasting soap won't necessarily be a dealbreaker for me. It are the import duties and customs that I am reluctant to pay. Dutchies are allowed to import products upto 22 EUR without any additional fees, customs or duties when purchasing them yourself from an online store (and upto 45 EUR if it is send to you as a gift from someone else). Officially the value of the declared package should be only the product, without shipping costs. However, the half-*ssed privatized national post office of the Socialist Netherlands has to do the declaring for you and charges administrative/declaring fees for it. Therefore it is somewhat in their interest, to add the shipping costs to the total amount or turn a blind eye to the specifications and only look at the total amount (I stated "somewhat" because the actual penpusher himself will not be making any euro extra for it). Nonetheless, in case of a 4 oz can B&M Reserve Classic Shaving soap from Maggard's, the total amount will be 24.36 USD including international shipping i.e. 21.30 EUR, on this moment

Withal, I will still take your advice to heart dear AimlessWanderer! "If you experience difficulties at first, you won't necessarily know what needs what adjustments. Was it the lather, or the blade, or the razor, or the technique? Working with a known quantity simplifies things. (I shaved with DE and convenience products for lather for 20 years before moving to soaps).", Aimless advised me in another thread.

I still did not order any soap yet and I will not be in a hurry doing so either. I just like to gather opinions, especially on the three soaps I specified in the poll above, concerning this thread. Even if I do actually put in an order, it is possible it will take weeks to get here, before all the declaring etc. is done.

Anyhow, thanks again y'all!

 

[Macfrommichigan]

DR Harris provides nice cushion.

 

[Bastiat]

Second, or first, you can order reasonably priced samples from shavedash.com. The owner Jim is based in the UK and had an excellent selection!

I did not realize they are based in the UK and only charge 3.85 GBP international shipping costs! That is even less than Amazon UK would charge me. Which again is less what I would have to pay myself if I would ship a 4 oz can myself within my own tiny country!


Thanks again

 

[johnwick]

I did not realize they are based in the UK and only charge 3.85 GBP international shipping costs! That is even less than Amazon UK charges. Which again is less what I would have to pay myself if I would ship a 4 oz can myself within my own tiny country!


Thanks again

The owner is an absolute gentleman and runs a great operation. The samples aren’t huge but they are sold at a fair price and you’ll have a good understanding of what you’ll want to buy. Good luck!

 

[Bastiat]

The samples aren’t huge but they are sold at a fair price and you’ll have a good understanding of what you’ll want to buy. Good luck!

Yes, perfect for a newbie like me, especially since they offer all kinds of samples of both DG and B&M as well! And they even offer 10% off if you order for 15 GBP or more. So definitely a "fair price" indeed.