Is my Skin Sensitive?

[Bill_G]

I'm in my 50's & started using DE razors in June of 2019. In the past I used cartridge razors from Gillette & Schick. I used to shaved every day & would take the weekends off to give my face a break. Since I started using DE razors I don't remember ever taking a day off.
I shave every day & after the shave I always apply some after shave. My face is never irritated, red or in pain unless I cut myself. I tend to shave like I’m running late for work even when I’m not. I have multiple razors & can use them every day with no issues. This also applies to my GC .84 SB.

But lately I’ve been having issues with shave creams irritating my face. The first cream that irritated my face badly was the Gillette Pure.
I tried it twice & gave it to my oldest son. I even posted about this issue on this forum. The other cream I’ve tried recently that's irritating my face some what is the Proraso Green. Nowhere as bad as the Pure. But I can’t really use it more than 2 days straight. It always leave my face & specially my lip area tingly. Is this a sign my skin is sensitive or am I having a reaction to some of the ingredients like the menthol?
I would like to try other creams but I don’t want to spend money on creams I can’t use. In fact last night I ordered from Amazon since I needed to replenish 2 mild creams a Proraso white & a Palmolive white.

Thanks

 

[Forged]

Yes, it sounds like you are having a skin reaction to one or more ingredients in certain products. There are many soaps and creams my skin reacts to unfortunately, so I am very familiar with what you describe. For me, it’s either tingling, burning and/or itching during or after the shave, or both.

It’s a a real bummer, but the best you can do is find products that work for you and stick with them, or waste lots of money buying and trying a ton of stuff.

 

[Bill_G]

Thanks for the reply. In the past I never thought twice about trying a cream or soap. But lately I have to think real hard before I purchase anything. When I ordered the shave cream recently I wanted to try the Proraso Red since I like the Cremo Sandalwood but was scare off by a post where someone said it didn't agree with their face.

 

[EclipseRedRing]

You may have an intolerance to some ingredient or fragrance in the soap but it doesn't sound to me like your skin is sensitive if you can shave daily; just find some soaps or creams that work for you and stick with them. I can recommend Taylor of Old Bond Street, Jermyn Street which is marketed as being for sensitive skin. It is my favourite Taylor's cream despite me not having sensitive skin although I use only hard soaps now. Perhaps experimentation and attention to ingredients lists will indicate which ingredient is affecting you. That said, it seems like every other member at B&B thinks they have awfully sensitive skin but at the same time incredibly tough whiskers

 

[Forged]

Yeah, sandalwood soaps/creams are always risky. The proraso white worked fine for me but not the blue, so I never tried the green or red.

Many B&M soaps work well for me but I have reacted to several others. The SV soaps seem to be ok, at least the half dozen or so I own. Many folks seem to suggest that any unscented product will be fine, but I’ve not tried enough to draw a conclusion. B&M Soft Heart Unscented has been fine, but I can’t think of any other unscented soaps I’ve tried.

Keep in mind that you can become sensitized to an ingredient over time, so a product that doesn’t bother you at first, or only causes a slight tingle, may at some later point in time start causing major issues.

 

[South Dakota Guy]

I mostly use shave soaps but I too am experiencing irritation with some soaps. For this reason I now get samples of the soaps and give them a good trial before purchasing. What happens to me is that sometime after I shave, usually 2 to 10 hours, I begin to experience discomfort and redness on my neck. I then have to wash my neck and apply Nivea balm. If I use a wet wash cloth and thoroughly wash the soap residue from my skin immediately post shave then it seems to prevent that or at least minimize it.

 

[Bill_G]

Thanks for the replies. This issue with creams has been driving me nuts. I'm starting to think it's related to the menthol. Although in the past I've used menthol cans of shave creams with no issues. But prefer non menthol related products.

 

[guitarslinger]

I think our immune systems go through phases where we have more reactions to potential allergens.

After I had salmonella, I was allergic to 50% of the soaps I tried. It was awful.

Start taking glutamine every morning.

 

[Forged]

I can second the recommendation for TOBS Jermyn, I forgot to mention that I have also used that with no problems. Ditto TOBS Ultimate Comfort Unscented, although I don’t really think of that as an unscented cream though because it definitely has a very prominent scent.

Jermyn Street smells good, performs well and is available in a small travel size tube which is more economical to give a try.

 

[Bill_G]

Also I would like to add I prefer scented creams. That's one thing I didn't care about the Neutrogena shave cream. Although I used it with no issues. But prefer a slightly thicker cream.

 

[Forged]

Also I would like to add I prefer scented creams. That's one thing I didn't care about the Neutrogena shave cream. Although I used it with no issues. But prefer a slightly thicker cream.

Yeah, I’m with you, I prefer scented, unless I need to go scentless for certain work related situations, or heading outdoors where I don’t want to attract bugs.

Speick might be another option worth trying and comes in two different scents. I’ve got a couple of tubes lying around but have only used each once or twice as I’ve been on more of a soap kick since I bought them. Speick is thicker than the Neutrogena.

If you can get a sample of Esbjerg, that might be worth trying as well, just skip the peppermint version as it is literally painfully cold feeling! The grapefruit seems to be pretty well liked, however all the Esbjerg scents have some component that just doesn’t work for my nose.

Baume.be is touted as being for sensitive skin, but I definitely react to it.

If I had to pick one though, from all the creams that have been mentioned, my choice would be Jermyn Street because it has the best scent and the performance is good. For a cream.

 

[BudgetShaverGuy]

What cream soap or whatever were you using that was working prior to the stuff the burns you?

 

[Bill_G]

What cream soap or whatever were you using that was working prior to the stuff the burns you?

