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Exploring moisturisers for post-shave

Besides my aftershave balms this man cave moisturizer is my go to cream free of parabens works a treat for me

 

AimlessWanderer

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Nearly forgot to update this...

Bulldog Sensitive Moisturiser - shave 1

It went on just fine, and seemed to be of similar effect to Bulldog Original. Minus the scent. This one seems lighter both in use and in carried over scent, and may potentially a better choice if pairing with scented soaps.
 

AimlessWanderer

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Bulldog Sensitive Moisturiser - shave 2

Nice shave. Nice moisturiser. Possibly a little more moisturising than the Original. No signs of unwanted build up yet. It's early days, but I think this is the frontrunner so far.
 

AimlessWanderer

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Bulldog Sensitive Moisturiser - shave three

It seemed to absorb slower today. Another day or two will be needed before I can see if this is any kind of build up. That said, it did absorb in full, with no stickiness or greasiness, but the skin didn't seem as "hungry" for it. Maybe that's a good thing, and shows it's working. I did kind of miss the Oakmoss scent of the original today, but the Palmolive stick is a very low scented soap. With a soap that is more scented (which is what I was originally wanting an "unscented" moisturiser for), I doubt that anything would seem "missing". A quick squirt of EdT added the missing element today., and all seemed well thereafter.
 

AimlessWanderer

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Bulldog Sensitive Moisturiser - shave four

I seem to have now hit the wall of how moisturising this product is on my skin. That point is "slightly better than normal". Well, the Original was normal to slightly better, and this Sensitive version is slightly better than that. No vast improvement from either if the skin is fairly normal to start with, but a very welcome addition if the skin is feeling dry.
 
Very good thread. I noticed the absence of the “a” word which is I believe a good thing because it’s use is counter intuitive to skin moisture retention. On the other hand, do you ever use a scented alcohol product to obtain a “skin” scent? Perhaps in an atomizer rather than a “splash”? How about the use of WH or do you skip that level of the shave ritual?
 

AimlessWanderer

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Very good thread. I noticed the absence of the “a” word which is I believe a good thing because it’s use is counter intuitive to skin moisture retention. On the other hand, do you ever use a scented alcohol product to obtain a “skin” scent? Perhaps in an atomizer rather than a “splash”? How about the use of WH or do you skip that level of the shave ritual?

Thank you :)

No rituals here, I'm far too freethinking for that :biggrin1:

Yes, I will often use an aftershave lotion, or what many here would call a splash. I tend to only choose what kind of post shave product (lotion, balm, or nothing at all) I want, based on how my skin feels when I've finished shaving. This moisturiser test is essentially for finding moisturisers to use in place of a balm.

In order to try to get my skin "needing" a balm, I'm using a soap which for me can be a little drying at times, yet still gives me a great shave. Even so, I doubt my skin really does need a moisturiser every single day, but it's the most sensible way to do this exploration.

If I was using a different soap or cream, then even in winter, I might use an alcohol based lotion, or omit any post shave altogether. Moisturising daily when it's not needed, might actually cause more problems than it solves, as my skin is prone to prickly heat. Hence using this soap, to try to engineer that need in. However, I do want to have the "right" moisturiser in the proverbial tool box for when it's genuinely needed, hence doing this little side quest.

I have tried Witch Hazel on its own as a post shave, and found no discernible benefit from it.
 

AimlessWanderer

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Bulldog Sensitive Moisturiser - shave five

I think I've learned all that I'm going to from this particular product. I did use a little more today, as the tube "burped" as I was dispensing it, and it spat out more than I wanted. After a minute or two, it was nearly all absorbed, but there was a slight film as the excess hadn't been taken in.

Conclusions so far:

Nivea Men Sensitive Moisturiser:
Occasional use only due to build up in the skin.

Bulldog Original:
OK for daily use, and is "normalising" but doesn't seem to increase moisture content beyond "Normal". Definitely scented. Save for use with "fougere" type soaps.

Bulldog Sensitive:
Fine for daily use, and marginally more moisturising than Bulldog Original, and without the residual scent.
 

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
Today's shave, when the time arises, will be followed with this.

IMG_20201128_083732_edit.jpg

This one will be a little tricky to dispense a consistent quantity of, as it's more of a liquid than a cream. I'll figure it out as I go along, but being a potentially messier product than cream (running through fingers, dripping everywere), it will need to perform significantly better than the creams to win the top spot for me.

It's also the most expensive of the bunch. It's currently on offer at Superdrug for £2.99, but the RRP is £8.99. Again, it will need to outperform the other stuff significantly, in order to justify that.
 

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
Nivea Men Daily Sensitive Skin and Stubble Lotion

More expensive than the others, messy to use, scented (will potentially clash with scented soaps), and leaves the face feeling a bit sticky...

...next please!
 

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
Next up...

IMG_20201130_174724.jpg

Blue fig and grapefruit Arko Nem

Large tub (300ml) for very little cost. Goes on well, and the skin feels good after. No greasiness or stickiness. The scent... not so sure about the scent. Thankfully, it's not too strong, and slips out of awareness quite quickly (for me anyway). It kind of smells as though a pair of socks need a second run through the laundry. An odd mix of laundry detergent and feet.

I have a feeling it will either get better with subsequent use, or worse.
 

AimlessWanderer

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Second shave with the Arko Nem Fig and Grapefruit. The "feet" smell from yesterday, came across more as fig leaf sap today. Sap not fruit. I would say the overall scent is tolerable, but not enjoyable.

It still went on well and felt good afterwards though. I'd say it does the job at least as well as the Bulldog Sensitive on my skin. The scent doesn't put it ahead though, but maybe the Yoghurt and Blackberry scented one will.
 

