Increased Sensitivity

[EJ+1305Guy]

I started wet shaving a while ago, and over the course of a few years tried several different creams and soaps. Started maybe 5 years ago with C.O. Bigelow. Then moved on to Truefitt & Hill, AOS, Real Shaving Co., Edwin Jagger + VDH soaps. Over the same time frame I've experimented with different DE razors and cartridge razors (my favorite being Trac II and the Sensor). Maybe a little over a year ago, my skin just suddenly developed an allergic reaction to EVERYTHING. The only thing I can use to shave without irritation is Aveeno Shaving Gel (works better than most of you probably think). At first, I thought it was just scented/ perfumed soaps + creams. But, alas, unscented products have the same effect. At this point, I'm so discouraged to try anything besides what I currently use, because I inevitably end up throwing money out the window. And I'm so disapointed because I'd love to be able to use AOS sandalwood cream again, once my favorite. Has anyone else has this problem? That is, a sudden and complete skin allergy. Any advice?

 

[kmain]

I personally haven't seen it..but as people get older you can develop weird allergies or discover new ones.. I have a pretty severe allergic reaction to something in Unisom sleep gel pills... bad enough where I went to the hospital for it and had to be hooked up to a EKG and get a IV. Best to just avoid things you react negatively to...

 

[tomcj2]

You may grow out of it. Twenty years ago I developed a severe allergy to PABA, an ingredient found in some sun tan lotions, but this past summer I used some without thinking about it and had no problems.

 

[sychodelix]

Hmm. Try putting a few dabs of the various creams and soaps on your inner wrist or arm and leave it there for a few hours and see what happens.

My guess is nothing.

Sounds more like a skin irritation issue to me, and not an allergy, or the unscented products wouldn't bother you. If you can, stop shaving for a few days. What type of brush are you using and do you face lather? Brushes can irritate your face more than you know. Give it some experimentation, see what happens and let us know.

Edit: Use witch hazel on your face too, while you let your face rest. It heals much faster that way.

 

[Vlad]

This is terrible! Yeah, my first step would be to try to rule out brush burn, and do the arm test. Hard to imagine that everything is causimg a reaction. If you don't get a reaction on your arm, try using a product just as a facial soap--skip the brush and razor.