Those with naturally oily skin, what is your take on the superfat soap craze?

[tyoung]

I have admittedly been quite the base chaser. Over the past several months, I have purchased just about all of the new bases that the artisans have been releasing. While the performance of most of them have been top tier for sure, I am finding that the touted post shave feel is a negative for my skin.

I have naturally oily skin, and the highly fatted soaps with tons of butters seem to make it much worse. In my routine, I rinse off after the shave with water, then apply witch hazel. Once the witch hazel dries, I apply an alcohol based aftershave. After my usual favorite soaps (Mikes, Stirling, Tabac) I go on my merry way and my skin feels fantastic.

With some of the fattier soaps (Wholly Kaw, Declaration, A&E, Zingari etc.) my skin feels like I have applied a layer of oil to it within about an hour. I was chalking it up to the high heat and humidity we are getting into now. In quarantine/work furlough mode, I have been able to experiment more, and believe it to be the soaps making this worse.

As a head and face shaver, the last thing I want to do is to feel slick and shiny when I leave the house! So this is just my long winded way of asking if anyone else has noticed this?

 

[macintoshBR]

I too have oily skin and I breakout strongly. I stay away from superfat soaps. The older the formula and brand, the better. Made in EU only.

 

[old_school]

Someone mentioned La Toja may be drying in the thread...

If true gentlemen this property of La Toja is a FEATURE not a draw back. The trendy fat, fatty, fattier fattness is over the top and makes my face one big super fat mess. Some soaps for days!

 

[tyoung]

Thanks for that thread, I must have missed it! He is saying exactly what I have discovered myself.

 

[BudgetShaverGuy]

I don't use many of the "artisan" soaps for the very reason you state. I have a tendency to go oily as well and they just make my face a grease-pit, especially when it's hot and humid out.

 

[guitarslinger]

As long as I use a simple alcohol based aftershave splash, Super fat soaps make for great shaves. I’m a fan.

an ultra drying soap or super farted soap with an aftershave balm usually makes me break out.

in other words, my oily skin dislikes aftershave balms more than any soap of any kind.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

My skin can get oily too so in warmer months/days I tend to stick to soaps that aren’t super fatted e.g Valobra, Fine accoutrements, SV and Wickham’s 1912 to name some. I find this helps on the grease fest!.

 

[nemo]

Like you said, it's a craze. I just say no.

... an ultra drying soap or super farted soap with an aftershave balm usually makes me break out

I'll be stayin' away from those, too.

 

[Racquet]

Yes, I have certainly noticed it, my skin is older so I use an anti wrinkle moisturizer which is a double edged sword so to speak. My skin is kind of oily and I live in a very humid climate, in the evenings I use a cotton ball with Sea Breeze
astringent to clean the oils from my face. If I lived in a dry climate I could see using the fatted soaps but they are way too "moisturizing" where I live

 

[Timeclo]

I have dry skin and Stirling does an excellent job for me. Anything else is just a cherry on the top.

 

[Aaron Hall]

I love them! That said, I avoid pre-shaves, witch hazel, AS, and balms. The super fats allow me to use only the soap, simplifying things. Haven’t noticed a difference in the amount of acne yet; this approach will change if I do.

 

[old_school]

So what works for you gents? Here's what remains on the shelf so far...

great daily;
Beehive Shaving Soap, CBL tonsorial, Arko, Williams, La Toja (new - 2 shaves so far), MdC

good daily;
Tabac, Oleo, SV, Valobra, Lisa's, Black Tie Razor No.13, Haslingers

Beehive replaced MdC for a simple veggie soap.

No need to mention fatted face foods, they've been PIF'ed or pitched.

 

[emwolf]

I have very oily skin, but thankfully don't break out. I've not had an issue with Zingari or Wholly Kawy (the only two superfat soaps you list), but I do like anti oil lotions, like Kiehl's and Clinique oil controlling moisturizers. Clnique is probably less expensive.

 

[PerpetualWonderer]

My skin is also oily. If I have too much oil on my face after shaving/aftershave, my skin will get progressively more oily throughout the day and break out if it becomes too much. Some products, like Proraso pre/post-shave balm, make my skin break out too, though using the shaving cream itself doesn't bother my skin.

I much prefer soaps without extra oil such as DRH or MdC. Haslingers or MWF work for me as well, as does SV. I have the same preference with aftershaves. DRH Marlborough has the perfect amount of glycerin in it - most other AS's I've tried just have too much oil or other skin conditioning/balming agents.

I have found though that products with too much oil are a bit more tolerable if I use an alum block after shaving and before application of AS.

 

[tyoung]

I am slowly BST'ing the soaps that leave me feeling oily. It actually fits in with wanting to clean up my rotation, and use the soaps that I truly love anyway. I am using more long standing commercial soaps as well. Tabac and La Toja give me excellent shaves, and leave no residue. I have Speick and Palmolive sticks inbound as well.

I also occasionally use an oil reducing lotion from Jack Black that seems to work well. I only really use it when I am going to be in meetings or something where I don't want a shiny head.

Good call on the alum block, I am going to experiment with that too. I really never get any cuts or weepers, and have an unopened alum black that I have had forever.

 

[chinmusic82]

Where I live the temperature for 75% of the year is more than 110F. Couple that with high humidity and oily skin only the nuts and super rich use any fatty soaps or aftershave balms here. A simple soap followed by a mentholated alcohol aftershave splash is the way to go.

 

[Cumberland Sausage]

I'd missed this superfat craze until reading this thread. I think I'll stick with MdC, SV and Haslinger, with Speick and Arran cream thrown in now and then, and vintage Yardley soap on special occasions.

 

[nav]

I'd missed this superfat craze until reading this thread. I think I'll stick with MdC, SV and Haslinger, with Speick and Arran cream thrown in now and then, and vintage Yardley soap on special occasions.

You should try the Arran soaps if you haven't, they are really nice! They lather better with a synthetic brush though.

 

[nav]

I don't have particularly oily skin but I still don't like very superfatted bases as it still leaves me skin greasy.

 

[boilerphan]

I have oily skin, but don't have any problems with the newer, super-fatted soap bases. I actually prefer them.... but I can also use older soaps pretty well too.