My face lotion is staining my dress shirt collars. Help?
May 26, 2017 9:37 AM Subscribe
Skin care and/or laundry experts of MeFi, please help me figure out how to avoid staining my dress shirt collars with my face lotion.
I am bald and I shave my scalp 2-3 times per week. I also shave my face daily. At the behest of my dermatologist, I use an SPF 30 face lotion each morning. The lotion is to cover all exposed surfaces on my head, so I use it on my face, scalp, ears, and neck. I use this Eucerin face lotion and I like it – it is unscented, it isn’t greasy, and it meets with the dermatologist’s approval. I’ve been using the lotion daily for about a year.
In my office I must wear a dress shirt. Most of my dress shirts are the Jos. A. Bank “no iron” type, and I typically wash and dry them at home. I wear a necktie about half the time; otherwise, the shirts are open at the collar. Regardless of whether the top button is buttoned, I have developed stains on the collars of nearly all of my dress shirts. I’m reasonably certain that the stains are the result of direct contact with the lotion, since using the lotion is all that has changed in my routine. The stains are about 1-2 centimeters wide and appear as a slightly dark mark on the collars. This photo hopefully shows what the stains look like. If anything the photo understates the contrast between the stained and unstained parts of the collar.
I’ve learned some obvious things, such as not to apply the lotion before I flip up my collar to tie a necktie. I’m struggling to find a way that I can apply the lotion to my neck without having it seep into the collars, though. My current routine is to shave in the mornings (always face and sometimes scalp), shower, and apply the lotion after I dry off.
I’ve tried some remedies suggested by online searching, such as soaking the collars in a solution of OxiClean and water and directly applying sprays such as Shout or Resolve prior to laundering, without success.
I’m open to any solution to the problem, including how and when I apply the lotion, changing the kind of shirts I wear or lotion I use, laundry tips and tricks, or dry cleaning my shirts.
I am bald and I shave my scalp 2-3 times per week. I also shave my face daily. At the behest of my dermatologist, I use an SPF 30 face lotion each morning. The lotion is to cover all exposed surfaces on my head, so I use it on my face, scalp, ears, and neck. I use this Eucerin face lotion and I like it – it is unscented, it isn’t greasy, and it meets with the dermatologist’s approval. I’ve been using the lotion daily for about a year.
In my office I must wear a dress shirt. Most of my dress shirts are the Jos. A. Bank “no iron” type, and I typically wash and dry them at home. I wear a necktie about half the time; otherwise, the shirts are open at the collar. Regardless of whether the top button is buttoned, I have developed stains on the collars of nearly all of my dress shirts. I’m reasonably certain that the stains are the result of direct contact with the lotion, since using the lotion is all that has changed in my routine. The stains are about 1-2 centimeters wide and appear as a slightly dark mark on the collars. This photo hopefully shows what the stains look like. If anything the photo understates the contrast between the stained and unstained parts of the collar.
I’ve learned some obvious things, such as not to apply the lotion before I flip up my collar to tie a necktie. I’m struggling to find a way that I can apply the lotion to my neck without having it seep into the collars, though. My current routine is to shave in the mornings (always face and sometimes scalp), shower, and apply the lotion after I dry off.
I’ve tried some remedies suggested by online searching, such as soaking the collars in a solution of OxiClean and water and directly applying sprays such as Shout or Resolve prior to laundering, without success.
I’m open to any solution to the problem, including how and when I apply the lotion, changing the kind of shirts I wear or lotion I use, laundry tips and tricks, or dry cleaning my shirts.
Best answer: Have you tried letting the lotion soak in your skin before putting on your shirt?
posted by noxperpetua at 10:02 AM on May 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by noxperpetua at 10:02 AM on May 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
Best answer: +1 to Dawn (specifically Dawn brand dish soap; I've never found another brand that works as well) around the collar. Rub it in gently before tossing in the wash.
To keep it from happening you'll have to start applying your lotion way earlier. Show, shave, dry off, lotion. Put your undershirt on and then drink a cup of coffee or eat or breakfast, maybe check metafilter. Give your lotion half an hour to sink in before putting your shirt on.
posted by AmandaA at 10:02 AM on May 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
To keep it from happening you'll have to start applying your lotion way earlier. Show, shave, dry off, lotion. Put your undershirt on and then drink a cup of coffee or eat or breakfast, maybe check metafilter. Give your lotion half an hour to sink in before putting your shirt on.
posted by AmandaA at 10:02 AM on May 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
Best answer: Yes, you need to wait for longer before putting on your shirt. And maybe use a bit less lotion.
posted by Jubey at 10:27 AM on May 26, 2017
posted by Jubey at 10:27 AM on May 26, 2017
Best answer: I have a similar problem with the sunscreen getting on the neckline of my shirts, because I usually wear V- or scoop neck shirts and I slather sunscreen on my neck and chest. I see that the Eucerin you're using is a zinc oxide/titanium dioxide one; that stuff is a menace to clothing and various other fabrics. I once ruined a leather purse by getting zinc oxide sunscreen on it all the time.
