All that face stuff?

[dfs]

So, last night I was looking through the “What did you use to today” post on this forum. What surprised me was all of the non-soap products people use during their shave. Pre-shave, post-shave, Aftershave, fragrance. balms, oils..........
Now, I am relatively new to wet shaving and no doubt there is lots I don’t understand. But, what is all this stuff for?

i just shave with a soap/cream and then wash it off with water. End! I enjoy the soap scent while I shave, but don’t want to smell for the whole day. And if I do the shave right, I really have no issues with face irritation. But, obviously I may be missing some zen like experience? Are there any of you that just do the shave and don’t use all of these other tonics?

Help me step up my game!

 

[xuzxuz]

Art thou a young man?

 

[dfs]

Art thou a young man?

old (er)

 

[EclipseRedRing]

I tried pre shave oils and creams, as well as post shave hyaluronic acid and they did nothing for me at all. I have gone back to shaving in cold water with a tallow soap, rinse with cold water, and finish with alcohol based aftershave or EDC. I may use an inexpensive generic hand cream or a balm in the colder months. That works for me.

 

[DaveHStone]

So, last night I was looking through the “What did you use to today” post on this forum. What surprised me was all of the non-soap products people use during their shave. Pre-shave, post-shave, Aftershave, fragrance. balms, oils..........
Now, I am relatively new to wet shaving and no doubt there is lots I don’t understand. But, what is all this stuff for?

i just shave with a soap/cream and then wash it off with water. End! I enjoy the soap scent while I shave, but don’t want to smell for the whole day. And if I do the shave right, I really have no issues with face irritation. But, obviously I may be missing some zen like experience? Are there any of you that just do the shave and don’t use all of these other tonics?

Help me step up my game!

LESS IS MORE!

A lot of people have no clue how to use products they use and they keep mixing it all over the place, thinking the more the merrier. Quite the opposite, as extensive application of all that chemistry on your face will do you no good in the long run.

A good quality soap, like Ariana & Evans, contains ALL the pre- and post- shave ingredients to nourish and treat your skin pre, during and post shave, so you literally don't need anything else. A matching splash is great though.

And that's that. No more, no less.

Zen experience comes from great smelling warm lather on your face and soap that does what I have just described above. Naturally, larger part of that equation is great technique and appropriate hardware combo - razor and blade.

 

[ewk]

I felt the same as you. Plain old aloe vera or generic brand Cetaphil lotion was all I needed for post shave comfort. Then out of curiosity tried a classic yet cheap aftershave and enjoyed the scent and feel on the skin. One thing leads to another . . .

 

[Rhody]

You are clearly missing out on a host of things to buy!
Seriously if your method works go for it.

 

[Atlantic59]

You could shave with bath soap if you wanted to be a real minimalist. Many people of the older generations did.

As you get older, the whiskers can get tougher. Preparation become more important. The skin loses collagen and become thinner and drier. Keeping the skin moisturized becomes more important for comfort and appearance.

Then some people use shaving as an occasion to pamper themselves. Maybe some get a little carried away with it. That is totally optional.

Just experiment and find what suits you best.

 

[linty1]

I also have a fairly simple routine, everybody had their own thing which works for them, being curious to find something better? Is good, but I wouldn't get too wrapped on "needing" complication? Whatever works, makes you happy, you know?

 

[musicman1951]

Your routine sounds fine. I wouldn't even try anything else.

It wouldn't work for my dry skin. I've tried pre-shave products and they don't do anything for me, but they do for other faces. Post shave I use WH and moisturizer.

I have a collection of colognes, but I don't consider those part of my shaving routine. We all smell like something, and I sometimes prefer to select that smell, but that's obviously a personal choice.

You are missing the "burn" of an alcohol aftershave. While I consider your loss a very lucky thing, others would disagree.

When all is said and done, we all experiment and find what works for us. Congratulations, you're already there. Enjoy your shaves.

 

[BigJ]

Having tons of options is just fine with me! That allows me to try a variety of stuff to find what works well. I tend to stick with options in the few categories that I really enjoy!

