Aftershave and Talc

[Legitshave]

So recently I have been seeing that you can put talc on your face after shaving... I watched a video of a barber putting the aftershave on first, and then some talc, and them some lotion.

So is that how its done? Or do you just put the talc on no aftershave. What the heck do I do guys?

 

[Fatestorm]

I too wonder about the purpose Talc serves...

 

[Ron Scott]

I too wonder about the purpose Talc serves...

I've always used talc to keep a dry, fresh feeing. Clubman is excellent. On the chest, around the neck and such. Never on the face.

Guys are using it as aftershave?

 

[bladebuff]

I think Clubman does have a facial talc for use in this fashion, I think it may be used to cover up any red spots or irritation and dry and smooth your face.

 

[BrookR1]

I think you're supposed to use your aftershave first and then apply talc on the face to calm any irritation and to remove any shininess that results from your shave. I don't use talc personally, but I collect old talc tins.

From a vintage Colgate talc tin: "This is an antiseptic powder especially produced for men. It is an aid to comfort, smartness and a healthy skin. The color of the powder, combined with its great fineness, allows it to so spread on the skin as to be practically invisible. It removes that shiny after shave appearance and leaves the skin looking healthy and vigorous."

Some talc also comes with a brownish tint to it to more closely match the color of the skin. I personally haven't used it as an aftershave, but I will try it one of these days. It's sort of fallen out of favor, partly because there was a study that linked it to cancer, but I've read that the link to cancer was inconclusive. Repeatedly breathing in a fine powder can't be good for the lungs, but I'm not sure how long a person must be exposed before suffering adverse effects.

 

[Absolute Mustard]

I too wonder about the purpose Talc serves...

Giving society cancer

 

[Ron Scott]

Talc used in consumer products in the US and most other countries has been asbestos-free for about 40 years. Asbestos was the culprit here. I do not believe any research on asbestos-free talc showed any link to cancer or cause for such concern.

Having said that I personally make it a habit to exhale generously when applying it to my chest and neck; more because it freaks me a bit to inhale the stuff than fear of illness.

Your health may vary!

 

[mistercitizen]

Talc is meant to be used around the face/neck region to "dry things up" similar to using baby powder or foot powder on "other" regions of the body. I believe that the difference between talcum powder and baby powder/foot powder is that talc does not contain deodorizing agents in it like baby powder and foot powder contains. Talc may be scented, and provide a scent, but it does not eliminate odor. Deodorizing agents are not good for around the face from what I remember reading once. I'm pretty sure talc is mostly to "even things out" after a shave by drying up any moisture from water used during the shave, water used for rinsing, water in aftershave that has just been applied, etc. It removes the excess moisture and shine from your skin. I think it gets used more in barbershops to provide that "final finish" so that you are walking out of there looking good rather than with a shiney face from the aftershave. I have it but don't use it much, except every so often in the summer. I see the most benefit from talc on the back of the neck where your collar rubs your neck. It helps prevent irritation and chaffing.

Ben

 

[The Dean]

I have no issue with a barber using a bit of talc after a shave/haircut, But I prefer cornstarch based powders for my personal use. Never tried it on the face, though.

 

[Absolute Mustard]

Talc used in consumer products in the US and most other countries has been asbestos-free for about 40 years. Asbestos was the culprit here. I do not believe any research on asbestos-free talc showed any link to cancer or cause for such concern.

Having said that I personally make it a habit to exhale generously when applying it to my chest and neck; more because it freaks me a bit to inhale the stuff than fear of illness.

Your health may vary!

Talc is closely related to the potent carcinogen asbestos. Talc particles have been shown to cause tumors in the ovaries and lungs of cancer victims. For the last 30 years, scientists have closely scrutinized talc particles and found dangerous similarities to asbestos. Responding to this evidence in 1973, the FDA drafted a resolution that would limit the amount of asbestos-like fibers in cosmetic grade talc. However, no ruling has ever been made and today, cosmetic grade talc remains non-regulated by the federal government. This inaction ignores a 1993 National Toxicology Program report which found that cosmetic grade talc, without any asbestos-like fibers, caused tumors in animal subjects.[SIZE=-2]1[/SIZE] Clearly with or without asbestos-like fibers, cosmetic grade talcum powder is a carcinogen.

 

[brooks_bro]

While I love the idea of talc, I fall into the camp that I don't need to knowingly expose myself to carcinogens in the bathroom. I stay away form talc for health concerns.

 

[BrookR1]

From Wikipedia:

Talc powder is a household item, sold globally for use in personal hygiene and cosmetics. Some suspicions have been raised about the possibility its use promotes certain types of diseases, mainly cancers of the ovaries and lungs (it is in the same 2B category in the IARC listing as mobile phones) although this is not widely recognised as an established link.[SUP][7][/SUP][SUP][8][/SUP]
The studies reference, by subject: pulmonary issues,[SUP][9][/SUP] lung cancer,[SUP][10][/SUP][SUP][11][/SUP] skin cancer and ovarian cancer.[SUP][12][/SUP] One of these, published in 1993, was a US National Toxicology Program report, which found that cosmetic grade talc containing no asbestos-like fibres was correlated with tumour formation in rats (animal testing) forced to inhale talc for 6 hours a day, five days a week over at least 113 weeks.[SUP][10][/SUP] A 1971 paper found particles of talc embedded in 75% of the ovarian tumors studied.[SUP][13][/SUP]
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers talc (magnesium silicate) to be generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for use as an anti-caking agent in table salt in concentrations smaller than 2%.[SUP][14][/SUP]

 

[Ron Scott]

Unlike known carcinogens, such as alcoholic beverages, sunlight and...wait for it...nickel compounds, talc is not recognized as a carcinogen.

Unlike probable carcinogens, such as wood burning fireplaces and stoves in your house and "shift work that involves circadian disruption" talc is not recognized as a carcinogen.

Unlike diesel exhaust, nickel, and styrene, which are "reasonably anticipated to be human carcinogens" talc is not recognized as such.

This is from the American Cancer Society's 2013 webpages, see:

http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer...cinogens/known-and-probable-human-carcinogens
and
http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/othercarcinogens/athome/talcum-powder-and-cancer



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[Khelben]

cosmetic grade talc containing no asbestos-like fibres was correlated with tumour formation in rats (animal testing) forced to inhale talc for 6 hours a day, five days a week over at least 113 weeks.

This sort of study methodology is why I don't believe most of them. You'd end up with tumors if you snorted talc for 30 hours a week over two-thirds of your maximum lifespan, too.