Non-Comedogenic Shaving Cream

[dh_56]

Does anyone know of any good non-comedogenic shaving creams that are meant to be lathered with a shaving brush. I've just started wet shaving and am enjoying it, but I have occasional acne problems and was informed that I should be using a non-comedogenic shaving cream instead of the TOBS that I started with. The problem is the only non-comedogenic creams I see online don't look like they're meant to be used with a shaving brush. I don't want to give up my badger brush, so please let me know if you know of any creams that might work for me.

[camelman0075]

Believe it or not sometimes the cheaper are better. Proraso with Eucalyptus oil will probably not aggravate your acne, especially with the Menthol kick at the end. If you have sensitive skin i would suggest getting your hands on Proraso with wheat germ oil ( RED tube) and it still has the menthol kick but wont burn as much as the Eucalyptus oil.


What's your post shave routine that may also be the cause of the occasional break out

[vior]

I too would recommend the more sensitive "red proraso". It has great skincare. Other products to think about are: nancy boy signature cream, Honey bee sue soaps, Saint Charles Shave soaps and creams, and Crabtree and Evelyn sweet almond oil cream. I don't find that any of these clog my pores. Have you considered washing your face with a mild cleanser after your shave if your worried about the soap or cream being left on your skin?

[cstewart]

http://www.soapnuts.com/noncomo.html

With soaps and creams, the fats will be saponified so I'm not sure that they would still be comedogenic but since most soaps will be superfatted to some degree, there will still be some unsaponified oils left in the finished product. If you're worried I would avoid anything with ingredients in the right hand column and possibly the middle.

[camelman0075]

after doing so reading the ideal stuff for you may justr be Taylor's of Old Bond Street Avocado

[Obsessed]

I have to respectfully disagree with respect to the red Proraso, as it contains wheat germ oil, which my Google search results indicate is highly comedogenic.

[vior]

wheat germ oil is found in many cosmetics. IMHO, the red proraso is one of the best creams in its price range. I find it way better than its brother the green. This is one of the first creams I used when I started wetshaving(back then my skin way more sensitive and acne prone) and it has never disappointed.

[dh_56]

I haven't actually started to break out yet, but I only began wet shaving a week ago. It's just that my skin is usually pretty sensitive to these type of things and I wouldn't be surprised if I do eventually break out. I started to read forums online and people with acne said that it is important to use a non-comedogenic cream. I've found creams that are meant for sensitive skin, but most of them look like they just moisturize further with oils. For example, the taylor avocado has gotten good reviews, but it has avocado oil for extra moisturization. I can't imagine that is good for acne. The other interesting thing I learned is that stearic acid can be a cause of acne, and almost all lather shaving creams I have seen use stearic acid as a top ingredient. The Nancy Boy and Tom's of Maine look like they have more natural ingredients, but they don't claim to be non-comedogenic.

[Obsessed]

wheat germ oil is found in many cosmetics. IMHO, the red proraso is one of the best creams in its price range. I find it way better than its brother the green. This is one of the first creams I used when I started wetshaving(back then my skin way more sensitive and acne prone) and it has never disappointed.

Well, I'll certainly defer to you over Google. In fact, you may give me an excuse for trying the Proraso red that I've been avoiding precisely because I was afraid it was comedogenic. I've heard, however, that they aren't making it any more. Is this true?

[vior]

based on what I've read I believe so, though it's still readily available on some online shops.

[scottydoint]

Not all oils are bad for acne. Avocado oil would actually be good for acne. Oils such as Jojoba oil and emu oil actually mimic your natural sebum and "trick" you skin into producing less oil. There are lost of oils that are good for acne. Here is a link for avocado oil info http://www.avocado-oil.co.nz/skincare.html You should do some research on some of the oils you see in shave creams and other cosmetics. Here is a list of some noncomedogenic EO's and other ingredients.
Almond Oil (Sweet Almond)
Anhydrous Lanolin
Apricot Kernal Oil
Avocado Oil
Beeswax
Bentonite Clay
Candelilla Wax
Castor Oil
Cetearyl Alcohol
Chamomile Extract
Emulsifying Wax NF
Emu Oil
Evening Primrose Oil
Glycerin
Hexyldecanol
Hydroxypropyl Cellulose
Jojoba
Kaolin Clay
Olive Oil
Peanut Oil
Polysorbate 20 and 80
Safflower Oil
Sesame Oil
Squalane
Stearic Acid
Sunflower Oil
Tocopherol
Aloe Vera (cold pressed)

Hope this helps.

[Lockout]

Anyone know if there's a difference between coconut oil and coconut acid? I see coconut oil listed on the website linked above as causing clogged pores, and I've noticed that nearly all of the popular shaving cream brands use coconut acid.

Should I be concerned, or are they two different things?

[drandall]

one thing to avoid if you have skin problems is lanolin. this wool oil is a known acne causing agent and is present in several excellent shaving creams including musgo real and mitchell's wool fat.

if you're looking for something mild for the face, it's hard to beat pure glycerin soap. it's about as basic as you can get. whether you go for col. conk, or honeybee, mama's or em's, a pure glycerin without an artifical fragrance should do you very right

[scottydoint]

as far as I can tell from other sites and personal use it is not comedogenic. I don't know why they say it is because everywhere else says that it is good for the skin and acne. I have personally used coconut oil on my skin and I have acne and it has not clogged my pores or made me break out.

