Bigelow Barber After-Shave Balm # 1200

My review is pretty much in line with the other reviewers. This is the only product that I use daily. I have just finished up my first bottle after 10 months of use and have had the replacement waiting on the shelf for 2 months.

The #1200 is really, really good stuff.

Price - The extra $5 for this compared to the elixirs is worth it. It offers a a little more cooling and seems to do a better job of soothing. For $15 you cannot beat it.

Quality - Very good. The #1200 has a lot of goodies in it to help condition, moisturize and sooth your face after a shave.

Fights Razor Burn - I use this after a splash. It takes care of what the splashes don't.

Cooling Sensation - I only gave it an 8 because it uses Spearmint instead of Menthol. I would give it a 10 because the cooling is just what I want, not too little and not too much. My rating is based on a scale of 0 = no cooling to 10 = freeze your face off.

Scent - Perfect. It doesn't cover up the splash. I agree with the previous review of this being a neutral scent. Hard to describe. The elixirs can come across as being too much. This is how I want my ASB to smell.

Efficacy - ?? It's an aftershave balm. It's not sticky or oily

Moisturizing - I can tell how good my AS is by how much #1200 I have to apply after a shave. If I use an aftershave splash that doesn't moisturize my face soaks up the #1200. If I use an aftershave splash that does moisturize I use less. My face will get very oily if left dry. My face maintains an excellent balance after using the #1200.

No Alcohol Burn - I did not use this in my rating because the #1200 does contain some alcohol but the spearmint and other oils do a good job of making it almost unnoticeable. I like my splashes to do the burning work.

This is not a fancy scented ASB. It is a workhorse ASB with some class. While the elixirs can come across as cheap smelling (YMMV) the #1200 stands by itself and does it's job while allowing my splashes to do there's.

COB #1200 is my all-time favorite ASB. I keep trying many other balms, but this is the one I keep coming back to.

The only thing I've found that out-performs it is Tabac ASB, which took me a year and a half to hunt down. Tabac is much more expensive, and virtually unobtainable in CONUS. I only use it to finish off a Tabac shave.

For just about everything else, I reach for #1200. I does the trick like no other, with a neutral (not unscented) aroma that blends perfectly with everything underneath it.

This stuff lasts and lasts and lasts. My skin feels smooth at the end of the day, and it continues to protect me until the next time I wash my face.

At $15 a bottle, its a little more expensive than others, especially compared to Bigelow's Elixir series at $10 each. But a little bit goes a long way. Each bottle lasts me a good 8 or 9 months. I'm just now reaching the end of my 3rd bottle after nearly 2 years of wet-shaving, and #1200 has been the back-bone of my after-shave rotation.

My only complaint about #1200 is that its so hard to find. Not every B&BW carries it, and those that do are often sold out. About once a year, B&BW has a Buy One Get One sale, so that's when I stock up.

Description from site: No. 1200 After Shave Balm for All Skin Types. Calendula Extract 1%, White Tea Extract, Aloe Vera Concentrate 0.5% Our special, lightweight balm for just-shaved skin is packed with healing aloe vera and cooling, calming extracts to soothe skin and promote the healing of minor nicks and cuts. Made in USA.

I started using this about a month ago and have had very good luck with this product. I wanted an ASB that would not be too heavily scented and this fit the bill. It is at $15/3.4 ounces somewhat pricey, but you do not need that much. The scent is wholesome and comes from the Calendula and White Tea extract. It fades in about 20 minutes on my skin; YMMV. I picked it up with some of the COB/Proraso made shave cream Bath and Body Works carries. There is currently a 20% off promotion INSTYLE20 until 2/28/10, so I thought I would review this product now.

I hope you find this useful.