Most people remember their first Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin in Home Alone) moment where they first feel "The Burn". Maybe it was your Father or Grandfather who gave it to you after your first fake shave removing shaving cream with a bladeless razor while monitoring each other through the reflection of the mirror. But does this nostalgia add up to good skin care or does it just not matter if it is actually bad for you?
Alcohol Splashes were created by Barbers in the late 1800's, just one generation after we realized more people died from infections of their wounds in the Civil War due to dirty instruments rather than the initial wound in the first place. Barbers did not create the alcohol splash with skin care on theirs minds. They were businessmen who were mitigating risk, ie. don't kill the customer with a septic infection by re-using the same blade on face after face.
Great alcohol is an antiseptic. Great Alcohol is an astringent. I say so what. How many of you went to highschool with toilet paper on your cuts and no post shave and are still alive today to discuss how you survived your septic infection? Do you really even know why you want to close your pores or is that just something you were told you need to do and not sure why?
As many of you know alcohol dehydrates your skin, but did you know it does this in two ways? First it destroys your "lipid barrier" or "acid mantle" that actually protects your face from bad bacteria and provides a ecosystem for your natural flora (good bacteria). Without this lipid barrier your rate of TWL (Transepidermal Water Loss) speeds up. Secondly the alcohol molecules begins to evaporate and carry the water molecules with them.
I know what your thinking. "My skin is not dehydrated. I actually have oily skin so I need to use an alcohol or an astringent." WRONG!!!!!! Oil and hydration are two different things. When your skin is dehydrated your skin's sebaceous glands kick into over-drive to compensate for the dehydration and replace your lipid barrier. The more you use alcohol, you are actually exasperating your oily skin condition. Want to tame your oily skin? Drink more water and use an oil based moisturizer and your sebaceous glands' sebum production with become regulated.
In conclusion, I know a lot of you traditionalist will think this is rubbish or just not care because you are addicted to the beloved burn. I get it. I drink bourbon and I know it is bad for me, but I don't put it on my face. In my opinion your shave den alcohols only use should be to sterilize your hardware. After all we don't still go to the barber to get our teeth pulled, so why would we adopt the skincare techniques of the same error?
Alcohol Splashes were created by Barbers in the late 1800's, just one generation after we realized more people died from infections of their wounds in the Civil War due to dirty instruments rather than the initial wound in the first place. Barbers did not create the alcohol splash with skin care on theirs minds. They were businessmen who were mitigating risk, ie. don't kill the customer with a septic infection by re-using the same blade on face after face.
Great alcohol is an antiseptic. Great Alcohol is an astringent. I say so what. How many of you went to highschool with toilet paper on your cuts and no post shave and are still alive today to discuss how you survived your septic infection? Do you really even know why you want to close your pores or is that just something you were told you need to do and not sure why?
As many of you know alcohol dehydrates your skin, but did you know it does this in two ways? First it destroys your "lipid barrier" or "acid mantle" that actually protects your face from bad bacteria and provides a ecosystem for your natural flora (good bacteria). Without this lipid barrier your rate of TWL (Transepidermal Water Loss) speeds up. Secondly the alcohol molecules begins to evaporate and carry the water molecules with them.
I know what your thinking. "My skin is not dehydrated. I actually have oily skin so I need to use an alcohol or an astringent." WRONG!!!!!! Oil and hydration are two different things. When your skin is dehydrated your skin's sebaceous glands kick into over-drive to compensate for the dehydration and replace your lipid barrier. The more you use alcohol, you are actually exasperating your oily skin condition. Want to tame your oily skin? Drink more water and use an oil based moisturizer and your sebaceous glands' sebum production with become regulated.
In conclusion, I know a lot of you traditionalist will think this is rubbish or just not care because you are addicted to the beloved burn. I get it. I drink bourbon and I know it is bad for me, but I don't put it on my face. In my opinion your shave den alcohols only use should be to sterilize your hardware. After all we don't still go to the barber to get our teeth pulled, so why would we adopt the skincare techniques of the same error?
