MDC drying my skin will SV do the same?

[snapperface]

Hello all !
First post ever woo hoo !
Curious if those who have found MDC dries them out have the same results form SV

I love everything about MDC rose except the fact after about 5 head shaves , my scalp is ridiculously dry.


Never had any issue from any other soap or cream doing this in 40+ years of wet shaving and whatever balm I may use after doesn’t help at all.

Even if I only use it once a week I have the same results.
Before a possible purchase of SV , I hope that someone here in this great forum can share their experience

 

[haggis]

My first experiences with MdC were "yikes it lathers out of nothing but yeah, it's drying" — but later for some reason I started loading it HEAVY and in addition to thicker, moister lather I also lost that sense of it being drying. I vaguely imagined that heavier loading holds more water during lathering, but that's just speculation.

However, folks do respond to things differently so condolences if your persistent reaction to MdC is unrewarding. I've had to give up on a couple favorites too that just didn't agree with me. So it goes.

I find SV a fine soap and not drying.

 

[Darth Scandalous]

I find MdC slightly drying, but SV not at all. I've also found using a preshave like Proraso mitigates the dryness from MdC.

 

[Captain Howdy]

MDC does the same to my skin. Honestly the only neat thing about MDC was how quickly it lathers, but we're talking X seconds instead of X+20 seconds and I don't wet shave to save time.

SV did, in fact, have a better post shave for me than MDC...but SV still does not have a post that I could call "excellent" by modern standards. None of the mass produced items do that I've tried...at least none that are still available.

Try Mike's Naturals or Murphy and McNeil. Phenomenal post shaves.

 

[coops]

I don't find any SV soaps drying... but STRONGLY recommend the SV Argania - the addition of Argan oil makes a great shave soap even better (and smells great too).

Argania – Shaving Soap 150g – Saponificio Varesino Online Store

www.saponificiovaresino.com

 

[SinCityAg]

I have also thoroughly enjoyed SV soaps and do not find them drying. I sometimes use SV Argan oil preshave and now really want to try SV Argania. That will be my next SV purchase.

 

[bartje-p]

Have you also tried adding more water to the MdC soap? That was my mistake at first, used to much product and not enough water. I cut down on loading my brush AND added more water, now this is my favorite soap!

On the other hand, if it doesn't work for you..... try something else ;-) Good luck.

 

[Alp Akman]

A high coconut or palm oil content causing dryness. These oils produces high clearing soaps which is actually unwanted in shaving. Best to avoid if coconut or palm oil is among the first three in the indegrients list. Unfortunately the most of European vendors will fall into this. Alternatively, you may try a really good moisturizer before and after the shave.

 

[musicman1951]

I have very dry skin and follow every shave with Thayer's w/aloe and then a moisturizer. I don't find MdC any more drying than any other soap, but that doesn't help you much. There are soaps out there that specialize in adding a more moisturized post shave experience, but you might consider just adding a moisturizer post shave.

 

[ksblazer]

I’ve never had an issue with SV drying out my face. But I use witch hazel or an aftershave almost all the time afterwards.

 

[Phoenix997]

I don't find any SV soaps drying... but STRONGLY recommend the SV Argania - the addition of Argan oil makes a great shave soap even better (and smells great too).

Argania – Shaving Soap 150g – Saponificio Varesino Online Store

www.saponificiovaresino.com

Great suggestion. I always use argan oil as a pre shave

 

[Ckmaui]

ditto others SV not drying
did find MDC drying and not as good as some love that is for sure

 

[dmshaver]

I also used to find MdC drying, but excellent soap. Then I started using more water and making a thick lather on my face, & adding drops of water to my brush multiple times. The lather became much thinner instead of whip cream consistency. The result is the marvelous properties are still there, & it is no longer drying to my skin! It was a eureka moment for me! Try it!

 

[bartje-p]

^^ this (see also my remarks earlier)

 

[skibik]

I tried MdC must be 6 years ago and had that same dry feeling and I have oily face skin. I was never impressed with MdC and at the time I tried it I thought the cheap 3 pack of VDH Luxury scented soap I got from Amazon outperformed it. Did I lather MdC wrong, possibly but as much lather as I got out of it the few times trying it I got that same dry feeling with mediocre shaves. I sold it and moved on, too many other good soaps out there that feel a lot better on the skin and SV soaps are at the top.

 

[pbnj]

Get the SV. MDC as you've figured out is overrated.

 

[SydneyShaver]

MdC is a very simple formulation that doesn't have much going for it. SV on the other hand is one of the few brands that can actually compete with the S+ tier artisans formulaically. Unless you are getting dry skin from a reaction to fragrance or an allergy...SV should not dry your skin at all.

 

[BurnFree]

Aging thread, but SV is indeed a premium soap.

Unfortunately I have personally had bad luck with their scents. Felce made my stomach churn every time. Morado is sort of ok in the fall & winter. It hasn't fallen out with me like some other scents have ("what were you thinking???"), but coupled with other's descriptions, I am unwilling to take a chance on others or buy the cologne sampler. Just something to be aware of for anyone not into cologne or complex scents, despite seemingly-widespread enthusiasm otherwise. YMMV.

To answer OP's question, SV's post shave is perfectly-balanced for me. Not fatty or oiled-up, just...perfect.

SV caused Zero skin irritation with either scent. It's slick and rinses easily. The ideal lathering technique is slightly different than some, but SV is easy to use once that part is figured out and it comes in a nice tin. Whether the extra 5%-10% performance of SV (or comparable premium Artisan XYZ) is worth it over many other good options is a choice everyone has to make for themselves...but Performance and lack of irritation gets an A+ in my book.

I have not used MDC but gave up on Canada Shaving Soap (a clone by all accounts) due to skin irritation that did not completely respond to use of a moisturizer. It is hard to differentiate between dryness and irritation, but Arko dryness for me responds immediately to a balm whereas CSS irritation does not. Canada is slick and lathers super easy though. It is in the same league as SV, so I'd presume that SV is as good as MDC on slickness. Others say CSS post-shave is neutral (obviously I can't say due to the irritation). I tried various ratios of soap & water in the same manner that @dmshaver suggested for MDC, along with shaving quickly and rinsing immediately without success...Bummer.

Pre de Provence triggers my skin in the same way but to a lesser degree. It is not as slick as SV or CSS in my opinion (even when using the puck every day and dialing it in), yet it still provides a good shave and is a tremendous value. It's kind of the same story on irritation & performance with a lot of Razorocks and even Palmolive cream for me, so what some have said about the amounts of coconut +/-palm oil makes sense without being a soapmaker or chemist. I have no such problems with Cella Bio, Proraso, or many tallow artisans. YMMV.

 

[The Blackadder]

SV is top quality, post shave is great and consistency in lathers is almost unmatched. I’m now trying with MDC, after four attempts I haven’t gotten near SV quality. I’ll keep trying a few more times, but it’s looking bad for now, very drying, not nearly as slick.

 

[SalS]

MDC is like bathsoap.