[sanpaku]

i can empathize with dh_56's concerns! as i've stated elsewhere, i've sensitive allergy-prone skin and i have to watch carefully what i shave with.

however, unless a cream or soap is packed with oil, which can surely be problematic, i feel that the value of something being non-pore-clogging is more important to the areas of the face that aren't shaved. when's the last time you had a pore clogged on, say, your cheek? i can't see it. the areas prone to clogging are primarily the forehead, nose, and triangular areas beneath the eyes.

that being said, here's my short list of what i recommend for acne/allergy-prone/troubled skin that doesn't like to behave;

- nancy boy signature (WARNING: the replenishing cream, aftershave, and cucumber moisturizer has lemon e/o that burns my skin and leaves redness - eric, the co-founder, said it's used in the replenishing line to enhance the cucumber scent!).


- proraso red (very mild and therapeutic on the skin; available from giovanni @ razor and brush until his cache of 100 is gone).


- arko sensitive (packed with extra glycerin, this low-priced wunderkind is perfect for new wetshavers and the sensitive set alike).


- muehle aloe vera (supermild; they supposedly have a "new formula" in this grey tube with lime cap that i'd like to try as the previous one in the white tube is very easy on the skin).


- proraso green tea + aloe soap (i've not tried it myself, but i understand that it's at least equal to proraso red in terms of mildness).


hope this 2 cents worth helps...

[paydepst]

Any of the Gillette creams, the Noxzema, and the La Toja sensitive are also worth checking out.

[Johnny_smith]

Hi guys,

This is my first post here, as I've only recently decided to turn to the DE razor dark side!

However, I also still suffer from acne and coincidently my acne has recently flared up, which is one of the reasons I've turned to wetshaving.

Now I've just finished reading a 44 page stickied thread at acne.org entitled 'the biggest mistakes people make to treat acne'. There are a number of gurus in this thread who have helped people work out a truely non-comedogenic skin care regimen.

It soon becomes clear part-way through the thread that there are only actually a handful of truely non-comedogenic cleansers, moisturizers, and toners on the market. Many cosmetic companies can get away with labelling their products as non-comedogenic or hypo-allergenic when they are infact not. There isn't much regulation on this and cosmetic companies can get away with making untruthful statements. It's also worth noting that even so-called 'natural' or 'organic' products and ingredients can often be comedogenic and irritating.

One of the best resources is Paula Begoun's 'Paula's Choice' website and products. She seems to be one of the only distributers of truely non-comedogenic products and acne-related advice. Her website is a decent resource and includes an ingredients dictionary here: http://www.cosmeticscop.com/cosmetic...ictionary.aspx.

Now when it comes to shaving creams I'm having trouble finding a truely non-comedogenic product. Part of the problem is that I can't find an ingredients list for many products.

Many of the most popular creams like Truefitt & Hill, TOBS, and Trumpers contain Myristic Acid (an irritant), Beeswax (comedogenic), Parfum/Frangrances (irritants), and often Menthol (an irritant). Also, bar soaps in any form should ideally be avoided because they all contain harsh cleansing agents and leave a potentially pore-clogging residue on the skin.

Esentially, I'm looking for an unscented cream that leaves out myristic acid, menthol, and any waxy comedegenic thickeners.

Sanpaku - I'm going to try and hunt down the ingredients for the products you've listed and I'll report back here soon.

[MinnMD]

Lately, I've been shaving with Cetaphil Gentle Cleansing Bar which is noncomedogenic. I add glycerin and castor oil as described below.

http://www.drugstore.com/products/pr...59&catid=21189

Grate it into a container.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthr...ght=soap+grate

Upside-down lather technique. I usually let a teaspoon of warm water sit on the soap before loading the brush.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthr...+lather+upside

Once the brush is loaded with soap, sit it down. Make an indentation in the center of the brush and to the brush add 5 to 10 drops of glycerin and 5 drops of castor oil. (You can experiment with the number of drops.) Create lather in bowl. Apply to face.

Glycerin and castor oil are available at whole food stores. They can be purchased online, too.

http://www.vitacost.com/

MinnMD

[Johnny_smith]

The Nancy Boy is off the list since it contains peppermint, an irritant.

This page at the shave den has some useful ingredient lists.

Looks like the Proraso Red is off the list since it contains Sodium Lauryl Sulphate and menthol, and it's discontinued anyways.

The Arko Sensitive doesn't look too bad, but does contain parfum which could be an irritant and also linalool, but it's way down the list. I'm not sure whether this product is the same as Arko's Extra Sensitive however, Arko only list the Extra Sensitive on their site. I haven't been able to locate an ingredients list for that yet. I'd be interested to see it though.

The muehle aloe vera conatins beeswax (comedogenic) and Parfum (irritant).

So, the hunt shall continue...

[niko_p]

I've done my research on this topic having had the same problems with some shaving creams..

I found that what works best is TOBS Avocado.

I was having major issues with Nivea cream, tobs jermyn st, trumpers coconut etc.

Then found out that any cream with Coconut Oil (not acid..) and/or Cocoa butter which are two comedogenic compounds would block my pores..


TOBS Avocado doesn't have any of the above and having used it for the past 7 days, my skin has improved massively!