Shave soap skin reaction

[Phoenixkh]

I know this... after my face was burned... that's the only way I can describe it... I started using Canada Shaving Soap.. it's unscented and works very well for me in all respects. If you buy it on Amazon... it's much cheaper than buying from their site due to the shipping costs.. if you live in the States, I should say. I'm a prime member so no shipping charges.

I have psoriatic arthritis.. with the accompanying psoriasis on my skin.... so I also have to be careful with the soaps I use. I've only had real problems with the B&M soap I used, as I mentioned above.

 

[RayClem]

It is difficult to be specific about potential causes of soap irritation when you do not tell us which soaps have caused the issue.
All you have indicated is that they are "small batch soaps". There are hundreds, if not thousands of such soaps. If you will tell us which specific soaps have caused issues, we are more likely to be able to help.

Most soap artisans are very careful to use skin friendly ingredients and they do send out new formulations to testers for evaluation. However, if you have an unusual sensitivity, then you might still have an issue. If you have a tree nut allergy, this could be an issue. Some people are sensitive to lanolin.

It is much more likely that you skin is sensitive to one of the fragrance ingredients. I have sensitive skin and can have issues with peppermint, menthol, lemon, lime, cloves, and cinnamon if the concentration is too high. Some people are sensitive to oakmoss. If you have hay fever, some floral notes might cause issues.

If you will provide the specific soap name and scent name of the soaps that do not work for you, I will see if I can find information on the formulation and scent notes to help you diagnose the issue.

 

[RobD57]

Since it’s small batch, get a little soap on your finger and touch your tongue, the ‘zap’ test. If it zaps you, there’s lye left in the soap.

I've never heard of that?! As soon as I drop the F bomb again I'll try it.

 

[Steve56]

I've never heard of that?! As soon as I drop the F bomb again I'll try it.

There’s a video somewhere of the folks at MdC using the zap test while mixing up a batch of soap. It’s a quick and easy test used by soap makers, but of course you should also test the pH more accurately when done.

 

[steffenapelz]

I have had tons of irritation issues with several soaps from several soapmakers. I hate to say it, but this is all part of the journey. There are things you can do to lessen the number of bad experiences, but you can never completely avoid them.

 

[Phoenixkh]

It is difficult to be specific about potential causes of soap irritation when you do not tell us which soaps have caused the issue.
All you have indicated is that they are "small batch soaps". There are hundreds, if not thousands of such soaps. If you will tell us which specific soaps have caused issues, we are more likely to be able to help.

Most soap artisans are very careful to use skin friendly ingredients and they do send out new formulations to testers for evaluation. However, if you have an unusual sensitivity, then you might still have an issue. If you have a tree nut allergy, this could be an issue. Some people are sensitive to lanolin.

It is much more likely that you skin is sensitive to one of the fragrance ingredients. I have sensitive skin and can have issues with peppermint, menthol, lemon, lime, cloves, and cinnamon if the concentration is too high. Some people are sensitive to oakmoss. If you have hay fever, some floral notes might cause issues.

If you will provide the specific soap name and scent name of the soaps that do not work for you, I will see if I can find information on the formulation and scent notes to help you diagnose the issue.

I'm so sorry for getting your SN wrong.... I posted "RayChem"... because I think of you as our resident soap chemist... I'll get it right from now on.

 

[slim6596]

As to which soaps/creams caused the burning sensation, besides the ones pictured the other brand was Captain’s Choice Land Ho cream.

Each provided everything I needed for a good shave (slickness, cushion, glide) and scents I enjoyed.

 

[Steve56]

As to which soaps/creams caused the burning sensation, besides the ones pictured the other brand was Captain’s Choice Land Ho cream.

Each provided everything I needed for a good shave (slickness, cushion, glide) and scents I enjoyed.

Martin de Candre. If you don’t believe me, ask Jerry!

 

[Tomo]

I’ve had a few bad ones for burning. I won’t name names because they will probably be fine for the next guy.

Shaving soap is in contact with the skin for much longer than any other soap. It normally takes a few minutes to start burning for me. With a hand soap or body wash you will probably wash it off before you ever get to that stage.

 

[Possum092]

I shaved with a sunburn a few months ago…face felt horrible afterwards. Totally my fault but I blamed my soap when the wife sued why face looked horribly irritated. She called my bluff and called me out for my stupidity.

 

[RayClem]

As to which soaps/creams caused the burning sensation, besides the ones pictured the other brand was Captain’s Choice Land Ho cream.

Each provided everything I needed for a good shave (slickness, cushion, glide) and scents I enjoyed.

The locally produced soaps do not provide a full listing of ingredients in the soap. Thus, it is impossible to tell what in them might be causing the problems. I have only tried one locally produced soap that I picked up at a farm market. It did not cause irritation, but the performance was poor.

As far as Captain's Choice Land Ho, the ingredients are: Water (Aqua), Stearic Acid, Myristic Acid, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Lauric Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Fragrance (Essential Oil/Natural Fragrance Blend), Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Decyl Glucoside, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Triethanolamine, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, DMDM Hydantoin, Sodium Hydroxide, Menthol.

A couple of things in the formula that might be issues are: sweet almond oil and menthol.

The scent is supposed to be citrus forward with hints of lavender. I have sensitivity issues with lime, lemon and grapefruit, so I would be hesitant to try this cream.



I have used some older versions of Captain's Choice, but this

 

[RayClem]

Yep, lye soap needs to cure for at least six weeks for the process to complete.

Nearly all artisan soaps today are "superfatted". That means they have far more fatty acid in the formulation then the amount required to neutralize the sodium and potassium hydroxide. Generally, the term "lye soap" is used to describe a soap in which there is no excess fat.

All soaps are made by the reaction of fatty acids with lye. This produces fatty acid esters which we call soap. There are some shaving products that do not contain lye, but these are detergent based and are technically should not be called soap.

Soaps can be made using either the cold process or hot process methods. Since chemical reactions are temperature dependent, cold process soaps take far longer to "cure" than hot process soaps. While it might take six weeks to cure cold process soaps, it only takes a few days to cure hot process soaps. The elevated temperature of reaction causes the reactions to proceed more quickly. Many artisan soaps tend to be hot processed, but their may be some cold processed ones.

 

[nav]

Apply the soap and don't shave. See if it's the soap or a bad shave.

Not entirely accurate...

The scraping of skin causes a soap reaction to become active.

That's why many guys, including myself, don't get irritation on the first pass, but subsequent passes cause problems.

 

[Roedeer]

This reaction seems to be unrelated to a soap's shave performance, because Speick Stick (the tallow version) worked extremely well here, I liked the scent, but my face was on fire afterwards.

I have no objection to Arko's industrial detergent scent, and it also performs ridiculously well for its price point, but some ingredient in it is irritating.

Tolerable, and better than Speick, but not something to revisit.