sensitive skin problems

Hello everyone,

I am new to B&B and wet shaving with a safety razor and i love everything about it, but i unfortunately have the curse of sensitive skin. I am currently using taylor of old bond sandlewood and entire proraso sensitive skin line(pre shave, shaving tube, and after shave balm) and they seem to be helping but i just wanted some advice from others with sensitive skin that maybe found success with different products and also with blades as well. I am currently trying out different blades with my 34c. I know it is different for everyone, but I am just wondering if someone with the same problem can help point me to another product that might be awesome for me

thanks everyone and i love the site and the community

Welcome to B&B! Stand by for a lot of advice on this. You are among many who successfully shave with sensitive skin, and will gladly share their experiences.

As for me...

I would recommend trying Lucky Tiger After Shave and Face Tonic.

I find it very soothing. It contains witch hazel and many other good soothing, healing ingredients. I use it immediately after post-shave warm and cold rinses. Once the LT dries, I apply splash/balm.

As for a balm, I would recommend NIVEA Men Sensitive Post Shave Balm.

As for a splash, I would recommend Speick After Shave Lotion.

My $0.02...HTH

Welcome to the forum Greatest! If you have great prep (clean face and hydrated beard) what would usually cause irritation is a chemical sensitivity or technique. One man's favorite blade is another's least favorite. Astra SP's and some of the Personna's are touted here as being pretty smooth.

I too had sensitive skin issues with carts and also when I switched to DE. After making sure I had everything "sensitive skin formula" the sensitivity did get better. With more experience and focus on my technique (angle and pressure) I found that my sensitive skin wasn't so sensitive anymore.

Good luck Greatest, and enjoy the journey.

Hey. Welcome to B&B. I've used Mystic Water Unscented shave soap, Mike's Naturals Unscented, TOBS Jermyn Street, Nancy Boy Replenishing, Gold Dachs Classic, and Castle Forbes Lavender. All specially formulated for sensitive skin and all good performers. I use Astra SP, Gillette 7 O'Clock Blacks and Greens, Personnas, and Derby blades. All good blades for me.

Welcome to B&B thegreatest: Please don't take what I'm going to say negatively. Many new shavers come to B&B and post about their sensitive skin. The problem is really the five blade plastic razors being used since reaching puberty. Most DE shavers complexions improve after a few weeks of shaving with a DE razor.

Every experienced wet shaver has a shaving routine that works for them. I'll give you a description of mine. I rub a small amount of this Neutrogena product into my wet whiskers. I brush lather over-the-top with my favorite soap or cream. I make my first razor pass. Rinse with cold water and repeat the process before the next pass.

I always complete a three pass shave with a DE razor or S.R. I always complete my shave by either using an alum block or witch hazel. A final application of a name brand after shave balm completes the ritual.

http://www.neutrogena.com/product/neutrogena+men-+sensitive+skin+shave+cream.do?sortby=ourPicks

http://zenhabits.net/the-zen-of-shaving-how-a-double-edge-razor-can-change-your-life/

I have sensitive skin, especially in my neck. If you have not already, it would be a good idea to really map out the direction your hair grows. I was suprised to find out that may hair makes a nearly 180 degree turn halfway down my neck. Once you have done that you may try only shaving with the grain for a few days if you have to wait for bad irritation to resolve itself.

I would also recommend the Astra SP blades, these give me the best result I have found in a safety razor.

Another option you might try would be to go through the whole prep, shave and post steps using cold water. It may not be for you, but cold shaving revolutionized the experience for me and all but eliminated the irritation I was feeling.

Have fun, I would wager that you can get past the problem with a little help from this great community. Welcome to Badger and Blade!

Besides product, it's important to have your shaving technique down. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to shave everyday with a de razor (I had to shave every 3rd day with cartridges) but as long as I keep my technique "clean" and stay with a 2 pass shave w/ touch up I can shave everyday with no problems and I have quite sensitive skin, too.

I also find that my skin does better with an aftershave balm, than with an aftershave splash.

Good luck, and keep shaving ;-)

Welcome aboard bro, you are getting the best advice anywhere!

thank you everyone for all your posts. There is a lot of great advise and i will try to work all of them into my routine somehow and see what can work for me. I know my technique still isn't that great, but im working on it and hoping to get better over time. I will look at all the creams and pre/after shaves as well

thanks again everyone

Don't believe in sensitive skin. Don't believe in razors doing the work. Pull skin behind the blade only, and keep blade angle low.

