It wasn't the fault of the Feathers

[New Madrid]

Rather, it was something in the soap.

For weeks last summer I thought that Feathers were causing me neck misery in the form of red, extremely itchy, sometimes bleeding rashes on my neck and face that came and went. After a bad outbreak sans Feathers, I finally got a clue that it might be something other than the very sharp blades. I started over and systematically tried to isolate the cuplrit.

It turns out I have an allergy to something common to Tabac and Williams soaps. (Could it be tallow?)

A couple of months ago I switched to Proraso and have not had a single problem. My skin loves the stuff. And to think that my face used to drive me crazy with itch every night and I just chalked it up to the irritation caused by new growth coming in! I re-tried a Feather in my '67 SS last week and have been getting some of the closest and most comfortable shaves of my life.

Almost a year in and still learning a thing or two . . .

 

[craig87c]

Tabac Ingredients: Potassium Stearate, Sodium Stearate, Potassium Tallowate, Potassium Cocoate, Aqua, Sodium Tallowate, Parfum, Sodium Cocoate, Glycerin, Potassium Hydroxide, Tetrasodium EDTA, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Sodium Hydroxide, CI 77891, Limonene, Hydroxycitronellal, Linalool, Citronellol, Courmarin, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Geraniol, Evernia Prunastri (Oakmoss) Extract, Cinnamyl Alcohol, Isoeugenol, Benzyl Salicylate, Benzyl Alcohol, Eugenol, Citral, Evernia Furfuracea (Treemoss) Extract.

Williams: Sodium Tallowate, Potassium Stearate, Sodium Cocoate, Water, Glycerin, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Pentasodium Pentatate, Fragrance, Titanium Dioxide.

Not looking good for the Tallow, Stearate, or Cocoate!

 

[Seraphim]

Try Valobra shave stick.

 

[DE Shaver]

Well, you've found a shaving cream and razor/blade combination that works. You can't ask for much more than that.

 

[New Madrid]

Yes, the Proraso is treating me very well so no complaints. I just can't beieve I lived with the daily itching for so long without suspecting an allergy.

Anyway, about to place a big Feather order!

 

[Go West Young Man]

Maybe you're just better at lathering creams than soaps?

 

[New Madrid]

Maybe you're just better at lathering creams than soaps?

That I am, but that wasn't the problem. I have been using Proraso soap with great success, as well as VDH. No trouble whatsoever. And the problem occurred even when I had a perfectly smooth shave. It would come on hours later in the form of a terrible itching.

I think I may ask in another thread if anyone has experienced the same problem with tallow (assuming that's the culprit).

 

[filedog]

Here's the Proraso ingredients:

Aqua (Water), Stearic Acid, Cocos nucifera (Coconut Oil, Potassium Hydroxide, Sodium Hydroxide, Glycerin, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Eucalyptus Globulus (Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil), Menthol, Parfum (Fragrance), Amyl Cinnamal, Eugenol, Geraniol, Eucalyptol, Boric Acid, Camphor, PEG-150 Distearate, Sodium Metasilicate, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Sodium Borate, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Butylparaben, BHT.

An ingredient common to Tabac and Williams (and missing from Proraso) is Tetrasodium Etidronate.

If you do some research on that one, you can draw your own conclusions. There are some very knowledgeable folks here, who dismiss the possibility of negative reactions from such ingredients, because they are in contact with your skin for a only a short time. I don't want to re-open that debate, I suggest you draw your own conclusions.You can also check on some of the other ingredients in Proraso (I know it works for you), like Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Propylene Glycol, and the parabens.

My suggestion would be to try a tallow soap (like Cella) WITHOUT all those things and see how you do. I'm willing to bet tallow is NOT the problem.

 

[New Madrid]

Here's the Proraso ingredients:

Aqua (Water), Stearic Acid, Cocos nucifera (Coconut Oil, Potassium Hydroxide, Sodium Hydroxide, Glycerin, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Eucalyptus Globulus (Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil), Menthol, Parfum (Fragrance), Amyl Cinnamal, Eugenol, Geraniol, Eucalyptol, Boric Acid, Camphor, PEG-150 Distearate, Sodium Metasilicate, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Sodium Borate, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Butylparaben, BHT.

An ingredient common to Tabac and Williams (and missing from Proraso) is Tetrasodium Etidronate.

If you do some research on that one, you can draw your own conclusions. There are some very knowledgeable folks here, who dismiss the possibility of negative reactions from such ingredients, because they are in contact with your skin for a only a short time. I don't want to re-open that debate, I suggest you draw your own conclusions.You can also check on some of the other ingredients in Proraso (I know it works for you), like Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Propylene Glycol, and the parabens.

My suggestion would be to try a tallow soap (like Cella) WITHOUT all those things and see how you do. I'm willing to bet tallow is NOT the problem.

Interesting. Thanks for the info. Yes, I have seen several threads where newbies think they have an allergy and it turns out they probably just have poor technique. That's not the case here. When I avoid Tabac and Williams soaps, I get consistently good shaves with no problems whatsoever--day in and day out, for weeks and months at a stretch. When I used to shave with Tabac, all hell would break loose on my face and neck, and it would get worse throughout the day and that night. Sometimes it would itch so much I couldn't even sleep. You can understand why I'd try to avoid whatever caused this like the plague.

One thing I haven't considered is whether it was caused by an aftershave ingredient. When I used Tabac and Williams, I was using Tabac AS exclusively. I wonder if it could be something in there. Anyway, thanks for the info.