Question 1

Hi. does this product really work on sensitive skin. I have a desperate dan type beard so a smooth shave even with a multi blade razor is a lottery.

Accepted Answer

The honest answer is that there is no one-product-suits-all with sensitive skin - it depends on what chemicals you are sensitive to, and if it is even a chemical that you have are sensitive to at all. For most people (myself included), the majority of my irritation when shaving came from not using good kit and not using appropriate preparation. Reading through the other responses to your question, many people have suggested purchasing a safety razor / single blade razor / double-edged razor (all the same thing) - this is unquestionably excellent advice. Multiblade cartridge razors work well for many, but as they generally work on a tug-and-hack approach with one blade tugging on the hair the next tearing it, relying on multiple blades to achieve the clean shave, many find that this produces irritation. You are more likely to get ingrowing hairs as well using a multiblade. Where a cartridge razor is designed to hack away and produce a smooth shave in one pass, a safety razor is reliant on fresh, sharp blades that cleanly slice through the hairs with next to no resistance over 2-3 passes, reducing the beard in stages. You are using a new double-edged razor blade every couple of shaves and the entire shave is now based on the ability of the razor to slice off hair cleanly rather than tug and hack, which unsurprisingly results in reduced irritation. While it takes slightly longer, you can still do an excellent shave in a few minutes, but have the option of taking your time and having a very luxurious experience out of it. Furthermore, it is much cheaper. You can buy an excellent mild safety razor (e.g. Edwin Jagger DE89) for not much more that £20 and razor blades cost something like 5p each when you buy them in packets (get a sampler of different brands if you can - different razors work very differently for different people. What one person hates will give some other guy the best shave of his life, so don't rely on recommendations for blades). All that being said, my personal opinion is that the most important parts to reduce irritation for me are before and after the shave. Try to shave after you've had a shower / hot bath and wash your face with hot water first. If you aren't able to shower first, applying a clean, hot wet towel to your beard for at least 30 seconds can be almost as good. The purpose of this is to open the pores and soften your beard. Dry facial hair has a comparable tensile strength to copper wire of the same diameter, and this is significantly reduced by warming and hydrating it, making your shave easier and more comfortable. After this, build a good lather using a brush with some shaving cream or soap - you can do this directly on your face or in a bowl, whichever you prefer, but either way make sure you work it onto your face with the brush rather than just painting it on. The purpose of this is to further hydrate your facial hair and to lubricate your skin, as well as lifting the hairs away from the skin, allowing for a smooth shave and helping the razor blade glide over your skin without irritating it. For your first pass, always shave in the direction of the grain of your beard, being conscious that this can change around your face and may not be symmetrical. If you're using a multiblade you may be fine with just one pass (I wouldn't know, I've not used on in so long because of how much irritation I got off them), but with a safety razor you'll be needing at least 2 passes. If you are doing multiple passes your should always reapply lather between passes, and as a general rule only shave where there is lather rather than going over dry exposed skin again and again. Your second pass should be perpendicular to / across the grain of your beard growth. I know some who will go straight to an against-the-grain pass, but if you're having issues with irritation, I'd advise against this. Remember throughout the shaving process your should not be applying much pressure with your razor - the sharpness of the blade should be doing all the work (similar principle to having a good quality cooking knife - if it's as sharp as it should be the slicing even thick meat should be easy and not require lots of tugging / tearing, and if it does then it needs sharpening, or in the case of shaving - change the blade). If you find you are not getting a sufficiently close shave with the 2 passes, then a 3rd pass against the grain would work or even a simple "clean up pass" - relather your face and just go over the areas that still have a little stubble rather than the whole face. (Again, this advice really only applies to safety razors, as my consistent experience with cartridge razors was a face that felt like it was on fire after one pass, so I certainly wouldn't advise multiple passes). After whichever if your final pass, rinse the lather from your face then splash cold water or even apply a clean flannel that has been soaked in cold water. This refreshes the face and closes your skin pores, helping to retain moisture. If you find that you have a few small areas of irritation or nicks, then applying a wet alum block over your skin may be of benefit - it is a mild astringent that has antimicrobial properties and after a brief initial sting helps reduce the irritation afterwards. If you do rub alum onto your face, leave it there for a minute or so while you clean up your sink, then rinse it off. After the shave, a simple aftershave balm can be particularly helpful in preventing dry skin and irritation. I've tried several and they've all worked wonderfully, but one that works well and is especially cheap / easily available pretty much everywhere is Nivea post shave balm for sensitive skin. Smells good, works well, costs next-to-nothing. And then you're done! It may sound like a ball-ache to do, but prior to learning to shave with a safety razor as above I was forced to constantly keep stubble and just trim it using a beard-trimmer, as even one-off shaves using a cartridge razor just destroyed my face with big areas of irritation and ingrowing hairs. I now find I actually look forward to my shaves as it has become an almost luxurious experience, and it still takes less than 5 minutes if I really need to rush it, though I generally avoid that because then I don't enjoy it as much. There's a very helpful guide to shaving with safety razors called "Leisureguy's guide to gourmet shaving" - pretty cheap and basically expands on the above, explaining how to get the most out of your shave both in terms of results and enjoyment. Additionally, there are many MANY YouTube videos with people teaching on how to use a safety razor for those who haven't before - if you want to see practical demonstrations I'd recommend them. You will also find lots of reviews of shaving products including ones for sensitive skin.TL;DR. (1) Yes this cream can work on my sensitive skin, but it varies from person to person - try it, it's great and I hope it suits you too. (2) Get a safety razor and learn how to use it. (3) Good pre- and post-shave work will work wonders for irritation caused during shaving.Hope that helped.

Question 2

The description says bowl .. so do you lather-up in this bowl, and cream comes 'out' or is it just cream kept in a bowl, and I need a seperate lather?

Accepted Answer

i can not stress this enough.  The cream foams up REALLY well.  You don't need a lot on your brush.  Just slightly wet the brush, 2 or 3 swirls of the cream and apply direct to your face.  You'll be amazed at just how much the cream foams up!

Question 3

Is this cruelty-free? Thanks....Alex

Accepted Answer

Yes but it is also a good size to throw at an annoying cat.

Question 4

Can anyone please give me the list of ingredients? Does it contain palm oil?

Accepted Answer

The list of the ingredients from the tub are: Aqua (Water), Stearic Acid, Myristic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Coconut Fatty Acid, Glycerin, Parfum (Fragrance), Triethanolamine, Sodium Hydroxide, Benzyl Alcohol, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, (Parfum Contains: Linalool, Geraniol, Benzyl Salicylate, Citronellol, Eugenol, Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Cinnamate, Evernia Furfuracea Extract, Evernia Prunastri Extract, Limonene, Coumarin. No mention of palm oil. David Noakes, Diamond Edge Ltd.

Weight	150 g
Volume	5.3 Fluid Ounces
Units	150.0 gram
Country of origin	England
Brand	Taylor of Old Bond Street
Format	Cream
Age Range Description	Adult

Taylor of Old Bond StreetSandalwood Shaving Cream Bowl, 150g

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