Semi-Newb: Shave Soap Troubles

[Mad Man12]

So iv been wet shaving for a few now and iv found that the Omega shave soap that I have just makes my skin bump up and causes all kinds of nicks and irritation during and after shaving. Me being African American and needing to shave every day doesn't help either. Due to these factors iv gone back to using my Edge Shave Gel because it leaves my skin perfect. The down side is that the aerosol cans are harmful to the environment. So I was wondering was there any shave soaps or creams, in anyone's opinion, that is similar to Edge shave gel. Much thanks in advance to all.

I use:
Merkur 33c
Astra SP
Witch Hazel
And lotion as after shave( Has always worked fine for moisturizing and doesn't clog pores)

[Celbob]

Thats a tough one, I wish I could help. Have you ever tried a pre shave oil? Come on B&B members lets this help this guy out.

[Marco]

So iv been wet shaving for a few now and iv found that the Omega shave soap that I have just makes my skin bump up and causes all kinds of nicks and irritation during and after shaving. Me being African American and needing to shave every day doesn't help either. Due to these factors iv gone back to using my Edge Shave Gel because it leaves my skin perfect. The down side is that the aerosol cans are harmful to the environment. So I was wondering was there any shave soaps or creams, in anyone's opinion, that is similar to Edge shave gel. Much thanks in advance to all.

I use:
Merkur 33c
Astra SP
Witch Hazel
And lotion as after shave( Has always worked fine for moisturizing and doesn't clog pores)

Jerrell, I'm sorry to hear about your bad experiences. Anyhow do not worry, we will do our best to help. First of all, always keep in mind the basic principles of wet shaving: don't apply any pressure on the razor while shaving, shave only with the grain (WTG) and across the grain (XTG) on your first pass and always proceed slowly. Also, how is your lather? Is it thick, creamy and of good consistency? If not, get a look at the great tutorials here on B&B. Furthermore did you try other blades? I personally do not like Astras because I find them very rough and unforgiving on my skin. I'd definitely get a sample pack and do two/three shaves with each blade of the pack to figure out which one(s) work better for you. And what about trying the new Proraso soap? I find that it's definitely an improvement on the former version of Proraso/Omega. Or, alternatively, what about trying a very moisturizing soap? Some names to keep in mind are MWF, RazoRock King Louis and No.888 or AK 1869.

[Nobody]

Hmmm... Fine & dandy with Edge and not so much with Omega? There's probably no such thing as a shave soap that works perfectly for everyone. Sounds like some experimentation is in order or you may like to take the simple route and just stick with the edge. There's certainly no reason for you to suffer personally on the theory the planet will breathe a sigh of relief. At least I wouldn't ask you or anyone else to. They took the fluorocarbons out of the cans a long while back and that theory of ozone destruction is in doubt anyway.

Out of curiosity, are you using a brush with your Edge? If you are only using it with the soap that gives trouble then you may want to be alert for the possibility of bacteria setting up shop also. That can set the stage for all sorts of skin misery.

[Songwind]

Omega has a fair kick of menthol and eucalyptus. It's possible your skin is sensitive to one of those. And of course, if your skin gets irritated by the soap and swells, that's just going to make nicks easier and ingrown hairs more likely.

A fairly inexpensive experiment would be to pick up some Van Der Hagen Deluxe shave soap at your local drugstore or Wal-Mart for a couple of bucks. It's very mild, but makes a pretty good lather and has a nice glycerin component for skin care.

Proraso in the white tub (sensitive skin formula) is aloe and green tea scented for skin conditioning and mildness. It's a similar type of soap to the omega, so the best way to lather it would already be familiar to you.

Do you know if your skin is sensitive to lanolin? If not, you could try Mitchell's Wool Fat or Mike's Natural Soaps. I love the slickness they provide, and my skin feels great afterward.

Good luck in your search!
Eric

[cxg231]

Omega has a fair kick of menthol and eucalyptus. It's possible your skin is sensitive to one of those. And of course, if your skin gets irritated by the soap and swells, that's just going to make nicks easier...

Sounds like the OP is allergic to the Omega. I tried a new soap this morning and had the same experience. The skin on my neck turned pink and bumped up a bit, followed by a rough shave.

[Tomorrow]

The down side is that the aerosol cans are harmful to the environment.

I could totally be wrong, but I don't think gels (EDGE in particular) have any aerosol ingredients.

[PugslyCat]

My first thought would be to try another soap, followed by another and another and another, but I suffer from SSAD.

Seriously though, you have a known good state for your shave using the Edge gel. I would give a few other soaps a try but be ready to go back to your known good state if there are problems. If you like Omega, you are probably looking for another mentholated soap. Try checking other brands of mentholated soap. For at least one of the soaps. I would make trials a non-menthol version, prefereably unscented, of a menthol soap you are testing.

You only want to change one thing at a time while trouble shooting this problem. If you aren't using your brush with the Edge, clean it thoroughly to (remove any soap residue or bacteria as mentioned in an earlier respone) and start doing so to determine if the brush is the problem instead of the soaps.

You may want to consider picking up some cheap brushes to avoid cross contamination during your trials. I don't really think this is necessary, but bring it up just to be thorough. Sally Beauty has some Marvy brushes for $4.50. I used one for a few weeks when I first started out and I consider them disposable. Other salon supply shops may have similar cheap brushes.