AimlessWanderer

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Arko Nem Fig and Grapefruit - shave 3.

Good moisturiser, but really needs reserving for moisturising areas of the body that are further from the nose...

So, with five products tried so far, the favourite is still Bulldog Sensitive, particularly if it is used after a scented soap. With unscented soaps, Bulldog Original is OK, as is Nivea Sensitive for occasional use only. The Nivea Skin and Stubble is a good products too, but messy to use and scented. I think I'll leave the Skin and Stubble in the baathroom in case of a bad shave. It will be better to use that over the sink. The Bulldog Original and Nivea Sensitive Moisturiser will be moved to the wardrobe, with the little tray of lesser used EdTs. I suspect those two might go beyond their "use after opening" date before they're needed.

This leaves the Arko Nem Yoghurt & Blackberry still sealed, and the Nivea Men Creme still sealed too. I'm currently of the thinking that the latter isn't worth opening yet. With all the other moisturising products opened, and not likely to be used up within 12 months, I might as well leave that sealed until others are used or expired. It probably is worth opening the second Arko Nem though, as that might be as good as the other, but more nose friendly. That would leave me one scented and one unscented moisturiser for the face, and the others for hand/body use.

So far, Bulldog Sensitive, and a "non-fig" scented Arko are the most likely to be repurchased.
 
Great thread! Moisturizing is an important part of skin care. I really like Clinique's Matte moisturizer. I have oily skin and this keeps the shine down to a minimum and leaves my skin feeling great.

I agree, this is an excellent moisturiser. The only very minor thing I would fault is that the colour is a little unappealing.

My daily post-shave choice is La Roche Posay's Effaclar K:

La-Roche-Posay-Face-Care-Effaclar-K+-30ml-Oily-Skin-Renovating-Anti-Oxidation-Sebum-000-333787...jpg
While it is a little on the expensive side, it is often on offer and lasts a long time. It's a very nice hypoallergenic brand with a lot of choice for different skin types.

For an evening moisturiser that is completely absorbing, has good ingredients and most of all, is very affordable, you can't go far wrong with CeraVe's PM:
51a4w2muY+L._AC_SY400_.jpg
 

AimlessWanderer

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IMG_20201203_184743.jpg


Looks like blackberry yoghurt.
Smells like blackberry yoghurt.
I didn't taste it...

Every bit as moisturising as the fig and grapefruit variant, but MUCH better smelling.

I'm sold on this, after just the first use. Being scented as it is, it may clash with scented soaps. That's not a problem though, as the Bulldog Sensitive can take care of those shaves. Unlike the other products, this doesn't specify a period after opening for it to be used within. Instead, it simply has a use by date, of February 2025. Marvellous.

There may well be "better" products out there, but I'm not wanting an overly protracted exploration. The primary goal was just find a (singular) scent free moisturiser to use with scented soaps. Bulldog Sensitive Moisturiser came out on top, and the fact I can buy it over the counter cheaply within a mile of my front door, seals the deal for me. As a bonus, I found a nicely scented one for use after unscented soaps (the one I used today), plus found myself a nice post-save balm in the Nivea Skin and Stubble lotion. Sadly, the Skin and Stubble still takes second place to Bluebeard's Revenge as a "barbershop" scented post shave balm, and likely won't be replaced once used or expired.

Nivea Men Sensitive Moisturiser, Bulldog Original Moisturiser, and the whopping great tub of Arko Nem Fig and Grapefruit will be used for elsewhere on my person, but not often, as I don't often use moisturisers elsewere, unless I've spent a fair bit of time in the sun... which again, I don't do often. Nivea Men Creme, and the bottle of Nivea Sensitive balm which was lurking in the cupboard already, will remain sealed until needed.

Job done!

I hope this and the other suggestions people have offered in this thread prove useful to those stumbling across this thread in future. :thumbsup:
 
View attachment 1190087

Looks like blackberry yoghurt.
Smells like blackberry yoghurt.
I didn't taste it...

Every bit as moisturising as the fig and grapefruit variant, but MUCH better smelling.

I'm sold on this, after just the first use. Being scented as it is, it may clash with scented soaps. That's not a problem though, as the Bulldog Sensitive can take care of those shaves. Unlike the other products, this doesn't specify a period after opening for it to be used within. Instead, it simply has a use by date, of February 2025. Marvellous.

There may well be "better" products out there, but I'm not wanting an overly protracted exploration. The primary goal was just find a (singular) scent free moisturiser to use with scented soaps. Bulldog Sensitive Moisturiser came out on top, and the fact I can buy it over the counter cheaply within a mile of my front door, seals the deal for me. As a bonus, I found a nicely scented one for use after unscented soaps (the one I used today), plus found myself a nice post-save balm in the Nivea Skin and Stubble lotion. Sadly, the Skin and Stubble still takes second place to Bluebeard's Revenge as a "barbershop" scented post shave balm, and likely won't be replaced once used or expired.

Nivea Men Sensitive Moisturiser, Bulldog Original Moisturiser, and the whopping great tub of Arko Nem Fig and Grapefruit will be used for elsewhere on my person, but not often, as I don't often use moisturisers elsewere, unless I've spent a fair bit of time in the sun... which again, I don't do often. Nivea Men Creme, and the bottle of Nivea Sensitive balm which was lurking in the cupboard already, will remain sealed until needed.

Job done!

I hope this and the other suggestions people have offered in this thread prove useful to those stumbling across this thread in future. :thumbsup:
I appreciate you sharing the results. I'm always on a quest for a good moisturizer. I have dry oily skin, if that makes sense. My favorite stuff costs $18USD for 8oz, so I've been looking for something cheaper. Arko Nem is $12/10oz, and Bulldog Sensitive is about $12/3.3oz:eek2:
 
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