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Irritation from brush or reaction to soap?

So I decided to give MWF a try after reading all the helpful hints on how to get it to lather well. I was using a boar brush which is still being broken in and face lathering. Now it seemed to take FOREVER to get the lather to build on face dipping the brush tips into water as I went. I would estimate it took 5 or more min of scrubbing on my face. The issue is before I even touched my face with the razor it was burning slightly which got worse with time as I shaved. Is this likely due to being sensitive to MWF or was it I just scrubbed face too much with the boar brush?

Hope it is not allergies to MWF since I was accidentally shipped 2 pucks =p
 
So I decided to give MWF a try after reading all the helpful hints on how to get it to lather well. I was using a boar brush which is still being broken in and face lathering. Now it seemed to take FOREVER to get the lather to build on face dipping the brush tips into water as I went. I would estimate it took 5 or more min of scrubbing on my face. The issue is before I even touched my face with the razor it was burning slightly which got worse with time as I shaved. Is this likely due to being sensitive to MWF or was it I just scrubbed face too much with the boar brush?

Hope it is not allergies to MWF since I was accidentally shipped 2 pucks =p

I have not found MWF that hard to lather. Sounds to me as though you didn't load the brush well enough. I load for 1 minute on the puck and then face lather adding water as needed.

Some folks do have an allergic reaction to the lanolin in MWF. You might want to bowl lather it and see if that helps with your irritation. If it goes away then perhaps it was your brush. If not maybe MWF is not for you. If so, you could always sell your pucks on the B/S/T forum. Good luck!
 

OldSaw

The wife's investment
You may be allergic to lanolin.

I also had difficulty with the very first MWF lather on a new puck.

EDIT: I have had reactions to soaps that others have raved about. It happens. If that's the case, just set it aside and move on. I'm sure someone will take them off your hands.
 
I've sometimes had similar trouble with soap lathers that have been overly thin and bubbly; I think it's to do with the way it dries out on your face.

This has happened to me with more than one kind of soap, but MWF is somewhat prone to bubbliness
 
True lanolin allergy is supposed to be fairly rare, but it does happen. The test is simple: try lathering up some MWF on your bare hands, with no brush. If there is no skin reaction, then it was almost certainly brush-burn.

Assuming it isn't an allergy, try some bowl-lathers or palm-lathers to figure out the right technique for MWF. I agree with the earlier advice to load up the brush.
 
I think you're having an allergic reaction.

I get the same from Mühle Sea Buckthorn soap. It takes a little while, but the burning gets intense and painful during the third pass, and I can feel it at the start of the second pass.

If you're really unsure and want to isolate it, try another brush. I wondered the same when I had my problems, since the brush was new as well as the soap!
 
I bet it's the brush. Its easy to scrub yourself raw when trying to face lather with a boar. I don't face lather with boars for this reason. I recommend switching to a lather bowl or a silvertip, but take a couple days off from shaving first if you can.
 

OldSaw

The wife's investment
I bet it's the brush. Its easy to scrub yourself raw when trying to face lather with a boar. I don't face lather with boars for this reason. I recommend switching to a lather bowl or a silvertip, but take a couple days off from shaving first if you can.

I doubt this very much. I have never had a brush, even crappy ones, light my face up like a soap that disagrees with me. I'm not even sure if it can be called an allergy, but certainly a negative reaction and it only seems to affects my face and neck.
 
So I decided to give MWF a try after reading all the helpful hints on how to get it to lather well. I was using a boar brush which is still being broken in and face lathering. Now it seemed to take FOREVER to get the lather to build on face dipping the brush tips into water as I went. I would estimate it took 5 or more min of scrubbing on my face. The issue is before I even touched my face with the razor it was burning slightly which got worse with time as I shaved. Is this likely due to being sensitive to MWF or was it I just scrubbed face too much with the boar brush?

Hope it is not allergies to MWF since I was accidentally shipped 2 pucks =p

There may be some sensitivity to an ingredient but it doesn't sound like an allergic reaction, which one would expect to present with a rash. My advice would be to use a different brush and if the problem persists don't use the soap. :thumbup1:
 
eh.. It felt soft =p The ends are fairly split but it has probably only been used to make lather about 10-15 times.
 

OldSaw

The wife's investment
eh.. It felt soft =p The ends are fairly split but it has probably only been used to make lather about 10-15 times.

That's the way it should be. I think the brush is just fine. Have you tried the soap again? If you haven't had a problem with this brush in one of the other 10-15 uses, I doubt that it would all of a sudden cause this problem.

I don't know why so many people are so quick to blame the brush when the most likely culprit is the lathering product. Just because lot's of other people like it doesn't mean it's right for you. I can't use C&E Cade but other people think it's the bee's knees.
 
Not blaming the brush, blaming the full 5 minutes he spent rubbing it on his face.
OP said that the 10-15 previous lathers were with a different soap that lathered up easier.
 

OldSaw

The wife's investment
Not blaming the brush, blaming the full 5 minutes he spent rubbing it on his face.
OP said that the 10-15 previous lathers were with a different soap that lathered up easier.

I see your point. I wonder how 5 full minutes of lathering with any brush and any other soap would do. I have sensitive skin and when there is a reaction to a lathering product, prolonged exposure only makes it worse.
 
If I were betting I would say the soap. Of course 5 minutes of scrubbing your face with a boar brush (or any kind for that matter) does throw a bit of an equalizer in there. I work on my lather technique and give it another go.
 
Yeah.. I usually use AoS sandlewood soap which does not take nearly as long to face lather. That said I usually lather in a bowl but from what I was reading on the MWF face lathering seemed the way to go. Planning on trying a bowl lather this weekend so if my face is on fire after at least I don't have to deal with it while at work. I did try lathering with my hands on my face a bit last night but couldn't really get much soap on my hands since the puck has glued itself into the dish.. I got a thin film on my face which I let sit for a while.. might have burned a little but could have just been my imagination. Guess I will find out this weekend.
 
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