Hi! (And now that we've all established I'm a dork.) I'm also a freak of nature, and that's why I (am getting/got) into DE shaving. I have a ~severe~ allergy to coconut - that means no coconut oil products, and nothing with with coco- or laur- anywhere in the ingredients list. Coconut oil (or "splits") is/are "the most widely used product in personal cleaning and cosmetics". It can be listed as "all natural" and so few people are allergic to it as to qualify as "hypo allergenic" with an allergen factor of Zero. Read your shampoos, soaps, conditioners... even your toothpastes, detergents, shaving soaps, dish soaps... If it foams and cleans, I'm most probably allergic to it. We're not talking about a minor itch or rash (irritation), the more pure the source, the more likely I am to blister. Talk about traumatic as a child - I was given an exquisite ~expensive~ hand-made bar of coconut soap one year for Christmas; wonderful luxurious lather and within 5 minutes my skin has blistered like a 2nd or 3rd degree burn. Soap still scares the ~heck~ out of me 25+ years later. One little known factoid: the moisture strips on most of the disposable razors on the market contain a coconut derivative in it. I have long since used the last non-moisture-strip razor in my area beyond the point of usable for shaving. (Hubby is quite disturbed that, as a girl, I've been winning the battle of "longest leg hair in the house" for several months.) I went looking for razors online, and found the wonderful world of SE/DE/straight wet-shaving. I started a thread trying to find soaps I could use and (finally) found some... and plunked out a chunk of change at the end of last week for start-up. It all arrived today and I'm so freakin' jazzed that I get to shave after work for the first time in 6-9 months that I HAD to share... and figured y'all would be the only people that could share (even half) of my "Christmas morning" feeling. Supplies in my mail box ~Right Now~: Merkur 1904/1906 DE razor (the one with the hex handle; I'm practically blind and have kid-sized hands, so the short handle shouldn't bother me... handles on disposable razors were too long.) WCS DE blade sampler pack (extended) boar brush (reviewed to be extremely soft for boar, a bit stiffer than badger) Alum block (I get the feeling I'm going to need it starting out) 2 shaving soaps (special order for 2-3 more shave soaps and 6 bars of regular soap is in the works) Thanks to Kingfisher for sending me to Michelle at Mystic Water for non-coconut shaving soaps. Ron at Stirling Soaps is going to be my other best (soap) friend. He's willing to small batch regular (bar) and shaving soaps without coconut oil/milk (small batch being in sets of 3 bars/pucks; other soap-makers are requesting 5-10 lb minimums). I'll be able to use soap more often than 3x a week (best I can do with commercial soaps) - at last! Happy Early Birthday to me! Leie/Lydia
Congratulations and welcome to the Shave Den. With your new membership, you're entitled to 1 bar of genuine virtual welcome soap..conunut free..enjoy!.
Hello again! I'm so happy to read your update & see you have some wonderful options for soap now. Michelle & Rod are excellent soapmakers and I think your skin will be very happy We totally get the "Christmas morning" feeling about new shave gear. Many of us feel like little kids when posting in the monthly "Haul" thread Keep us posted.
to TSD Leie....I sure hope you enjoy it here and the Den proves useful to you.. If your a dork and a freak, your probably in the right place.... I'm so "VERY" sorry to hear about your allergies,they do sound terrible....However they did bring you to us and to "traditional" shaving... I hope we can help ease your alergies to some degree.....Have you ever tried Castile soap? From what I've read, real Castile soap is a natural gentle soap that made with only olive oil...Perhaps you should talk with one of our soap makers and see about making your own custom soap...Well good luck and if you have any questions just ask....
Thanks for all the welcomes, I'm feeling quite at home-ish. LOL, 1.5 hours of shaving later... (I ~did~ promise the longest shave in history) and only 3/4 of the legs shaved. So far, I like the Merkur blade I started with; scythed through everything quite nicely, no nicks at all the first lower leg, knee and ankle. I don't like the Astra blade I tried on the front of the other lower leg - hair was being stubborn and I forgot and unconsciously added more pressure to the razor - shaved the top skin layer off of 5 hair follicles plus at the base of one knee I have a "skinned" area the size of an ibuprofen pill. (I switched back to the Merkur for the rest of that - entire - leg). I'll save the Astras for a month or two for now when I have more um... experience. Making shaving soap is going to take some practice (as is shaving quick enough to have it work well). Shave lotion is working better at the moment, but I have to unclog the blade quite often. I'm just glad it's MUCH easier to unclog the Merkur 1904 than a cartridge. I'm also going to be happy when I'm shaving stubble and not "wookie pelt" (as Hubby so considerately called it). Still excited, 1 WTG + 1 ATG pass on each section is much better than anything I got with cartridge razors - and less itching by far!
It's been quite useful already. Lots of reading went in before I decided to make here my new shaving information home. I'm honored, but I wouldn't talk about these other quite nice people that way... well... maybe in another few months (but don't tell them that!) ~grins~ Actually... my allergies make me quite "special" (short-bus special, occasionally). I only have a few allergies, but boy... are they doozies. My 3 main allergies are coconut, active chlorophyll and artificial sugars. I once got sick because the lettuce at GC (a buffet) in Orlando, FL was too fresh. I haven't tried Castile soap, although I ought to. I am in contact with a couple of soapmakers, but I'm always interested in alternatives in case one I currently have drops off the planet. I occasionally research soapmaking, but I'm never brave enough to actually try it. You can count on it!
Welcome, good luck. Its nice to know that you had a real need that you were able to meet. For most of us we consider this quality, hobby, or self pampering but for you it means so much more....congrats and im sure there might be shave creams that fit your needs
Hi and welcome. Practice make perfect - so in a little bit of time you will be very happy. Plus this is a great hobby.
That sucks that your allergy is so bad OTOH as others have said you may have just found a new interest. That sucks that some places require 5-10 lb minimum for special made soaps. That sounds like it could last quite a long time. Anyways, hope you have enjoy the new razors.
