Suggestions for a shave soap/cream/stick that won't irritate my face

I have a problem with a lot of bath soaps, they'll dry out my skin and leave blotchy red patches. Based on a few older threads on the subject of sensitive skin, I gave proraso sensitive shave soap a try, and my skin did not like it.

As far as regular soaps go, Cetaphil seems to be my best option, even though it has some parabens. Any suggestions for a shave soap/cream/stick that would be as forgiving? The arko shave stick and glycerin soaps seem like they may work. Or perhaps something with shea butter?

Thanks in advance,
Brad

Without knowing all the soaps you've tried this is difficult to answer. If you are buying commercial products it may be some of the chemicals or preservatives in the soaps. You could look at some of the artisan soap makers who generally use far fewer chemicals. Many also produce bath soaps.

If you are looking for something you could pick up at the store, lots of guys swear by Kiss My Face.

You could try a Stirling or TOBS un-scented on the chance that you're reacting to essential oils or fragrance.

Forgot to mention, Stirling has $2 samples.

I sometimes get irritation from certain shavING cream products. Edge gel was horrible for me (burned SO bad just from applying it), and menthol based products also make me feel like I'm burning. But I don't get any irritation from "Taylor of Old Bond Street - Jermyn Street for sensative skin". The scent is totally fantastic and it has never bothered my skin... feels great every time I put it on. But, it does have a scent, so if it is fragrances themselves that bother you you may want to look elsewhere.

The soaps over at Wet Shaving Products only have 6 ingredients, but work really well with good cushion and slickness. They have a new line with 8 ingredients (added Tallow and Shea Butter). If you know what you're allergic to, maybe a soap with fewer ingredients will work better for you.

Stirling Naked and Smooth, Cremo Creme, maybe?

I don't remember all the types of substances that have irritated my face over the years, but here's The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from recent experiences including regular soaps and other applications.

The Good: Cetaphil, SheaMoisture African Black Soap, Sommerset's Shave Oil, Alum, Witch Hazel

The Bad: Anything Dove, CeraVe face wash, Proraso Sensitive Skin Shave Soap, Edge Sensitive Shaving Gel (you and me both, AlgebraicMirror)

The Ugly: These guys work, but there's a little irritation. Kiss My Face (just tried that one, I happened onto it after reading MrSpeedy's reply--it was certainly worth a go), Avveno Men's Shave Gel, Nivea Men's Sensitive Shaving Foam. I would like to stay away from canned goo, so I can use my badger brush.

There's a lot of ingredients in these products. Nothing jumps out at me as a smoking gun, and its not necessarily one ingredient alone causing me problems. I just don't know.

I placed an order for the Stirling Naked & Smooth (I like the idea of a Mom & Pop operation), and if that doesn't work for me I'll give Wet Shaving Products a go (That's a good idea AZBronco to minimalize potential suspects), TOBS, and Cremo.

Thanks for the help & any other suggestions are very welcome,
Brad

I'm fairly indifferent to the Proraso sensitive, it doesn't seem to do anything for me above anything else - if you're thinking of shea, you could look at the Proraso Red, I find that one the most soothing. You could also try MWF.

Have a look into Catie's Bubbles, they seem to be doing a good job for me - expensive to get in UK though, so looking for an alternative at present

Arko costs only $3-$4 in some form or another. That is not much to lose if it does not work for you. For regular bath soaps, I recommend Bittim. Bittim, a product of Turkey, is made from lye, olive oil, and wild pistaccio oil. There are several good suppliers on eBay.

Go take a look at Mike's Natural Soaps at his website. He makes them all by hand and knows his ingredients.. If fact, you might email him for suggestions

Everybody's different but I like to use Gabels brushless shave cream from time to time.
you can google for online purchase.

My recommendations are AoS and MB unscented shaving soap. Usually, it's the extra fragrances that are added to a soap that result in allergic reactions. As for creams, T&H Ultimate Comfort should work.

I would also recommend you try Stirling un-scented.

Another factor on this occured to me today as I was shaving with my 4+/- month old VDH $6 Boar... The first time I used it (new brush, new razor, new blade, VDH soap and NO EXPERIENCE OR CLUES) my face looked like a bad case of road rash....my wife was about to take me to the doctor......

So this is my other 2 Cents worth... how old is your brush; how many uses; how broken in?

If it is not a synthetic and not broken in, your brush can cause a lot of irritation... it may not be the soap..

There was another thread awhile back written by one of the guys who actually bruised his face with the brush.. they look soft but they aren't that soft.... no pressure means brush to clean up... light touch with the brush; lighter touch with the blade; PAT dry don't rub...

I would highly recommend Mike's Natural and Stirling. Not only do they both have a very clean ingredient list, but they are both also spectacular performers. Both have an unscented version as well as samples for you to try out. If you lather decide to try scented versions, I would stick to Essential Oils and not use Fragrance Oil scented ones, just to be on the safe side.

YKMV said:

Another factor on this occured to me today as I was shaving with my 4+/- month old VDH $6 Boar... The first time I used it (new brush, new razor, new blade, VDH soap and NO EXPERIENCE OR CLUES) my face looked like a bad case of road rash....my wife was about to take me to the doctor......

So this is my other 2 Cents worth... how old is your brush; how many uses; how broken in?

If it is not a synthetic and not broken in, your brush can cause a lot of irritation... it may not be the soap..

There was another thread awhile back written by one of the guys who actually bruised his face with the brush.. they look soft but they aren't that soft.... no pressure means brush to clean up... light touch with the brush; lighter touch with the blade; PAT dry don't rub...

Click to expand...

The brush is cheap Escali badger brush that I have used maybe five times. I'll have to search for tips on breaking it in. Soaps in general have been a problem for me my entire life. Many brands cause problems. It's a real hassle. I envy others who have more choices open to them.

It has also been suggested outside the forums that since I hardly shaved as a youngster before growing a beard for half my life, that my face just needs some time to adjust to being shaved.

Thanks for all the suggestions and I will keep checking back on this thread periodically. I apologize for the brevity of my post, but I just spent 20 minutes composing a lengthy post and accidentally left the page. Not for the first time, probably not for the last.

L'Occitane Cade.

That's one sexy looking tin.