Question about Nivea ASB for sensitive skin; Anyone feel burning?

[mgm]

Very minor burn

[SP120K]

The only time I felt any slight burn was when I received a moderate amount of irritation during my shave. Aside from that one shave, this ASB never burns my skin. It's been really good to me and I'm glad there's a decent, cheap, locally available option I can always go to.

[Kirby]

I always feel late when finding these threads, everyone else has already said what I was going to. But yeah, if you had a less-than-smooth shave then going directly to the balm gives some heat. I find it only happens on days that I get lackluster lather or when using virgin, harsher blades like Feathers as opposed to smoother ones like 7 o'clocks.

[Herring]

I've never had any burning sensation from the stuff, even with an old rusty cartridge shave. I don't know if it has anything to do with my skin, although it's possible.

[Bestarrkin]

I feel so much burning when I use MWF rather than Nivea. IMHO Nivea works very good on burning and cuts too.

[DaveNJ74]

I feel a slight burn to it just as I do with Crabtree & Evelyn's aftershaves. They both have the same consistency. Im sure its our sensitive skin. I like the scent though but dont really use it anymore.
Try Castle Forbes lavender instead.

[Uptown Seb]

I feel the burn from this only if I have razerburn.

[Seraphim]

For me, Nivea ASB smells, and feels, very "chemically".

I love the sting of a fine AS splash, but the Nivea feels like a rug burn or something less than wholesome....

[PhatMan]

ccrowder,

It burns my face too; I am very sensitive to the glycerin it contains.

Have fun !

Best regards

Russ

[Drybonz]

I use witch hazel, then some Nivea.

They both burn for like 2 seconds then my face feels great.

[Jonus86]

I also feel a slight burn but nothing to bad.

[ackvil]

Same here, only difference is I cold water rinse between the WH and ASB. Shave, warm rinse,Pat dry, WH, clean up my gear, cold rinse, Pat dry, ASB. No rubbing just let is soak in! Love that stuff. I posted earlier looking for Arko Extra sensitive balm. Anyone ever see/try it? Wondering how it compares.

I do the same technique and apply an AS balm such as Nivea a few minutes after I apply the WH. No burn for me.

[RoyalFlush]

Aplogies for the duplication (I posted this elsewhere), but this thread seems bang on with my problem.

I found this thread whilst googling for anybody else who's encountered problems with Nivea For Me "Sensitive Post Shave Balm". It comes in a white glass bottle in the UK at least. Until recently I used a Gillette balm after shaving. It came in a plastic bottle in the shape of a trapezium. It felt cooling and had a pleasant scent to it too. I never had any problems with it. At the start of this year I ran out of it but couldn't find a replacement in my local shops. I wonder if they stopped making it, or rebranded it? So I bought some of the Nivea balm I mention above. I used it several times without encountering any problems...

...then, two weeks ago this evening, I shaved as normal and applied Nivea as usual. A few hours later, my neck felt like it was burning and it was very irritating. When I got home, I could see that several area of skin were inflamed. It almost looked like I'd been bitten, as there were red blotches there. It was very painful - it actually woke me up. I went to my local pharmacy a day or so later (the Easter holiday delayed me, unfortunately, as the shops were closed) and got some hydrocortisone cream to apply. This eased the intense irritation, but the effect dries out the skin which doesn't look or feel great. Anyway, after a week of using this cream the redness was just about fading away. Having used this balm before, I thought the problem had been caused by a new brand of shower gel that I was trying out for the first time that night.

Last night I shaved again and applied the Nivea balm. A few hours later, the rash was back! It was so bad that it woke me up at 6 am. Ouch! I had to stagger out of bed, wash my neck and apply the hydrocortisone cream again. So at least I know what caused the fierce rash! The odd thing is, as I've already said, I've used the product a few times before with no ill-effect. So now I'm looking for another shaving balm to try. Any recommendations for the UK?

[VirtualAsylum]

OP: are you talking about a low-level burn that churns on for a while after application?

I have experienced that. When I first put it on, it's soothing and decent, but then after a while it feels like low level prickly burning? Been there.

I have two theories on this:

First, this has obviously been worse for me when I've burned myself with the razor. I think that sensitive skin + this stuff + razor burn = not good. Today, I had one of the best shaves I've ever had, and there was no burning when I applied it.

Second, I've found that this seems to react differently on my skin, when I use different soaps and aftershaves. I think there may be something in it that doesn't play nice with other ingredients typically found in other products. When I use MFW to shave, the Nivea almost never burns me. When I've use Proraso white to shave, I find that it sometimes does. I've also noticed that it doesn't seem to play as nice with me when I've used an alum block.

Oddly enough, I've found that the Nivea Extreme Comfort balm doesn't burn me. It has a stronger (to me, pleasant) scent and a light green dye, yet it's extremely soothing. You'd think these results would be reversed, wouldn't you? At any rate, maybe you could give the Extreme Comfort a try? It's been working well for me, well enough that I haven't yet felt compelled to try some "better" balms like Pre de Provence w/Shea, Speick, Proraso, Trumpers, etc.

(It's only a matter of time, though, you know how AD's work!)

When my bottle of Sensitive ASB is gone, I don't think I'll repurchase- I'll go for the Extreme Comfort.

