Nivea aftershave balm contains no alcohol and doesn't irritate my skin. However, for me it seems not to be alcohol but certain fragrance oils that cause the irritation. I find you just have to experiment a bit.
Most protective soaps for fragile skin?
- Thread starter TheKman
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I was tossing up between the Sukin and something from QV. They were both scent-free but somehow the Sukin smelt nicer.
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- #63
I went with a two pass using SMN and QV today. Tiny bit of alum sting and nothing further, so that's a definite step forward. I don't mind the feel of the QV and the lack of scent doesn't bother me, so I think this will do me for a while.
For what it's worth, lanolin is supposed to do wonders with skin repair. Women even use it between breast feeding.
Rather than focusing on a bandaid solution, why not work on helping the source of the problem simultaneously?
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- #65
The problem with assessing two changes at once is knowing which one is effective. I've done extremely well to nail down so many variables so far, so I'm trying to be as scientific about trial and error as possible.
You're right about lanolin though. I worked in a wool scouring factory for a time breaking bales, which appeared to releive the contact dermatitis on my hands. I'll definitely keep that in mind.
You're right about lanolin though. I worked in a wool scouring factory for a time breaking bales, which appeared to releive the contact dermatitis on my hands. I'll definitely keep that in mind.
Working on a single variable at a time is a solid game plan. Perhaps, after you've found the right soap for your needs....
Not to sound like a broken record, but I have found B&M's premium formula to be superb. While I have Tabac as backup, B&M premium is the only soap that I currently use. I favor their darker soaps since they appear to have the best slickness to handle my difficult whiskers. The makers have said that their ratio of base ingredients is the same for all premium soaps.. It could just be placebo effect for me, but I seem to mess up (hurt) more when I use their white soaps. Feather artist club DX with professional blades are being used.
I've found that Maggard Razors offers Barrister & Mann soap samples. Be sure to visit B&B's site to get the correct soap formulas..
Not to sound like a broken record, but I have found B&M's premium formula to be superb. While I have Tabac as backup, B&M premium is the only soap that I currently use. I favor their darker soaps since they appear to have the best slickness to handle my difficult whiskers. The makers have said that their ratio of base ingredients is the same for all premium soaps.. It could just be placebo effect for me, but I seem to mess up (hurt) more when I use their white soaps. Feather artist club DX with professional blades are being used.
I've found that Maggard Razors offers Barrister & Mann soap samples. Be sure to visit B&B's site to get the correct soap formulas..
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- #67
I was just looking over the B&M range and noticed the "42", a homage to the late Douglas Adams. This is reason enough for me! lol
Oh. I forget the most important thing. The premium blends typically contain Lanolin as one of their four prominent ingredients. I happened to order a few tubs of Adagio last night since I like their aftershave; they seem to be discontinuing it..
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- #70
Hah! Ordered the Reserve Spice not five minutes ago.
After being utterly frustrated by a sensitive shave cream which is unusable for me because of the scent I'm going to test run the B&M unscented white soap.
I may sound like a broken record after so many times i 've written about it, but to me, this has been the great soap equalizer: "Nivea Pure & Natural Argan Oil Hand cream".
Wet your face, spread some Nivea cream all over your face, lather over it. Result: Increased slickness (with any soap), due to high glycerin content and increased cushion too. The effects, to me, are visible for at least the first 2 passes.
Wet your face, spread some Nivea cream all over your face, lather over it. Result: Increased slickness (with any soap), due to high glycerin content and increased cushion too. The effects, to me, are visible for at least the first 2 passes.
I'm allergic to the Nivea scent so that won't be on my experiment list.
You can put some other cream, provided it has low viscosity (usually those in a tube) and high glycerin content and preferably some kind of oil too. I just mentioned that one, because it works really good for me. I also tried the "Nivea Macadamia nut oil", but it's not as good as the Argan oil.
You may also opt for a less aggressive razor. I use Weishi 9306 and i can count the nicks i 've had since March on one hand. It's a really mild razor.
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- #75
I picked up some Essentials Lanolin yesterday as an experiment. I've applied it prior to the post-shave balm this morning to see if it helps with the healing process. The post-shave feel of Mitchell's Wool Fat has inspired a few tests, including adding Lanolin to non-MWF lather, which I'll try tomorrow.
It's becoming clear why so many B&B junkies have such an expansive software collection, the possibilities are endless. Lanolin, though, seems to be one ingredient that stands above the crowd as protective for me. I might add it to everything! It seems that most of the fatty acids in plant oils are either good for moisturising or otherwise hydrating skin, which hasn't really been a problem for me.
