Rinsing off soap residue

[spacemonkey42]

I've never had a perfect complexion, continuing to get blemishes many decades past my teens. I am wondering if soap residue might contribute to clogged pores. Any thoughts on this and also how to get more of the residue off?

This week I am trying shaving before my shower, rather than after. Washing off the soap at the sink doesn't seem as thorough. Also after shaving I often don't want to scrub my face with a washcloth, particularly if I have a weeper or two. I welcome any thoughts and discussion. Thank you.

 

[Robert6891]

Showering seems to help but I just don't like showering after my shave. Just feels backwards. I rinse all visible residue off at the sink then wrap a hot wet towel around my face for 30+ seconds. Then I wipe (not scrub, wipe) my face off with the other side of the towel. Then a cold towel wrap and aftershave.

It seems to me that washing my face well before I shave helps too. I like exfoliating face washes that scrub aggressively but that's just me.

 

[Trollky]

I also suffered from that post-teen pimple problem. I'm 50 now and still have to be careful but the following remedy works wonders for me:

1. Using soft (no-scritch) badger brushes.
2. A light touch with the razor (and I mean a deliberately super light touch).
3. Using standard soaps (my skin does not fare well with artisan soaps).

I hope you find your fix buddy

 

[spacemonkey42]

a related thread

Shave before or after shower?

I responded to a thread earlier with something similar to this but wasn't asking the question, who else shaves before they shower or wash their face? If I don't thoroughly wash off all of the shaving soap residue I break out in pimples badly, always have. It doesn't matter what shaving soap or...

www.badgerandblade.com

 

[BigJ]

I also suffered from that post-teen pimple problem. I'm 50 now and still have to be careful but the following remedy works wonders for me:

1. Using soft (no-scritch) badger brushes.
2. A light touch with the razor (and I mean a deliberately super light touch).
3. Using standard soaps (my skin does not fare well with artisan soaps).

I hope you find your fix buddy

Great advice! I would add that using gold quality skin products, such as CeraVe, wash also helps.

 

[spacemonkey42]

On the soft brushes, I tend to use stiffer boar brushes, as I have thick whiskers and that helps lift them up. It feels like it very gently scrubs the skin too. I've never thought that might be a problem.

 

[NorthernSoul]

Maybe you are using super-fatted soaps or soaps with added lanolin? If so, you could try a triple-milled hard shave soap without a lot of added fats.

After shaving, I'll often splash on a surplus of witch hazel and use a soft paper towel to blot off the excess and wipe down the face. No scrubbing.

 

[CCS]

How about using a plain washcloth at the sink wetted with warm water. Honestly, I don't understand the problem but I would bet it's your shaving soap/cream that's the issue. What products are you using??

 

[Eric_75]

I always shave before my shower.

 

[njpaddy]

I always shave before my shower.

That's been my routine for over 50 years, even when I used injectors, carts and canned goop. My face always seemed too puffy to get a good shave after a hot shower. If I shave late at night and don't plan to shower afterwards, I'll use a soft soap that rinses cleanly. My preferred late night soap is Plague Doctor (Italian Barber).

 

[spacemonkey42]

I've been using Prorasso Green lately, but my complexion wasn't perfect even back when I was using an electric razor. I'm just trying to make it as good as it can get. I do use astringent after shaving, to close the pores, etc.

Testing this is hard, as there are so many variables (soap, stress, temperature, humidity, ...) and any changes/reactions happen over days. So I am not sure how to get to the root of this, but for now I'm going to try shaving before showering.