First off, a disclaimer: I am a recovering engineer, so I tend to be a little overANALytical. But then again, this is B&B...so maybe that's not viewed as a bad thing. So...please bear with me...
I'm pondering adding a new soap (yes, just one, dammit!) to my arsenal, and I'm factoring in reviews, skin sensitivity, and ingredients.
My opinion is that my skin is a bit sensitive, and shaving, as zen-like and pleasurable as it is, does cause some trauma to the skin. So, I'd like to minimize the "chemistry set" nature of what I slather on my face. I'm careful about soaps to wash with and AS balms, etc. So...onto the new soap.
One of the candidates is Proraso Red. Here is the published list of ingredients:
Good grief! The ones in RED seem like things I don't want to work into my skin with a steel blade!
By contrast, here are the ingredients in Henry Cavendish Himalayan Shaving Soap:
Here's the ingredient list for Bebelush Barbershop Shave Soap with Shea, Mango and Cocoa Butter :
And here's Captain`s Choice Bay Rum Shaving Soap by Razorock:
Another one (not a candidate, one the I use): Cella Crema da Barba All'Olio di Mandorla (I love using the full name...):
Finally, an old favorite (also one I use), Williams Mug Soap:
I'm not picking on on Proraso, but it seems to have a large faithful following here, almost rivaling Cella. And there are surely other soaps with considerably extensive ingredient lists.
But...the "other" ones I listed above (and I could also list more, but I sense readers beginning to doze off...) seem to be kinder and gentler, no? Better for one's facial skin?
Why are all the impossible-to-pronounce ingredients necessary?
I am not a recovering chemical engineer, so I'm out of my element here. But I know there are some B&Bers who have considerable chemical expertise -- and maybe have already done some analyses like I'm trying to do. I'm confident that the collective wisdom here on B&B will provide some sage advice.
Sorry for the long-winded post. Thanks in advance for the advice and comments.
I'm pondering adding a new soap (yes, just one, dammit!) to my arsenal, and I'm factoring in reviews, skin sensitivity, and ingredients.
My opinion is that my skin is a bit sensitive, and shaving, as zen-like and pleasurable as it is, does cause some trauma to the skin. So, I'd like to minimize the "chemistry set" nature of what I slather on my face. I'm careful about soaps to wash with and AS balms, etc. So...onto the new soap.
One of the candidates is Proraso Red. Here is the published list of ingredients:
- Aqua (water)
- Stearic Acid
- cocos nucifera (coconut) Oil
- Potassium Hydroxide
- Glycerin
- Sodium Hydroxide
- Lactic Acid
- Parfum (fragrance)
- butyrospermum parkii (shea) butter
- Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter
- Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
- Pentaerythrityl Tetra-di-t-butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
- Tetrasodium EDTA
- Hydroxyethlcellulose
- citronellol
- Geraniol
- Limonene
- Linalool
- Coumarin
- Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate
- Santalum album (Sandalwood) Oil
Good grief! The ones in RED seem like things I don't want to work into my skin with a steel blade!
By contrast, here are the ingredients in Henry Cavendish Himalayan Shaving Soap:
- Glycerin
- Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil
- Sodium Castorate (Castor) Oil
- Sodium Hydroxide
- Purified Water
- Carthamus Tinctorius (Hybrid Safflower) Seed Oil
- Sorbitol (Moisturizer)
- Shea Butter
- Soy
- Himalaya Fragrance (a blend of exotic woods: Indian cedar, Himalayan blue pine, cashmere musk and Indian amber
Here's the ingredient list for Bebelush Barbershop Shave Soap with Shea, Mango and Cocoa Butter :
- Sodium Cocoate
- Propylene Glycol
- Sodium Stearate
- Glycerin
- Water
- Sorbitol
- Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Seed Butter
- Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Butter
- Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter
- Chlorophyll
- Pimenta Racemosa Oil (Bay Rum)
- Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Five Fold Sweet Orange) Peel Oil
- Eugenia Caryophyllus (Clove) Leaf Oil
- Titanium Dioxide
And here's Captain`s Choice Bay Rum Shaving Soap by Razorock:
- Water
- Stearic Acid
- Coconut Oil
- Potassium Hydroxide
- Sodium Hydroxide
- Myristic Acid
- Fragrance
- Argan Oil
Another one (not a candidate, one the I use): Cella Crema da Barba All'Olio di Mandorla (I love using the full name...):
- Cocos Nucifera Oil
- Tallow
- Stearic Acid
- Potassium Hydroxide
- Sodium Hydroxide
- Aqua
- Potassium Carbonate
- Parfum
Finally, an old favorite (also one I use), Williams Mug Soap:
- Sodium Tallowate
- Potassium Stearate
- Sodium Cocoate
- Water
- Glycerin
- Tetrasodium Etidronate
- Pentasodium Pentetate
- Fragrance
- Titanium Dioxide
I'm not picking on on Proraso, but it seems to have a large faithful following here, almost rivaling Cella. And there are surely other soaps with considerably extensive ingredient lists.
But...the "other" ones I listed above (and I could also list more, but I sense readers beginning to doze off...) seem to be kinder and gentler, no? Better for one's facial skin?
Why are all the impossible-to-pronounce ingredients necessary?
I am not a recovering chemical engineer, so I'm out of my element here. But I know there are some B&Bers who have considerable chemical expertise -- and maybe have already done some analyses like I'm trying to do. I'm confident that the collective wisdom here on B&B will provide some sage advice.
Sorry for the long-winded post. Thanks in advance for the advice and comments.
I let it air-dry for a few hours after use, then re-cap it; it's kept at room temperature. I hope this will keep it for a while...I use it on weekends, so it will be a while before it's gone.