I've found that washing my face 2x/day (morning and evening) -- whether I shave or not -- is good for my facial skin. To keep it simple (and almost hypoallergenic) I only use one product for face-washing: Tom's of Maine Sensitive Natural Beauty Bar Soap with Soothing Chamomile...basic pure ingredients, no fragrance. I also lather up with this soap and apply hot wet towel to lather as a pre-shave. Works for me.

I like a few drops of grapeseed oil rubbed into my skin after I have shaved and moisturizer. Cheap and effective. Tallow and lanolin based soaps provide the best shave and post shave benefits for me...

Welcome to B&B.

You have gotten some good advice above. I will add my two cents.

Often irritation is caused by not using the correct blade angle and putting too much pressure on the razor. The result often is irritation. All too often years of using cartridge shaving has resulted in habits that have bad results when you switch to DE shaving. DE shaving is different from cartridge shaving in that you must be sure you are not putting any pressure on the blade. Let the weight of the razor do the work for you. I use two fingers and my thumb to hold the razor with another finger resting on the tip of the handle. This results in holding the razor very lightly with no pressure on the razor. You want to hold the razor as lightly as you can without it falling from your hand. Take a look at the wiki. Also this post may help you. Finally, for blade angle, look here.

I too have very sensitive skin. I don't get irritation from the weight. As ackvil suggested, it took me a while to really let the razor do the work. My sensitivity is due to acne and ingrow caused by a reaction to scents, tallow, lanolin and parabens. I've also tried to buy a better shave with many different razors
(I don't feel it is fair to mention them) which really didn't work for me. Through trial and error this is what works best for me, although everyone has to figure out what is best for them:

Razor: either EJ89 or 34c
Soap: MdC or PPF now Pheonix unscented - I love so many of the scents out there, but have ended up give them all away.
Blade: Isreali Personna by a long shoot for me
Aftershave: Witch hazel - again I wish I could use a scent aftershave

Shiloh said:

As for a balm, I would recommend NIVEA Men Sensitive Post Shave Balm.

Click to expand...

+1 on that product, I use it whenever my skin feels irritated after a shave. My skin is a little oily, so I can't use it every day. I alternate between that and plain witch hazel after shaving.

Edit: I've also tried using the Nivea stuff as a pre-shave, and it seems to add a little lubrication. YMMV, but it might be worth a shot.

Cremo shaving cream might also be worth a shot. It's really slick, and you want that lubrication to be good from whatever cream or soap you're using.

Welcome. I've been wet shaving for 3 weeks now so I'm not an expert by any means, but I also have sensitive skin and was having issues with irritation when I switched to a DE safety razor. It took me 2 weeks of practice and really focusing on my technique (no pressure and correct blade angle) but all of my shaves so far this week have resulted in zero irritation and the razor bumps on my lower neck are healing up and going away.

For what it's worth, a lot of irritation may be from your soaps and aftershaves. I can't comment on the TOBS but I also purchased a Proraso cream to start with. Proraso is popular, which is why I purchased it, along with their product description that says it is "95%" natural. However, when I received it and actually looked at the ingredient list I was very disappointed with the amount of harmful and irritating chemicals in their products.

After doing a ton of research on natural shaving products I came across Soap Commander, which in addition to having natural ingredients also gets great reviews and have some of the most competitive pricing out there. Actually, the company got started because the founders' daughter suffered from horrible eczema and they were looking to create products to help her sensitive skin. Their "Integrity" line is dye and fragrance free, so least likely to be a contributor towards your sensitive skin.

Just my .02 cents, keep working on your technique and one day it will just click, "oh that's how this is supposed to feel".

As said above, a good moisturizer can go a long way in helping your skin. I have found that applying one at night has been beneficial.

I'm Mr Sensitive. Here's what I've found works for me.

Thin head, mild DE razors with a sharp blade, shallow angle and ultra light touch.
I can use SE razors as well because they allow such a shallow angle. Had a lovely shave this morning using an ER 1924. Shallow angle, sharp blade, ultra light touch, BBS, no irritation. Steeper angle and/or pressure and my neck is in tatters.

Welcome to B&B

Good advice from others that should help you out.

Drop into the Shave Wiki and read over some of the shaving articles. http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/ You will find a LOT of useful info in there.

If you have not already done so, stop into the Hall of Fame and tell everyone a little about yourself

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/forumdisplay.php/30-Hall-of-Fame

Welcome to B&B!
I also have sensitive skin and have found that using 100% raw unrefined shea butter helps.