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Mitchels or badger brush allergy?!?

Ive recently taken up shaving with a shavette and my journey started so well on my first shave but has got progressivly worse each shave for soreness. first shave was on the 30th of april using mwf dark stag de blade razor and feather hi stainless this went pretty well not much irritation and not to many weepers. then the next 3 days it got consecutively worse so i had a day off my face felt better after the day rest so tried again the day after but only managed one wtg pass on one cheek as my whole face felt like it was on fire. So i left it another 2 days my nivea sensitive balm turned up on day one of my rest so have used that both days and my face felt better no soreness or dry skin so i figured time to try again!

Had my shower and began to lather the mitchells after about 2 minutes of lathering my face began to sting and got progressivly worse so i washed it off and it was inflamed and sore again! Im going to have to try another soap or maybe synthetic or boar brush! What are your lots soap reccomendations with a similer mild soapy smell to mitchells? Or am i being to hasty and should give it even longer to heal?
 
Ive recently taken up shaving with a shavette and my journey started so well on my first shave but has got progressivly worse each shave for soreness. first shave was on the 30th of april using mwf dark stag de blade razor and feather hi stainless this went pretty well not much irritation and not to many weepers. then the next 3 days it got consecutively worse so i had a day off my face felt better after the day rest so tried again the day after but only managed one wtg pass on one cheek as my whole face felt like it was on fire. So i left it another 2 days my nivea sensitive balm turned up on day one of my rest so have used that both days and my face felt better no soreness or dry skin so i figured time to try again!

Had my shower and began to lather the mitchells after about 2 minutes of lathering my face began to sting and got progressivly worse so i washed it off and it was inflamed and sore again! Im going to have to try another soap or maybe synthetic or boar brush! What are your lots soap reccomendations with a similer mild soapy smell to mitchells? Or am i being to hasty and should give it even longer to heal?
Perhaps you’re allergic to lanolin.
 
Perhaps you’re allergic to lanolin.
Thats what im thinking that or the brush at least. My wife thinks ive spent too much on shaving stuff already aswell let alone if i get another soap or brush 🤦‍♂️ haha
 
+1! This is my first thought also. I would try another soap or cream option, perhaps a vegan. Best of luck!

@BigJ yeh i want to try another soap but not sure which one as i need to try and find one with a mild scent ive got the wilkinson sword tub aswell but my wife absolutely hates it and wont go in the bathroom afterwards 😣 so thats not getting used. And as for the brush i see the omega 49 boar brush is well taken on here and at not a bad price at least thats another variable can get if for £7 on its own or £10 with a tub of arko but ive read the scent of that is quite unplesent so maybe not that option.
 
Two thoughts:
1. It takes awhile to beak in a boar brush, so I would stick to what you have for awhile.
2. Haslinger makes some very mild smelling vegan options that perform well.

Best of luck!
 

musicman1951

three-tu-tu, three-tu-tu
I've never read of someone being allergic to a brush, but anything is possible. My first guess would be the soap.
 
Two thoughts:
1. It takes awhile to beak in a boar brush, so I would stick to what you have for awhile.
2. Haslinger makes some very mild smelling vegan options that perform well.

Best of luck!
Cheetd ive just looked into the haslinger soaps you mentioned i think ill give one of them a try and stick with my brush if i still get irritation then ill try a brush afterwards.

I've never read of someone being allergic to a brush, but anything is possible. My first guess would be the soap.
Theres a thread on here where someones mate was allergic to badger and switched to boar and a couple of people said they have the same issue i suppose i could be one of the unlucky ones 😂😂
 
@BigJ yeh i want to try another soap but not sure which one as i need to try and find one with a mild scent ive got the wilkinson sword tub aswell but my wife absolutely hates it and wont go in the bathroom afterwards 😣 so thats not getting used. And as for the brush i see the omega 49 boar brush is well taken on here and at not a bad price at least thats another variable can get if for £7 on its own or £10 with a tub of arko but ive read the scent of that is quite unplesent so maybe not that option.


I'd say you're allergic to the lanolin in soap + boar hair is scratchy until it's full broken in which can lead to over scrubbing of the skin making it sore.

(You could also be allergic to something in the blade you're using, usually the coatings but who knows. It's a rabbit hole!)

My advice is get new soap and see if that helps. If you've already spent lots then Arko is great, it's pungent for sure but in a good way. It smells like lemony citronella urinal cakes lol. Sounds bad but I love it, I can see why some dislike it though. You can buy a box of 12 sticks for £9.50 or a single stick for £2ish on *bay. Derby is very similar to Arko, less strong smelling and not as nice imo and not as cheap at £3 a stick or £7.50 for 6.

There's also Palmolive shaving cream at £2 a tube, smells nice and clean and works well. Used to be able to buy the soap sticks for 50p each but they arent in the shops at all anymore but the cream is still sold in supermarkets.