I have never had any issues using any can foam/gel, Cremo, Van Der Hagen shave butter, Neutrogena & the Trader Joe's shave cream. Gillette Pure was the worst cream on my face & now recently having a little bit of an issue with Proraso Green. Thinking it's menthol related. Although have used menthol can foam in the past with no issues.

 

[BudgetShaverGuy]

I have never had any issues using any can foam/gel, Cremo, Van Der Hagen shave butter, Neutrogena & the Trader Joe's shave cream. Gillette Pure was the worst cream on my face & now recently having a little bit of an issue with Proraso Green. Thinking it's menthol related. Although have used menthol can foam in the past with no issues.

Ok that’s good information. Most of the “fancy” stuff uses more fragrance than most of the drug store stuff, so it can be that. I am very sensitive to fragrances myself, but don’t have a problem with Proraso Green. It could be your usage though, too much product will do that.

More trial and error is in store for you unless you want to go back to the stuff that works!

 

[Bill_G]

After today's shave I'm starting to think I made my last shave with the Proraso Green much worse than it was. First time I used it left my lip area tingly. But had no other issues. But the last time It left my whole face tingly & with some discomfort. Although I did not use the Green today I used the same razor & blade, Fatip Piccolo Gentile Astra SS (4). I think I made matters worse that day by using one of my strongest after shave with this cream, Clubman Pinaud. Which I like but don't use every day.

 

[Forged]

Keep in mind that if you use the same brush you previously used with an irritating product, even if you rinsed it well, some remnants of the product from your last shave will still be in the brush and get transferred onto your in skin in one or more subsequent shaves.

Also, if you experience a skin reaction during or after a shave, you’re probably better off going several days before the next shave, and skipping the post shave application of additional products. Give your face and immune system a chance to calm down for a bit.

 

[cryhavoc]

It does sound like you are having a reaction to something in the Pure and Proaso Green.

You may want to find samples of creams or soaps before you buy the full products, Maggard's has a good selection of samples to choose from.

 

[Cesare]

Easier said than done, but I think you should take a systematic approach.

Go back to a basic set up, with any of the soaps/creams that you know didn’t cause you any irritation, until things go back to normal, no irritation whatsoever. I’d even cut the aftershave for the moment.

Then change the soap, without adding or changing anything else - not even different blades. If it stabilizes, add something (AS, for instance) or change ONE item only.

Myself, I’m NEVER able to do this, but I think it’s the way to go. Especially wuth allergies/irritations, when you may be over-sensitized and the shuffling may not give you good information.

 

[Ron R]

I'm in my 50's & started using DE razors in June of 2019. In the past I used cartridge razors from Gillette & Schick. I used to shaved every day & would take the weekends off to give my face a break. Since I started using DE razors I don't remember ever taking a day off.
I shave every day & after the shave I always apply some after shave. My face is never irritated, red or in pain unless I cut myself. I tend to shave like I’m running late for work even when I’m not. I have multiple razors & can use them every day with no issues. This also applies to my GC .84 SB.

But lately I’ve been having issues with shave creams irritating my face. The first cream that irritated my face badly was the Gillette Pure.
I tried it twice & gave it to my oldest son. I even posted about this issue on this forum. The other cream I’ve tried recently that's irritating my face some what is the Proraso Green. Nowhere as bad as the Pure. But I can’t really use it more than 2 days straight. It always leave my face & specially my lip area tingly. Is this a sign my skin is sensitive or am I having a reaction to some of the ingredients like the menthol?
I would like to try other creams but I don’t want to spend money on creams I can’t use. In fact last night I ordered from Amazon since I needed to replenish 2 mild creams a Proraso white & a Palmolive white.

Thanks

What might help you is a good rinse of warm water (you are already doing no doubt) followed by a cold water rinse & then towel dry your face gently and then apply some reg witch hazel that contains 14% alcohol spray on face & hand wash on recently shaved face followed by a separate dry hand towel to collect residual witch hazel. The witch hazel is a nice cleaning agent that is skin friendly and I use it every day after done shaving. I started using witch hazel 2 1/2 years ago and use it also to dilute strong scented aftershaves also.
You can just use your aftershave right over the cleaned skin or just leave it with the neutral witch hazel scent once it dry's down.

 

[SydneyShaver]

Almost guaranteed to be the menthol or someother ingredient in the soap/cream. If you're looking for a product that absolutely won't irritate your skin I'm afraid it depends on what you have used and have noticed irritates. For me, I'd definitely say I have sensitive skin but am not not really intolerant to shave creams as much as I am shaving in general. If you're looking for products that might be irritating here's what I've gathered having had some discussions with others on this forum as well as from my personal experience.

Avoid the following ingredients:
Wood scents (sandalwood, cedarwood etc)
Citrus scents (fragrance and extracts)
Almond scents (fragrance and extract [Especially the extract! its why a lot of people can't use Cella etc])
Lanolin
Menthol
Cinnamon (fragrance and extracts)
Spices (fragrance and extracts)
Mineral Oil
Heavy Fragrance
Alcohol
Hexyl Cinnamal
Vitamin A

Personally, I only notice subtle drying of the skin to wood scents (everything else is fine for me) but these are the usual suspects if someone is having trouble with their skin. Thankfully, most wet-shaving products are free of most of these or have offerings which are. I recommend Speick Cream, TOBS Aloe Vera, Rose or Jeremyn St, King of Shaves Gel (sensitive) maybe even Col Conk Bay Rum which I've been liking recently. Using a good alcohol free aftershave can go a long way in reducing reaction and burn as well. Lucky Tiger AS tonic is the king of the crop imo and it has witch hazel in it so you don't need to buy it separate.