I have some samples of shaving creams I want to try out but would rather avoid a nasty reaction like the one I had the other day. Would dabbing a small amount on the inside of my arm work for a patch test? Or do I really have to lather up and shave with the stuff before I know if my skin doesn't like it?
Patch test for creams - how to do it and does it work?
- Thread starter cvac
- Start date
Instead of going through the agony of shaving with something that is going to turn your entire face a really nasty shade of maroon, do this.................
Wash a spot on the innner elbow area. Apply a very small dab on the spot and let it sit for about five minutes. Take your razor and very gently shave away the small spot of cream. This will definitely allow you to determine if a particular product will cause irritaion during a shave.
Wash a spot on the innner elbow area. Apply a very small dab on the spot and let it sit for about five minutes. Take your razor and very gently shave away the small spot of cream. This will definitely allow you to determine if a particular product will cause irritaion during a shave.
- Thread starter
- #3
patch tests reveal only the most blatant and irritating of allergens. i learned this long ago when i began trying to weed out the bad stuff and began inner-arm patch testing. the failure rate led me to wash my face at least twice with any potential shaving cream or soap i might use over the course of as many days, being careful to leave product on my skin for up to two minutes and a high percentage of them still adversely effected me after up to three or so shaves.
what i'm getting at is that if you think that you're going to eliminate the possibility of an adverse reaction to a shaving product by patch testing it on the inside of your arm mocking up a facial shave, you're going to find that it's quite an unreliable test. one reason is that facial follicles and sebum are completely different than their counterparts on other parts of the body.
what i'm getting at is that if you think that you're going to eliminate the possibility of an adverse reaction to a shaving product by patch testing it on the inside of your arm mocking up a facial shave, you're going to find that it's quite an unreliable test. one reason is that facial follicles and sebum are completely different than their counterparts on other parts of the body.
Hmmmm........... Yup. You're right. I did not think about that. Good advice.................
- Thread starter
- #7
for starters; la toja, la toja sensitive, proraso red, mem, muhle-pinsel aloe, ingram, erasmic, taylor hypoallergenic, fraser, fraser polar ice, wars, arko sensitive, coates almond, and a few others that escape me. still other creams in the shave den await their second or third shave... (and keep in mind these are just the creams)
I would agree here. So far I have found two products that produce painful reddening of my face without even touching a blade to it. I attempted an inner arm test and neither caused a reaction. Only once the product was on my face for a few minutes did it react. I have a small stable of products that I know work for me. If I run into something that reacts I put it away and use the "safe" products for a week or two and then I try the bad one again for at least two days in a row. If it reacts a second time I launch it in the BST and move on.
Similar threads