Soap is usually the cheapest method of changing it up to see what's causing the irritation. But it could also be as simple as you just have sensitive skin. Soap strips the oils from the skin and leaves it dry and susceptible to red soreness, flaking and a full rash. If it is your skin being sensitive you could try a soap advertised specifically for sensitive skin like Proraso sensitive/white for £4 (I don't think it's any more gentle compared to their red and green versions) or Taylor's of old bond Street jermyn £13. Or a simple shaving oil. I've no experience with shave oils but it eradicates the soap aspect and you can use food grade oils out the kitchen! Mild olive oil is what I hear lots of older gents would use.
 
I'd say you're allergic to the lanolin in soap + boar hair is scratchy until it's full broken in which can lead to over scrubbing of the skin making it sore.

(You could also be allergic to something in the blade you're using, usually the coatings but who knows. It's a rabbit hole!)

My advice is get new soap and see if that helps. If you've already spent lots then Arko is great, it's pungent for sure but in a good way. It smells like lemony citronella urinal cakes lol. Sounds bad but I love it, I can see why some dislike it though. You can buy a box of 12 sticks for £9.50 or a single stick for £2ish on *bay. Derby is very similar to Arko, less strong smelling and not as nice imo and not as cheap at £3 a stick or £7.50 for 6.

There's also Palmolive shaving cream at £2 a tube, smells nice and clean and works well. Used to be able to buy the soap sticks for 50p each but they arent in the shops at all anymore but the cream is still sold in supermarkets.

Soap is usually the cheapest method of changing it up to see what's causing the irritation. But it could also be as simple as you just have sensitive skin. Soap strips the oils from the skin and leaves it dry and susceptible to red soreness, flaking and a full rash. If it is your skin being sensitive you could try a soap advertised specifically for sensitive skin like Proraso sensitive/white for £4 (I don't think it's any more gentle compared to their red and green versions) or Taylor's of old bond Street jermyn £13. Or a simple shaving oil. I've no experience with shave oils but it eradicates the soap aspect and you can use food grade oils out the kitchen! Mild olive oil is what I hear lots of older gents would use.
Argh why is there so much choice 😂 im also new to this so something that isnt to much of a challenge to lather would be good ive just about managed to get mwf acceptable which is a pain if i cant use it 😂

And i didnt shave today only lathered last time i shaved fully wad 5 days ago and one cheek 3 days ago so doubt it is the blade could still be my bad technique and my face hadnt fully healed but it felt pretty good this morning so when it started stinging while lathering that led me to the allergy idea.

And im not really bothered about spending money rather wasting it buying soaps and things that may not work out allthough it is trial and error but atm it seems to be more of the error!😪

So my current choice list is
* haslinger sensitive
*ARko with boar brush
*proroso sensitive
* palmolive cream
*taylors


And this last one i just like the sound of and keep swaying towards but probably not gonna try ive got this whole thing sorted out
goodfellas smile sea citrus

Think im gonna grow my beard back 😂😂😂
 
Argh why is there so much choice 😂 im also new to this so something that isnt to much of a challenge to lather would be good ive just about managed to get mwf acceptable which is a pain if i cant use it 😂

And i didnt shave today only lathered last time i shaved fully wad 5 days ago and one cheek 3 days ago so doubt it is the blade could still be my bad technique and my face hadnt fully healed but it felt pretty good this morning so when it started stinging while lathering that led me to the allergy idea.

And im not really bothered about spending money rather wasting it buying soaps and things that may not work out allthough it is trial and error but atm it seems to be more of the error!😪

So my current choice list is
* haslinger sensitive
*ARko with boar brush
*proroso sensitive
* palmolive cream
*taylors


And this last one i just like the sound of and keep swaying towards but probably not gonna try ive got this whole thing sorted out
goodfellas smile sea citrus

Think im gonna grow my beard back 😂😂😂

It would seem the soap the most people struggle to lather properly is m woolfat so if you can lather it you'll laugh at how easy the others are! Arko is stupidly easy as you rub the stick on your face directly then lather, Palmolive is aswell as it's quick to lather and Taylor's is just a pleasure to use as it's a cream and has high end scents to pick from (don't buy the hard soaps from them).


The only thing I regret buying is proraso green post shave Balm, it smells like something you'd clean a horse's wound out with!
 
Get a synthetic brush and then buy a shaving cream (NO lanolin)....bet your problem will be sold
Haslinger....good soap choice use it like a stick

Pls let us know what you end up doing and how it works; it's an interesting and important topic!
 
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It would seem the soap the most people struggle to lather properly is m woolfat so if you can lather it you'll laugh at how easy the others are! Arko is stupidly easy as you rub the stick on your face directly then lather, Palmolive is aswell as it's quick to lather and Taylor's is just a pleasure to use as it's a cream and has high end scents to pick from (don't buy the hard soaps from them).


