Irritation with Milled Soaps?

[DavidB]

I wonder if there is anything about milled soaps that might cause irritation. I'm a Mama Bear, Honeybee Spa and Van Der Hagen guy. I recently picked up some Tabac and Trumper Rose and have used them exclusively for about a week and a half. But my skin is kinda red in one spot where I've had some rosacea in the past, and I have a couple of red dots for the first time in a long while.

Is it anything about milled soaps, or is it more about the fragrances or something else that's causing the flare-up?

Dave

 

[Obsessed]

I would guess it's the fragrances. I have pretty sensitive skin, and milled soaps have been both great and terrible.

 

[drandall]

i wouldn't think the milling process is responsible...since the milling process is simply compressing bits of soap into a tightly pressed, longer lasting bar.

it must be a component of the soap itself, a fragrance or ingredient....

 

[dpm802]

Only milled soap that's ever given me irritation is Provence Sante. I'm not sure if its the Shea Butter or what, but every time I shave with it, I get a lot of razor burn.

I use it sometimes to wash my face prior to shaving, and no problems. Then, I rinse off the Provence Sante and re-lather with something else to shave with, usually L'Occitane Cade.

 

[cvac]

My guess is the fragrances. Also consider that the ingredients are probably a bit different than the glycerine soaps you're used to. You might want to also be careful making the lather too thick as that can be just as bad as making it too thin and also leaving it on your face too long. One thing you might want to try is leaving the lid off the soaps for a couple of weeks. That might cause some of the fragrance to dissipate and make it easier on your skin.

 

[WhosYerBob]

Could be the fragrance - but also could be one or more of the ingredients on their contents list. Have you tried an artisan soap that is all natural yet?

 

[Bulldawg]

I wonder if there is anything about milled soaps that might cause irritation. I'm a Mama Bear, Honeybee Spa and Van Der Hagen guy. I recently picked up some Tabac and Trumper Rose and have used them exclusively for about a week and a half. But my skin is kinda red in one spot where I've had some rosacea in the past, and I have a couple of red dots for the first time in a long while.

Is it anything about milled soaps, or is it more about the fragrances or something else that's causing the flare-up?

Dave

For me it turned out to be the top layer of the soap. I made a rookie mistake and sold a number of good soaps (Tallow English Fern, MWF, Provence Sante...etc) on B/S/T only to learn that I needed to remove that top layer to avoid irritation. I now shower once with a new puck prior to using it...and that seems to have solved all my irritation issues...I can't really explain the chemistry behind it but it works for me...good luck

 

[DavidB]

Thanks, everyone! Great input.

Dave

 

[Tricky]

My condolences for not being able to use Tabac. Good luck in your search! I think that may be half the fun of this passion.

 

[Aaron622]

I have exactly the same "problem", so I use glycerin soaps exclusively now (although I will probably true MWF at some point). Glycerin soaps are slicker, leave my skin feeling better, and just seem to work for me. I could get excellent shaves with Trumper's soap, but I found that if I used it too much, it would irritate my skin. I tried 3 different scents (and one old tallow formula), and it didn't seem to matter; I'd always get somewhat of a burning sensation. My personal belief (and I don't really have anything to back this up with) is that traditional milled soaps are designed more to give that thick, creamy, photogenic lather than to be easy on the skin.