Dry Skin Woes

Every winter my skin dries out. It is expected and usually is no big deal but this year its worse on my face. My guess is its due to the longer period of time I spend with a wet face covered in soap for shaving. I have gotten it under control for the most part, but my chin is red and chapped still. I honestly look like I have been "huffing" household chemicals for a few hours after I finish shaving.

I have:
- Stopped using alcohol-based aftershaves and am sticking to witch hazel
- Switched to a more mild razor
- Started using Lucky Tiger face moisturizer after shaving
- Started using a thicker and stronger face lotion at night
- Have been using a soap with lanolin in it exclusively
- Even picked up a pre-shave oil as recommended by my barber and started using it.

The moisturizers help, and the mild razor ('55 Superspeed blue-tip) doesn't irritate the dry skin as much as a more aggressive razor was. The pre-shave oil (Imperial) doesn't seem to make much of a difference in the quality of the my shaves but my skin feels softer afterwards (it does have some pretty good ingredients in it) so it may become a normal thing for me to use in the winter.

I am starting to wonder about the lanolin in the soap I have been using (Haslinger), but I'm not sure. I know some are sensitive to lanolin but tt didn't cause any problems for me prior to approximately 2 weeks ago, and I have been using it almost daily since it arrived on my doorstep over a month ago. I'll rotate to a different soap or cream for awhile to see what happens though. Perhaps it is a compounding effect.

Is anybody else dealing with some seriously dry skin? What are you doing to take care of it, and is it working?

Nivea for Men aftershave balm.

I have dry skin too.
I use preshave oil, first.
To finish, I like to use an Aqua Velva, knock-off, from HEB grocery, made by Hill Country. It has glycerin in it.
No more dry skin.

I live in a semi-arid climate so dry skin is a common problem here and especially in the cold winter. At times I suffer from dry flaky skin resulting in mild psoriasis at times. I use skin lotion, after balm moisturizer and don't over do it with alcohol based AS, but the one item that by far helps the most is the air quality in my home and try to keep the humidity constant and optimal using a humidifier attached to my furnace.

Sounds like you're doing all the right things. I assume Lucky Tiger is a quality moisturizer, but you might want to try some others in place of or to supplement it. I'd second the Nivea recommendation and also recommend Cremo moisturizer. And perhaps apply a moisturizer more often during the day rather than just after shaving?

I use a lanolin soap in the winter as well(MWF) but I've been having good luck with Razorock's Taloe soap. I also use Proraso balm and that works well with moisturizing for me.

I use Arko "Adventure" aftershave lotion first after drying my face. Then I brush my teeth, mouthwash, get dressed, etc. By then my skin has absorbed the Arko and my face is dry. That is when I apply a splash (Pinaud, Skin Bracer, etc.). I still get that pleasing burn. The Arko is essentially withou any scent, so it doesn't conflict with the splash. No dry skin problems so far.

+1 to regulating the environment inside your home. I have lots of instruments made from thin wood, so keeping track of the relative humidity inside my house is a must. The ideal range is 45-55%, but with the heater on in the winter time, it's not unheard of for a house to drop around the 20% mark or lower. Not only is this bad for wood, but it will also dry out your family's skin. I like to keep my RH above 30% for instrument safety and human comfort. You can get a hygrometer at a hardware store or wal-mart for 10 bucks or so, and it will measure the moisture content of the air. There are a number of methods you can use to regulate the humidity, depending on the size of your house, and many inexpensive room humidifiers are available at hardware stores, etc. If you live in a more modern home, your heating system might even have a built in humidifier.

I also think that staying properly hydrated, not only with a good moisturizer, but by drinking good old fashioned water, and enough of it, is the best thing you can do to keep your skin moisturized. And with my dry skin, I try to prep well and not to overdo it with products. I apply a light balm, splash of witch hazel, splash the aftershave and go on my way. Sometimes the aftershave will pick up some redness but it goes away pretty quickly. If alcohol based aftershaves or alum are adding to your irritation, don't use them, try some alcohol free aftershave and/or witch hazel.

Nivea balm is great stuff but at this point my skin soaks it and it still feels like I didn't put anything on at all.

I skipped the soap with lanolin today and opted for Proraso blue instead. Of course the dryness is still there but my face did feel better after my shave than it did yesterday. I'll stick with it for at least a few days and see what happens

I also bowl lathered instead of face lathering. So I don't know f the improvement was from the change in software or the switch in method.

You may want to try this Artisan... Through The Fire Fine Craft... I just got some of their aftershave balm and think that it is superior.

Here are the ingredients for "Spring Fern": Witch Hazel Distillate, Distilled Water, Aloe Vera, Aloe Leaf Juice, Sunflower Oil, Jojoba Oil, Meadowfoam Oil, Stearic Acid, Soya Oil, Emulsifying Wax, Vegetable Glycerine, Plamitic Acid, Vitamin E, Potassium Sorbate, Vitamin C, Citric Acid Germal... Sorry if there are misspellings...

You have to shake it up, and it is watery looking (not thick milky/yogurty) but it is some of the most soothing stuff I have put on my face to date... Hope this helps.

Two product suggestions. Trader Joe's Enrich face lotion - great stuff and only 3.75. The other is unrefined shea butter - long lasting and commonly available on Amazon and elsewhere. I warm it up in my hands and cut it with water from the faucet. It's moisturizing but protective.

tiernan22 said:

Two product suggestions. Trader Joe's Enrich face lotion - great stuff and only 3.75. The other is unrefined shea butter - long lasting and commonly available on Amazon and elsewhere. I warm it up in my hands and cut it with water from the faucet. It's moisturizing but protective.

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+1 on the unrefined Shea Butter. It's amazing stuff! Cheap, too. I rub some in my hands, keep them under running water for a second or two, rub them together again and then rub it into my face. Lots of moisture and it also is protecting against the cold.

While soap is part of the fun, you could get good shaves without soap with a little bit of effort. I actually get less irritation if I do this as soap will always dry a bit the skin:

1. Shower until your beard is well soaked and weakened from the water. (Or take a bath were you frequently put water over your face, or use a hot wet towel or any other means to get this done)
2. Rub in your face with a few drips of Jojoba oil.
3. Shave while you are under shower. If water is not continuously flooding your face it will not feel fully comfortable.

So it looks like lanolin was the problem. I haven't used a soap with lanolin since Saturday and I have experienced tremendous improvement.