Two suggestions: as others have noted, let the lotion sink in for at least 20 minutes before you put on any clothes. Second suggestion I have is to switch to an avobenzone sunscreen for any areas on your neck or directly below the chin. The avobenzone sunscreens have waaay less of a staining problem than the zinc oxide ones. That's what I do; zinc oxide on the face, avobenzone on the neck and chest. You might try some of the Coppertone sunscreens, which are supposed to be quite good, but make sure they're broad spectrum and at least 30 SPF.
posted by holborne at 10:57 AM on May 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Two suggestions: as others have noted, let the lotion sink in for at least 20 minutes before you put on any clothes. Second suggestion I have is to switch to an avobenzone sunscreen for any areas on your neck or directly below the chin. The avobenzone sunscreens have waaay less of a staining problem than the zinc oxide ones. That's what I do; zinc oxide on the face, avobenzone on the neck and chest. You might try some of the Coppertone sunscreens, which are supposed to be quite good, but make sure they're broad spectrum and at least 30 SPF.
posted by holborne at 10:57 AM on May 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Oh, I would add: I would advise against cutting down on the amount of lotion you're using. You have to be quite liberal in application of sunscreen to make sure it's doing what it's supposed to -- liberal as in about half a teaspoon for face and neck, and then add some, like another quarter of a teaspoon, for the scalp alone.
posted by holborne at 10:59 AM on May 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by holborne at 10:59 AM on May 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
Response by poster: Thanks for all the great replies, all of which I've marked as best answers.
posted by cheapskatebay at 11:11 AM on May 26, 2017
posted by cheapskatebay at 11:11 AM on May 26, 2017
I am not at all certain if this would work, but maybe someone else could confirm. Perhaps some kind of powder or cornstarch applied over the lotion would soak up some of the oiliness?
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 11:18 AM on May 26, 2017
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 11:18 AM on May 26, 2017
Just FYI, avobenzone may leave even more prominent (orange) stains on pale fabric. The stains you're seeing aren't from the sunscreen's active ingredients, they're from the oily/greasy inactive ingredients (especially the silicones dimethicone and cyclomethicone). I'd stick with your zinc-based sunscreen, but follow the advice above in terms of giving the sunscreen more time to absorb into your skin before you get dressed.
If Dawn doesn't work well for you, there are a lot of other silicone-specific recommendations in articles like this, aimed more at getting silicone personal lubricant stains out of fabric.
(I'm a toxicologist and used to work with a lot of these substances. They're really hard to get out of clothes!)
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 11:58 AM on May 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
If Dawn doesn't work well for you, there are a lot of other silicone-specific recommendations in articles like this, aimed more at getting silicone personal lubricant stains out of fabric.
(I'm a toxicologist and used to work with a lot of these substances. They're really hard to get out of clothes!)
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 11:58 AM on May 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
Get a spray bottle, Dawn & water, maybe 1 Dawn: 2 water. Spray collars, allow to pre-treat at least an hour, wash. I pre-treat stuff and let it sit as long as a week, maybe more, have not had problems, Just don't get Dawn that has bleach. Dawn has depgreasers in it; most other dish detergents don't. I'm a messy eater, messy cook, and use my spray treatment often.
posted by theora55 at 1:32 PM on May 26, 2017
posted by theora55 at 1:32 PM on May 26, 2017
Ammonia is a kick-ass degreaser.
posted by bonobothegreat at 6:33 PM on May 26, 2017
posted by bonobothegreat at 6:33 PM on May 26, 2017
"Ring Around The Collar" is a good search term for this. I don't think they still make Whisk.
(I really needed to say that so I could link this.)
posted by Stewriffic at 6:37 PM on May 26, 2017
(I really needed to say that so I could link this.)
posted by Stewriffic at 6:37 PM on May 26, 2017
Yeah, I should note that being a woman who lives in NYC I generally wear a lot of black, so if avobenzone stains orange I totally haven't noticed. So since you're wearing light shirts, take heed of what late afternoon dreaming hotel says. (I will note I've never noticed orange stains in the summer when I wear light clothes, but maybe that's just the particular fancy sunscreen I use -- La Roche-Posay, specifically.)
posted by holborne at 7:02 AM on May 27, 2017
posted by holborne at 7:02 AM on May 27, 2017
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Don Pepino at 9:56 AM on May 26, 2017 [2 favorites]