Having tried a couple of high glycerine soaps - and adding glycerine to shave creams - the inclination now is to try out the animal fat route; lanolin, tallows, various stearic acids. B&M Reserve is reputed to have a high Stearic Acid content, though the origin is unknown, plus various tollowates making for a good direct comparison of animal body fats versus skin secretion lipids. Fun, no?
It's becoming clear why so many B&B junkies have such an expansive software collection, the possibilities are endless. Lanolin, though, seems to be one ingredient that stands above the crowd as protective for me. I might add it to everything! It seems that most of the fatty acids in plant oils are either good for moisturising or otherwise hydrating skin, which hasn't really been a problem for me.
Having tried a couple of high glycerine soaps - and adding glycerine to shave creams - the inclination now is to try out the animal fat route; lanolin, tallows, various stearic acids. B&M Reserve is reputed to have a high Stearic Acid content, though the origin is unknown, plus various tollowates making for a good direct comparison of animal body fats versus skin secretion lipids. Fun, no?
I have some St Charles Sandalwood check Your 6 soap and it's is really nice. It is probably the most protective soap I have.
It's a bit of a challenge to get the ideal lather the water content need to be just so. But even if you miss the ratio it's is like a cream really lovely.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It's a bit of a challenge to get the ideal lather the water content need to be just so. But even if you miss the ratio it's is like a cream really lovely.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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- #77
Well it looks delicious!
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
Cold shaves rock. For me. YMMV.
Since you (OP) already have the ingredients you might try one of my favorites, Italian Wool Soap.
The recipe? Use the MWF puck just like you already are. Add a little bit of Proraso to your shaving mug, bowl, or face, and lather like usual.
I find MWF very protective of my sensitive skin, but I'm a newbie to both DE and MWF. However, I'm not new to Proraso green (used it with a Gillette Fusion), and it's a great product also.
My understanding is MWF is supposed to be good for your skin because of its ingredients. Whether that means it is especially protective of fragile skin I don't know. How does it feel to you so far? What do you notice going on with your skin? Really, that's all that matters.
There are many great shaving soaps, creams, etc. You may have already found the best one for you, and you have almost certainly found one of the best ones of all. There's a reason MWF has been around forever.
Nothing wrong with trying different soaps. It's part of the fun. Try a different soap and compare it with MWF. Some are easier to lather. Some smell better maybe. But, are they better for your skin?
Happy shaves,
Jim
- Thread starter
- #79
Sounds like a plan. I'll try the other way too, add some lanolin to the bowl, load from the Proraso Green soap tub and whisk away.
In terms of observations regarding MWF, I notice that the immediate feedback regarding blade pressure tells me more intuitively when I'm 'done'. It's at this stage that a second-pass rinse normally reveals any areas where irritation will follow. With MFW and SMN the rinse doesn't reveal anything. After a third pass I'd normally begin to feel some heat building which is a good indication that there will be some alum sting to follow. Again, with MWF and SMN the rinse reveals nothing to speak of. Following alum, normally I'd see a handful of bright red areas pop up for a few minutes before clearing, but with MWF and SMN this doesn't really happen.
With only a limited number of shaves using the SMN it's nor clear if the lanolin in the Fat is helping the skin heal, or providing a more protective lather. Because I'd used the Fat for a couple of shaves before the SMN, it's unclear whether healing or protection is the more important element. I really need to test this more thoroughly, but at the moment I'm just grateful to have the most comfortable shaves of my life, regardless of how!
In terms of observations regarding MWF, I notice that the immediate feedback regarding blade pressure tells me more intuitively when I'm 'done'. It's at this stage that a second-pass rinse normally reveals any areas where irritation will follow. With MFW and SMN the rinse doesn't reveal anything. After a third pass I'd normally begin to feel some heat building which is a good indication that there will be some alum sting to follow. Again, with MWF and SMN the rinse reveals nothing to speak of. Following alum, normally I'd see a handful of bright red areas pop up for a few minutes before clearing, but with MWF and SMN this doesn't really happen.
With only a limited number of shaves using the SMN it's nor clear if the lanolin in the Fat is helping the skin heal, or providing a more protective lather. Because I'd used the Fat for a couple of shaves before the SMN, it's unclear whether healing or protection is the more important element. I really need to test this more thoroughly, but at the moment I'm just grateful to have the most comfortable shaves of my life, regardless of how!
Trying different routes to find what suits you, never hurts. I strongly believe, that any product can be "enhanced" by adding other products, since i 've seen it with my own eyes with the cream i use. I haven't tried lanolin, but if it works best for you, go for it. I am currently more than happy with the cream i mentioned. It makes any cream slicker than TOBS at least in the first 2 passes and it's cheap too. I am sure that there are many other products that can do the same or better.