[VirtualAsylum]

...then, two weeks ago this evening, I shaved as normal and applied Nivea as usual. A few hours later, my neck felt like it was burning and it was very irritating. When I got home, I could see that several area of skin were inflamed. It almost looked like I'd been bitten, as there were red blotches there.

I had this EXACT same experience with the Nivea Sensitive as well. It was after a rough shave, but still-- if the stuff is supposed to be for sensitive skin, then, what the hell??

As noted above, I have (oddly) found that the Extreme Comfort balm has been kinder to me, despite a bit of fragrance and dye. I would say the "Extreme Comfort" on the label is truth in advertising. Right now, it's my go-to balm until/if I find something better.

[Markofv]

I get a little burn. Odd for a balm.

[LouBarraza]

I posted a thread a few days ago about discovering 2 types of Nivea balms at Wal-Mart.The ingredients on the bottles marked with "Active Comfort System" has different ingredients,missing the parabens and Bisabolol,Citric Acid and other ingredients ,while the plain box balm has the parabens.
Nivea Sensitive Balm (Active Comfort System New Formula) ingredients:
Aqua,Glycerin ,Isopropyl Palmitate ,Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract ,Tocopheryl Acetate ,Maltodextrin ,Tapioca Starch ,Triceteareth-4 Phosphate ,Sodium Carbomer ,Phenoxyethanol ,Methylisothiazolinone ,Piroctone Olamine ,Parfum

Nivea Sensitive Balm (plain box)
ingredients:Water, Glycerin, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Panthenol, Isopropyl Palmitate, Tapioca Starch, Tocopheryl Acetate, Bisabolol, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Triceteareth-4 Phosphate, Carbomer, Sodium Hydroxide, Citric Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Fragrance.

Im thinking of maybe trying out the new Active Comfort System one and see what happens.My bottle of ASB is the plain white bottle.I also noticed the ACS Balm has a much fainter scent,but not much.(wouldve been alot nicer had they just eliminate putting fragrance in it)

[VirtualAsylum]

I posted a thread a few days ago about discovering 2 types of Nivea balms at Wal-Mart.The ingredients on the bottles marked with "Active Comfort System" has different ingredients,missing the parabens and Bisabolol,Citric Acid and other ingredients ,while the plain box balm has the parabens.
Nivea Sensitive Balm (Active Comfort System New Formula) ingredients:
Aqua,Glycerin ,Isopropyl Palmitate ,Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract ,Tocopheryl Acetate ,Maltodextrin ,Tapioca Starch ,Triceteareth-4 Phosphate ,Sodium Carbomer ,Phenoxyethanol ,Methylisothiazolinone ,Piroctone Olamine ,Parfum

Nivea Sensitive Balm (plain box)
ingredients:Water, Glycerin, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Panthenol, Isopropyl Palmitate, Tapioca Starch, Tocopheryl Acetate, Bisabolol, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Triceteareth-4 Phosphate, Carbomer, Sodium Hydroxide, Citric Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Fragrance.

Im thinking of maybe trying out the new Active Comfort System one and see what happens.My bottle of ASB is the plain white bottle.I also noticed the ACS Balm has a much fainter scent,but not much.(wouldve been alot nicer had they just eliminate putting fragrance in it)

Excellent information----I will be on the lookout for this! I'm actually excited, I loved this balm before the reformulation that caused the burning. Perhaps this new formulation will bring this balm back to the top of my list. Thanks for sharing!

[LouBarraza]

Excellent information----I will be on the lookout for this! I'm actually excited, I loved this balm before the reformulation that caused the burning. Perhaps this new formulation will bring this balm back to the top of my list. Thanks for sharing!

No problem
Theres another list of ingredients for it I found.Was this before the first reformulation?
Water, Glycerin, Cyclopentasiloxane, Panthenol, Distarch Phosphate, Isopropyl Palmitate, Cyclohexasiloxane, Triceteareth 4 Phosphate, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Bisabolol, Propylene Glycol, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract (Matricaria), Glycine Soja Oil (Soybean), Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Allantoin, Citric Acid, Ethoxydiglycol, Carbomer, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben.
I wonder why they removed the allantoin?
Why so many reformulations is what Im wondering.sheesh

[VirtualAsylum]

No problem
Theres another list of ingredients for it I found.Was this before the first reformulation?
Water, Glycerin, Cyclopentasiloxane, Panthenol, Distarch Phosphate, Isopropyl Palmitate, Cyclohexasiloxane, Triceteareth 4 Phosphate, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Bisabolol, Propylene Glycol, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract (Matricaria), Glycine Soja Oil (Soybean), Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Allantoin, Citric Acid, Ethoxydiglycol, Carbomer, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben.
I wonder why they removed the allantoin?
Why so many reformulations is what Im wondering.sheesh

I wonder why they removed it too; it's a great irritation soother and promotes healing. Like most things, I'm sure it has to do with cost, in some way. That ingredient list there looks like the formula that used to work great for me. It was probably the allantoin that worked so well, hah!

I wonder if they reformulated due to some feedback about the burning? Hopefully the most recent one is a change for the better. Given the (mostly positive) history I've enjoyed with this balm, I'm willing to give it a shot.