Totally optional, but you might want to try some locally sourced soaps as a quick test to see if something other than the Omega will irritates your skin. If not, you have established a second good state for your shave. My pick for a first soap to try would be the unxcented VDH Luxury soap. The only big chain that I know of that carries it is Target. Other small shops and ordering online are options. For me it is a good lathering soap and has no essential or fragrance oils that could cause problems. It costs a little more than the Williams or VDH Deluxe, but is still inexpensive. You could try Williams and/or VDH Deluxe for this since they are probably available locally and are the lowest priced soaps out there. Williams can be hard to lather and the VDH Deluxe soap available at Walmart and Walgreens is scented, which could be a problem.

[gorgehiker]

I would say maybe try Kiss My Face, unscented, its a great product!!! If you can get it local its about $5 a 4oz tube. Its easy to lather, slick and thick. That maybe as close as your going to get to canned goo. Just my .02

[BrookR1]

How thick is the lather when you use Edge Gel? If you can, try make the consistency of your lather the same as Edge Gel and see how that works. Another thought I had was to try using a brushless cream. Aubrey Organics has a good one. When I use it, it's very thick and very slick on my face. I've always gotten good shaves from it.

[Face&Head]

I would try another cream and I've had great results with Nancy Boy Replenishing Cream This is an excellent cream formulated for sensitive shin.

[ShaveThis]

How long have you tried the Omega? Was it just one shot or did you give it a few tries?
Like Songwind mentioned, it could be the menthol and stuff.
I also like Marco's advice on technique. I've only been wet shaving for 9 or 10 months but found that 99% of my problems were not the product like I first thought but my technique.

[Mad Man12]

I tried omega for about two weeks and not sure it could really be my technique when I shave exactly the same with the Edge shave gel.

[Slash McCoy]

So iv been wet shaving for a few now and iv found that the Omega shave soap that I have just makes my skin bump up and causes all kinds of nicks and irritation during and after shaving. Me being African American and needing to shave every day doesn't help either. Due to these factors iv gone back to using my Edge Shave Gel because it leaves my skin perfect. The down side is that the aerosol cans are harmful to the environment. So I was wondering was there any shave soaps or creams, in anyone's opinion, that is similar to Edge shave gel. Much thanks in advance to all.

I use:
Merkur 33c
Astra SP
Witch Hazel
And lotion as after shave( Has always worked fine for moisturizing and doesn't clog pores)

Are you face lathering with the omega, or bowl lathering? Just to eliminate the brush as the problem, try a few days using your brush to whip up a face lather with the Edge. If you don't get the bumps, then obviously it is the Omega soap. If you do, then that brush isn't for you. BTW what brush are you using? A switch from boar to pure or best badger, or from black or pure or best badger to silvertip badger might be a good upgrade to try. Possibly if your brush is a little scritchy, the bristles are poking down into your pores and follicles when you lather with it.

Ever try good ol VDH soap? Cheap, and very neutral. Cheap enough to try a couple of times, and toss if it doesn't work for you. $1.87 at walgreens. For something with a liitle more zip and slip try Kiss My Face. It is very slick stuff, probably even slicker than Edge. There are several types but I use the Key Lime scent some times. For troubleshooting, maybe the plain scent would be better. No sense introducing more wild cards into the game. This stuff is fairly cheap so again you won't lose any sleep over tossing a nearly full tube.

Hope you get this figured out. Happy shaves!

[Topgumby]

...back to using my Edge Shave Gel because it leaves my skin perfect.

That's what I used for years before I made the switch, and if it wasn't for your other concerns, I'd ask "Well, why not just stick with that?"

I'm with the others. Need to know if you use a brush with the Edge. Could be you don't get along with your brush. Try another soap, VDH is decent, easy to lather and cheap.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[Mandina]

For sensitive skin you should avoid scented or mentholated products, including anything containing eucalyptus, camphor, peppermint, etc. (There's a helpful B&B thread--I don't recall its title--in which a professional/specialist in such matters lays these things out.) Some people also find lanolin (contained in soaps such as MWF) irritating, and, of course, any specific ingredient may be irritating for any particular person. With these cautions in mind, aloe vera and products containing it might be good for you. The previous suggestion to try VDH Deluxe (good ingredients and cheap) as a start should be helpful; you might want to try the new VDH Luxury (sold at Target for, I think, less than $5; try the unscented version) has a higher concentration of skin-friendly ingredients. I've heard good things about Kiss My Face, but haven't tried it. Let us know how things go for you!

[HydroWVU]

MadMan12,

If you are in the DC area, I found a whole boat load of Kiss My Face products (including shaving cream) at my local Vitamin Shoppe in Manassas VA. If your looking for a local source of Kiss My Face, try your a Vitamin Shoppe in your area. Good luck, I hope you find a solution.

[Mad Man12]

For all those that asked, I didnt use a brush until I started using the shave soap. I now use the brush with the Edge soap and everything is still fine. Might just stick with Edge for awhile.

[Patman27]

Have you tried any creams yet? They might be closer to Edge in consistency if you decide to switch things up. I have used the Kiss My Face cream (available in my local Whole Foods). They lather really well and last a lot longer than the Edge cans. In the end, enjoying the shave is the most important thing. I'm glad to hear it wasn't your new brush.

[Mad Man12]

I admit when im wrong and I WAS COMPLETELY WRONG. Just finished a shave after trying shave soap again. It takes off so much more hair then the shave cream does and leave my face smooth and firm. I blame myself for lacking the proper technique. ROCK ON SHAVE SOAP!