You might have noticed, if you are very perceptive, that I haven't updated my "Daily Shave" for a couple of days. The reason is, this was a hard shave week for me. I didn't want to tell you , well, I didn't want anyone to worry. No, no, I'm ok, please, don't cry...It's just, well...I have some bad news.
Since I started shaving with a brush, soap and a DE razor, I have found that my skin is WAY more sensitive than I ever thought it was. I don't know if this is a thing that was always true and I was never in a position to notice it, or if it's caused by all the random things I've been doing to my face for the past couple of months, but there have been some...issues.
First, there were the infamous Japanese Shaving creams...Enough said.
Then, things went ok until I tried the Feather. Bad news, but not too bad.
Smooth sailing for a while, improving technique, getting better supplies, and then BANG! Institut Karite happened.
IK is billed as a soap for sensitive skin, gentle and loaded with moisturizing shea butter. When I read about this, I drooled..."MMMmmmmmm" I said, "Buuuu-tteeeeer..... SO I acquired some (4 pucks actually...) and tried it. It burned me. And when I sayburned, not like "Oh, my, that's slithly irritating..." but more like "Dear god, I can't touch my face for two days...".
And that, I think, is where it started. Because I couldn't let it rest. I had to keep scraping that sharpened steel across my face. In the process, I learned that C&E Sienna is also a No No (Dammit! I LOVE the scent!). And now, this last week, I think I did another bad thing.
This last week I tried a Gillette Super Platinum from India, in the black pack. It was sharp. And I just kept scraping. And my skin kept getting rawer. What's worse, I kept putting Musgo Real on it...Musgo real is another one of those products I was drooling after, an old fashioned European cream, loaded with lanolin and a lovely green scent (It is also a fantastic latherer, and gave a great shave...if you aren't sensitive to it, I highly recommend it). But it is also lightly mentholated, and at the end of my third pass it left my skin raw and painful. Not enough to make me give up right away, but eventually I realized there was no way I could continue using it. Just oo much irritation.
I used it for four shaves, with the Blackpack, and...well, let's just say that last Friday my face said "Stop it." I got 5 nicks and serious burn from my Swede, which hasn't happened to me for ages. So yesterday and today I did not shave. Even though I got some new Cella Crema from my mom for Christmas. Even though I have unopened soaps waiting for me. I gotta let it go. For now.
But I'll be back.
5 comments:
Ouch, sounds like your allergic to something other than the menthol. Maybe lanolin? I get burnt face when I use Shea butter products, not the IK, the Pre de Provence soap did me in pretty good. Both the shaving and bath soap mind you.
I have very sensitive skin too. I use a Merkur Mergress set on 1, or a Fatboy set on 2 or 3. Always a sharp blade though, usually a Gillette 7'oclock sharp edge, Super Iridium or even a feather. I can thank the Russian in me for tough wire like whiskers. The key for me is a very tame razor matched with a super sharp blade.
Yeah Aleks, this is a tough game to play, the "What is hurting me NOW?" game. I don't think it's the lanolin, because I can use MWF with impunity. Thus I also don't think it's the Shea Butter, because I can use VDH Deluxe fine (lots of Shea butter). The problem is, it could be the concentrations, it could be the addition of other chemicals, it could be anything.
I'm playing Russian Roulette, if you'll pardon the term, with my face.
I use my Futur on 1 or 1.5 most of the time, and my blades are sharp. I just need a good, slick lather to run it over...
Hmmm, could be your water ratio with the soaps. Since your trying a variety of soaps and creams for the first time.
It took me a while to get use to how much water had to be mixed in. Some products are easy to nail, while others have a fine line.
I usually build my lather until it's almost runny, took a while to understand the properties of each specific product.
My faves are JM Fraser's, anything Palmolive europe, Dovo soap by Gold-Dachs, and sometimes an Erasmic shave stick. All except the Erasmic shave stick leave my face with plenty of moisture. Usually don't even need a balm, only a splash of something with alcohol, to disinfect.
It's awful to have to put everything down for a while, but I'm sure it's for the better. Your face needs time to recover. These reactions had me thinking, "could it just his skin rebelling to every product for a while?" That can't be the case though, because you said your MWF hasn't given you problems during all this, right?
Perhaps you'll start playing russian roulette with the inside of your elbow first from now on, eh? haha
Get well soon.
p.s. Is "get well soon" even fitting for your situation?
Of course it's fitting, kodou! And I got better....
I think it really was just a case of my face having had enough. I'm doing great on a strict regimen of MWF and Cella now. Thank you for your concern!
And thanks for reading!
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