Why is my face so sensitive to shaving cream?

[Your Majesty]

Does anyone get burned by certain creams or soap? Why is that even happening? It's the kind of burning sensation that exacerbates itself when applying aftershaves. Of course, if I don't apply aftershaves it's totally fine. I can also get rid of the burn by applying alum but sometimes I'm just too lazy to do it.

The ones that don't burn my face when I shave are omega, godrej menthol, nivea and supermax.

Godrej red, old spice burns my face when I use it. The palmolive which I bought yesterday gave me a bit of a burn too.

 

[smudge]

Not sure if you'll be able to buy this from Singapore, but De Vergulde Hand is a completely hypoallergenic shaving soap from Amsterdam. I wouldn't say that it's the best soap in the world, but it has a lovely fresh scent and works acceptably well.

 

[ajkel64]

The only thing that I can think of is that you might be allergic to one of the creams ingredients. Working out what it is could be an issue though.

 

[Billy T.]

Read the ingredient list of the creams that irritate you and the one that doesn't. Eliminate the shared ingredients and you should have a short list of ingredients that could cause irritation.

 

[nemo]

Go see your physician and get tested for allergies.

 

[emwolf]

I would recommend the physician route myself. My dad was a dermatologist (he's passed away, or else I'd ask him) and he used to always say that people diagnose themselves incorrectly. They assume many things that simply are false.

 

[Legacoid]

I'm the same; my dad had really bad asthma and while I dodged that I did get the associated skin package. In my case regular Palmolive - which seems to be a trigger for some people - is fine for me, but Boots shave stick (UK chemist brand) immediately gives me the burning sensation you describe, and I also get a slight reaction from Arko. I'll be trying Proraso white in due course to see how that goes. FWIW I actually get an allergic reaction to a popular antihistamine (Benadryl)!!

All you can do is find what you can tolerate and stay away from the stuff you can't. Patch-testing might help you do that but when it comes to things like scents the ingredients list on many products is unhelpfully vague.

 

[DougK]

I'll echo the option to check with your doctor. I'll note that in my case, lanolin gives me the burning sensation you describe so I stay away from that.

@Legacoid We were just talking about that on a Slack group I belong to, turned out one person was allergic to the pink dye they use in Benadryl tablets. It's the things you never think of...

 

[BigJ]

Go see your physician and get tested for allergies.

+3! This^

 

[Your Majesty]

Well, godrej menthol gave me no trouble but godrej red gave me some irritation. Strange, isn't it?

 

[Toothpick]

Go see your physician and get tested for allergies.

Bingo!

And I should do this myself. I have no known allergies. Known...

 

[Marcos1]

I have a crazy sensitive face too and actually found that using an unscented pre shave product seemed to give my face a layer of protection not only from the mechanical actions of shaving, but also from the sensitivity I’d get from having soap on my face for a prolonged period of time. I’ve used the Maggard house brand pre shave oil as well as now using Grooming Dept’s pre shave and both worked at keeping sensitivity down due to prolonged soap contact. Maybe that will help? Good luck

 

[dmshaver]

If it were me, I would follow the advice from others above that said check with your dr.

 

[KeenDogg]

I have a similar problem. It may be a common ingredient or a few different ingredients. In my case, my allergist said it was contact dermatitis which he says theres no test for. He told me to just avoid things that bother me and narrow it down. It's a bummer, but it is what it is. Your case may be different. It's always best to check with a physician if it's more than a nuisance.

In my case, anything scented was making my follicles raise and my ears turn beet red.

Best if luck.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

 

[Hyloworks]

Does anyone get burned by certain creams or soap? Why is that even happening? It's the kind of burning sensation that exacerbates itself when applying aftershaves. Of course, if I don't apply aftershaves it's totally fine. I can also get rid of the burn by applying alum but sometimes I'm just too lazy to do it.

The ones that don't burn my face when I shave are omega, godrej menthol, nivea and supermax.

Godrej red, old spice burns my face when I use it. The palmolive which I bought yesterday gave me a bit of a burn too.

Is the burning occurring while the soap is on your face or only after it has been shaved off?

 

[Your Majesty]

Is the burning occurring while the soap is on your face or only after it has been shaved off?

After. When I was applying AS.

 

[Hyloworks]

After. When I was applying AS.

Is there a chance that certain creams and soaps don't protect enough for your skin and the burn you are getting is from the irritation of shaving? Try applying the aftershave at a random time without shaving first. It is possible that your are experiencing irritation from the act of shaving. I just wanted to make sure to eliminate the easiest fixes first before you are off to see a doctor. Cheers!

 

[catchacoolbreeze]

If it is only after you apply aftershave... Its probably the alcohol in the aftershave. If it's also before the aftershave - on top of certain ingredients and lanolin, it could also be the strength or type of fragrance causing you issues.

You can try other products that are fragrance free, milder, or have different frangrances or leave the tub open for a couple weeks and the strength of the frangrance becomes mild and not irritating (if that was the cause).

 

[Whilliam]

After. When I was applying AS.

So rinse well and don't use after shave. Or use something very mild such as Thayers Rose Witch Hazel, and see what happens.

BTW, do you use an alum block? Do you rinse the alum off after a few minutes, or just leave it on? (It's best to rinse it off.)

Good luck.

 

[John Rose]

I learned that soaps with a significant lime scent would slightly burn my face and neck, during the shave and even when rinsing the lather off with water.
This is sad, because I like the scent of lime.
Fortunately bergamot is okay, because I like that scent too.