I read that menthol is not good for a person having ingrown issues.
What's the deal here?
What's the deal here?
To Menthol or not the Menthol, that is the question
- Thread starter Jaybird180
- Start date
What is the deal here? I have never heard of this before.
My personal experience with menthol cream in the form of Proraso has been very good. I had some ingrown hairs prior to DE shaving, and now only one stubborn hair remains; I am convinced it considers my neck The Alamo.
My personal experience with menthol cream in the form of Proraso has been very good. I had some ingrown hairs prior to DE shaving, and now only one stubborn hair remains; I am convinced it considers my neck The Alamo.
no correlation between the two. Menthol away.
- Maybe what you've heard it's about the menthol (Vick Vaporub, etc.) that mentol it's kind of cluging for your pores; but i don't think that it has anything to do or be related with the menthol in shaving soaps, after shaves or creams.
- Thread starter
- #5
http://www.theartofshaving.com/taos6/ingrown-hairs.php
Not that they're the Gospel, but why do they say so?
Not that they're the Gospel, but why do they say so?
Maybe none of their products are mentholated? Dunno.
Curious, I wonder why they would say that, besides in order to sell more of their alcohol free, non-mentholated balms.
In any event, I'm not parting with my trusty Aqua Velva.
In any event, I'm not parting with my trusty Aqua Velva.
There was a posting with that AOS link a while ago, and having given it some thought, I think it's probably a marketing trick. Many of us at B&B use mentholated products and as far as I can tell there doesn't seem to be any correlation between the two. I have a suspicion that it's something sly, like when McDonalds was putting "Made with 100% Pure Beef* on their burger boxes, and could because the company giving them their low grade "beef" was named "100% Pure Beef... Maybe there are a few mentholated products that are bad, like Vicks mentioned in an above post, and as a result they can legally post this and hope to gain an edge in the market.
Menthol is really just a light topical anesthetic that is usually derived from an artificial peppermint source. Most people, even those with sensitive skin, should not see any negative effects from using mentholated products. However, be cautious when approaching heavy hitters like Osage Rub and Floid Vigoroso. Menthol can cause inflammation of the hair follicle, which can lead to ingrowns. Additionally, menthol is often paired with irritating substances like grain alcohol (aftershaves), essential oils (soaps, aftershaves, creams) like lavender, lemon, etc, and other substances like paraben, beeswax, partially hydrogenated oils, etc that are meant to keep liquids solid (or at least semi-solid) at room temperature. Unless your skin is extremely sensitive, menthol should not cause a problem--it can be painful though.
It has skin drying properties just like alcohol does, and can also penetrate the skin and bring other chemical compounds with it that may also irritate the skin.
So I would bet that they refer to [Alcohol, menthol or benzocaine-based products] simply because there is a possibility that those ingredients in improper amounts can cause irritation for people with naturally dry skin.
And that irritation COULD potentially lead to ingrown hairs...
It's a bit misleading because in proper amounts, or paired with other ingredients that won't irritate the skin, there is really nothing wrong with those ingredients.
So I would bet that they refer to [Alcohol, menthol or benzocaine-based products] simply because there is a possibility that those ingredients in improper amounts can cause irritation for people with naturally dry skin.
And that irritation COULD potentially lead to ingrown hairs...
It's a bit misleading because in proper amounts, or paired with other ingredients that won't irritate the skin, there is really nothing wrong with those ingredients.
I have a mentholated "Australian Peppermint" soap that I bought from a store on Ebay. I quite frequently use it for extended periods during hot weather and all through summer to reduce irritation. It has never once given me an ingrown hair.
In other news, I can't believe this quote isn't getting more love:
In other news, I can't believe this quote isn't getting more love:
- Thread starter
- #14
I have noticed a difference with my long use of Noxema cleanser vs Cetaphil that I recently started using. I swap between the Cetaphil and Neutrogena Fash Wash and whenever I've used Noxema, guess what?!!??? Ingrown! Correlation? And what's in the ingredients? Menthol! Perhaps I'm varying something else, but I also don't trust the can of Colgate shaving cream I am forced to occasionally use either...more testing is required.
Correlation does not mean causation. You should find some menthol oil, or some product with a lot of menthol in it, and try it on your face.
I surmise it is more likely the mild numbing properties of the menthol in your lather allowing you to unwillingly and unknowingly apply a little too much pressure.
AOS also talks about the menthol having a cooling effect, thus closing pores and stiffening beard hair. Don't know if that is based on fact or impression, but I don't like menthol products simply because of the "cooling" feeling they give me on my skin.
For me, it's all about the HEAT.
Hot Shower. Hot Water in the Sink and Brush. Warm Lather. Warm Rinse, and an Alcohol based after shave for the "burn". Feels great to me.
Don't know how other people feel about it, but I just don't feel like I have finished shaving without that final "Macaulay Culkin - Home Alone" burn.
A caveat here is that I definitely do NOT have sensitive skin, I don't get nicks and cuts, and I have very tough, coarse facial hair.
For me, it's all about the HEAT.
Hot Shower. Hot Water in the Sink and Brush. Warm Lather. Warm Rinse, and an Alcohol based after shave for the "burn". Feels great to me.
Don't know how other people feel about it, but I just don't feel like I have finished shaving without that final "Macaulay Culkin - Home Alone" burn.
A caveat here is that I definitely do NOT have sensitive skin, I don't get nicks and cuts, and I have very tough, coarse facial hair.
I have thick curly hair (prone to ingrowns). I use a mentholated pre shave (Proraso pre/post), mentholated shave cream (Santa Maria Novella), and mentholated AS (Proraso Splash). No problems here. Probably need to take some of the stuff on the AOS site with a grain of salt. Naturally, some of the info there seems to lean heavilly in favor of the products they sell.
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