 

[South Dakota Guy]

I for one, find that if I enjoy a scent, I like to extend the experience. Many of my soaps have a matching aftershave, balm and/or EDT. I also enjoy smelling nice for my wife (she enjoys it too!). Don't you like smelling nice for your partner or if single, for possible future partners that you might meet during the day? To each there own as I say and if you are happy doing what you like stick with it. I have never used pre shave products but if doing that makes for a better shaving experience for some people they should keep doing it. I have discovered that we are all on our own journeys to find pleasure through shaving. There is no wrong way. Unless you find yourself bleeding like a stuck pig, then yes, you found a wrong way.

 

[Wogus]

While I'm always willing to try new things, and have, I need to be really blown away by a new product before it earns a permanent spot in my bathroom. That being the case, most products I've tried have fallen by the wayside. I keep coming back to a witch hazel product as my preferred aftershave and sole shaving adjunct. I used witch hazel before I started wet shaving because I learned a long time ago it does great things for my skin in general.

So, while I understand others need and/or enjoy using additional products, I can't share in their enthusiasm.

 

[TexOkie Shaver]

To each his own. We all have different skin types and find that different products work or don’t work.

Personally, I use Proraso White Preshave, shave soap/croap/cream, and an aftershave balm or Hyaluronic Acid, depending on my mood. I always follow up with a good moisturizer to help keep my skin soft and smooth.

I could just apply soap, shave and rinse, but then my skin would be dry and flakey. Where is the enjoyment in that? I enjoy feeling my face throughout the day and don’t like it when it feels dry and flakey.

 

[xuzxuz]

old (er)

Ah. In that case, you are probably more knowledgeable than I.

I asked because at the turn of my 30's, I noticed my face getting old at an accelerated pace.
Until that point, I was blessed with good skin and did not use any product other than a decent shaving soap.
I think somehow my body chemistry changed and I started losing a bit of muscle mass and my face started drying out and becoming less fatty too. As a result these little wrinkles started forming - in matter of about 2 years it looked like I gained about 10 years.

At this point my blessed momma sent me these

I started applying these to my face after every shave and after a few months I saw significant regression to norm.

I'm not sure if the "active ingredients" in these things are doing anything - couple dabs of mineral oil might do the same.
It's more likely the extra oil and action of vigorous rubbing is helping.

Just my take on oils/serum. Though if you are already an older gentleman and didn't notice the same things, you are probably blessed with even better genetics.

 

[Ivo4u2]

If you have some combo which works very good for you there is no reason to change unless you want change.

For me using some cream before sleep and an extra lubricating pre shave soap gives me a more comfy shave.

And I like some change so you collect a lot more stuff.

Still nothing wrong with your setup.

 

[dfs]

Ah. In that case, you are probably more knowledgeable than I.

I asked because at the turn of my 30's, I noticed my face getting old at an accelerated pace.
Until that point, I was blessed with good skin and did not use any product other than a decent shaving soap.
I think somehow my body chemistry changed and I started losing a bit of muscle mass and my face started drying out and becoming less fatty too. As a result these little wrinkles started forming - in matter of about 2 years it looked like I gained about 10 years.

At this point my blessed momma sent me these
View attachment 1253372View attachment 1253373
I started applying these to my face after every shave and after a few months I saw significant regression to norm.

I'm not sure if the "active ingredients" in these things are doing anything - couple dabs of mineral oil might do the same.
It's more likely the extra oil and action of vigorous rubbing is helping.

Just my take on oils/serum. Though if you are already an older gentleman and didn't notice the same things, you are probably blessed with even better genetics.

No, I‘m old and look it

 

[mr_houston]

I suggest that you have 1 aftershave splash without much lasting scent, like Lucky Tiger.

For dry or winter months, 1 balm without much scent, like Nivea Sensitive Balm.

“Not much scent” let’s you use it with any soap.

 

[old_school]

old (er)

Likewise.

Your skin will tell what makes sense for you. If you want to try some small samples Maggards and Stirling have a lot. The basics are commonly a shave soap and aftershave. Aftershave can be a simple as Witch Hazel or Sea Breeze. And/or balms, lotions if your skin tends to be dry. Just gets fancier from there. Make it enjoyable.

 

[Shavely Manden]

If your routine works for you, then there's no need to change anything. I will say, however, I never realized how amazing an aftershave can feel until I finally tried one, and unlike other wetshaving products you can get really good aftershaves for cheap at your average drug store (including one of my favorites, Nivea Sensitive, which is also unscented). Most other shave products are really just extras, but aftershave I'd call relatively essential.