The only thing I regret buying is proraso green post shave Balm, it smells like something you'd clean a horse's wound out with!
I wouldnt go as far to say it was a good lather more the fact itd get the job done 😂 and are the arko bowl soap and stick the same to lather as the deal on ebay omega brush is with the bowl not the stick so if i was to go for that i could use the soap alone with my badger brush to test the allergy and if that fails i havent got to wait another week for the brush 🤞. im a little nervous of the toilet cleaner scent though 😂
 
I wouldnt go as far to say it was a good lather more the fact itd get the job done 😂 and are the arko bowl soap and stick the same to lather as the deal on ebay omega brush is with the bowl not the stick so if i was to go for that i could use the soap alone with my badger brush to test the allergy and if that fails i havent got to wait another week for the brush 🤞. im a little nervous of the toilet cleaner scent though 😂

Yep, bowl and stick are the same soap. The bowl is good because you can close it up after to maintain its strong scent. Just load the soap to the brush from the bowl like any other. The stick is handy because it's fast to rub on your face and usually loads the perfect ammount needed for how much stubble you have. And the stick will lose a lot of its scent when left open to air out (can do this with the bowl aswell) making more easy going. Arko has a cult following because of how affordable it is and how good a job it does.

I've never seen it in the shops though so if you can get out you should be able to find Palmolive cream easily in the major supermarkets and pharmacies and have another nice cheap option to keep you entertained.
 
Update my wife has donated me a synthetic makeup brush and i managed to get an even better lather with the mitchells on my arm then ive managed before with the badger so i can use that brush to test whether its the badger atleast so i think ill let my face rest try the mitchells once more if it still reacts its that and i need new soap if it doesnt react i need a new brush 🤞
 
Testing for allergies - especially soap (but works for balms, after shaves etc).

1. apply lather (or balm etc) to inside of elbow (right in the middle of the bendy bit)
2. Wait....30mins is enough
3. If no reaction - redness, itching, etc you’re good to go

Unfortunately a lot of claims around “allergies” from newbie shavers (“my face is on fire”) is due to poor technique where the blade has stripped the upper surface of the skin. How do I know? Had an admin share the advice above years ago when I claimed to be allergic to a soap. Seems my face was allergic to crappy blade angle, not the lather. Hope this helps.
 
Update my wife has donated me a synthetic makeup brush and i managed to get an even better lather with the mitchells on my arm then ive managed before with the badger so i can use that brush to test whether its the badger atleast so i think ill let my face rest try the mitchells once more if it still reacts its that and i need new soap if it doesnt react i need a new brush 🤞
Please don’t use as makeup brush. It’s not the same as a shaving brush. Go to Whippeddog.com and get one of his synthetic brushes. They are very affordable and perform very well with soaps and creams. You won’t regret it nor will you be allergic to it.
 
Please don’t use as makeup brush. It’s not the same as a shaving brush. Go to Whippeddog.com and get one of his synthetic brushes. They are very affordable and perform very well with soaps and creams. You won’t regret it nor will you be allergic to it.

Im not going to use the make use the make up brush perminantly if i dont have a reaction from the mitchells with it im buying a synthetic 😊 but if i do im getting one of the soaps listed and probably a synthetic aswell for good measure 😂


Testing for allergies - especially soap (but works for balms, after shaves etc).

1. apply lather (or balm etc) to inside of elbow (right in the middle of the bendy bit)
2. Wait....30mins is enough
3. If no reaction - redness, itching, etc you’re good to go

Unfortunately a lot of claims around “allergies” from newbie shavers (“my face is on fire”) is due to poor technique where the blade has stripped the upper surface of the skin. How do I know? Had an admin share the advice above years ago when I claimed to be allergic to a soap. Seems my face was allergic to crappy blade angle, not the lather. Hope this helps.

I hadnt thought of there ive been testing on my forearm and had potential irritation but couldnt tell enough really but i didnt go up as far as the crease in my elbow.

And yeh others have said that it could be bad technique and thats still very viable i havent shaved for a while now but i could have done alot of damage thats taking a while to heal and the soap is acting as a catalyst flairing it back up when i test lathered.
 
Im not going to use the make use the make up brush perminantly if i dont have a reaction from the mitchells with it
Good way to eliminate the brush from the equation; lather in a bowl and apply the lather with brush strokes. If there is no irritation then proceed with shave. After that, try a face lather with the make up brush to check if face lathering is the problem. Only change one thing at a time and you will isolate the problem.
im getting one of the soaps listed and probably a synthetic aswell for good measure
You could try a stick of Arko or Palmolive {both inexpensive} just to eliminate the MWF issue for the next stage in finding the problem.
 
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All this time spent waiting is driving me mad 🤣 hopefully going to do another test tommorow and if my face doesnt flair up maybe even a shave on the upside i see yaqi synthetic brushes are taken to fondly on here and im really tempted with this if that is the cure heck i may just get one anyway 😂
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