AJScalzitti wrote:
Not that it helps but aftershave was meant to "close" our skin after shaving, cold water does the same; mostly it just smells nice and it is less concentrated than say a perfume.

Cool, I never knew that. Thanks

David Westlake wrote:
There is a store in Boston called "`The art of shaving". The female sales person said she uses the mens sandalwood shave cream on her legs. I can tell you it feels great when shaving my face. The shave cream makes a big differnce. I couldn't imagine shaving my face with regular soap like some women use shaving their legs in the shower.

I'm not allergic to soap but it dries my skin out like crazy and shaving with most body washes in the shower is almost impossible because they just slip away before you've even put the razer to your skin. I've never thought of shaving with oil before, but it makes sense.

Jay Dezelic wrote:
The stuff that *could* harm you over time is the nasty chemicals found in a lot of mainstream products. I looks like your dad uses a lot of natural things that probably won't hurt you.  However, test a little on your on a small area of for a couple days skin to make sure you don't get a reaction.  Things like tea tree oil can sometimes cause allergic reactions. 

I use strait cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil for shaving an as a moisturizer.  It's been in use for more than 5,000 years.  Make sure you get the real stuff though.  Much of what you find on store shelves has been cut with other types of oils that could create issues for some people.

"Natural" does not necessarily equal safe or better. That is a marketing myth. Some natural products are very irritating, just as some synthetics are.

Extra virgin olive oil is not great for a lot of people to use on the skin as it's very heavy and can cause breakouts. Great if your skin likes it, I know my own certainly doesn't. Jojoba oil and rosehip oil are less heavy, are similar to the skin's natural sebum and tend not to cause so many problems.

Tiffany_B wrote:
Provided that what's in the products isn't much different from the products you typically use you shouldn't have an issue. For the most part it sounds like the ingredients are fairly natural and the important thing to keep in mind is that they are meant to be used on skin. This is a very different scenario then something which could be truly dangerous like using acrylic paint instead of body paint.

My suggestion is twofold. First, since you've already shaved with the product don't do anything else to your leg for a bit and see if you have an adverse reaction. If you don't contact the number that's usually included on the back of products and/or a trusted dermatologist and see if the product can safely be used on women. It's vital that you emphasize gender as opposed to age since I know that certain products can't even be safely handled by women, there's a particular pill that comes to mind which is used to regrow hair I believe which states clearly that women shouldn't handle broken tablets.

Standard men's bathroom products are unlikely to be so dangerous to a woman... many women share bathrooms with men after all... prescription drugs are a totally different ballgame I'm sure you understand

Lauren Reynolds MUA wrote:
"Natural" does not necessarily equal safe or better. That is a marketing myth. Some natural products are very irritating, just as some synthetics are.

Extra virgin olive oil is not great for a lot of people to use on the skin as it's very heavy and can cause breakouts. Great if your skin likes it, I know my own certainly doesn't. Jojoba oil and rosehip oil are less heavy, are similar to the skin's natural sebum and tend not to cause so many problems.

Agreed.  The word "Natural" means absolutely nothing in the marketing world anymore.  Everything on earth comes from some natural source before it gets processed. 

EVO is a heavy oil that can probably block pores.  Depending how much toxic substances you consume, your skin needs the ability to release things.  People who consume a lot of sugar, animal fats and processed food chemicals probably would not do as well with olive oil. If olive oil creates skin problems, it could be a sign that you are consuming too much unhealthy food.

Thin oils can be dangerous though.  Things that can soak into your blood stream (like solvents) probably aren't going to help your skin or your other organs in the long term.

Jay Dezelic wrote:
EVO is a heavy oil that can probably block pores.  Depending how much toxic substances you consume, your skin needs the ability to release things.  People who consume a lot of sugar, animal fats and processed food chemicals probably would not do as well with olive oil. If olive oil creates skin problems, it could be a sign that you are consuming too much unhealthy food.

Probably true for a lot of people but not me - I follow a largely unprocessed vegetarian diet too. I personally believe skin condition is a reflection of several factors, not diet alone, although it is important. For my own skin, which is very sensitive and has a tendency to breakout, I think it's a combination of genetics and living in a polluted urban environment. All skin is different though, one type of oil is never going to solve everyone's skin problems. Sorry, off-topic!

Lauren Reynolds MUA wrote:
Standard men's bathroom products are unlikely to be so dangerous to a woman... many women share bathrooms with men after all... prescription drugs are a totally different ballgame I'm sure you understand

I fully understand and in a pinch I've used the hubby's shaving cream but in the event anyone is worried about the products they're putting on their skin I suggest getting a professional opinion since as a stylist I don't deal with skin care other than my own BUT as an MUA I'm sure you know better

LR MUA wrote:
Usually, the only difference between men's products and women's products is the smell. Men's skin can be a bit more oily, otherwise skin is skin and there's no huge difference between the sexes - the products will be perfectly safe.

Shes right.