Couple questions for y'all

[lordalexander74]

1. So a warm water/towel treatment on one's face during the pre-shave process softens skin, opens pores, and probably something else I'm forgetting. How does the chilling effect of mentholated products work with that? For, against, or neutral?

2. What's the purpose of alcohol in some aftershave products? Alcohol tends to dry things out, right? I prefer a nice, moist smoothness to my skin once the aftershave treatment kicks in. I'm wondering about this since I'm looking at a few splashes, been working with Stirling and Nivea balms since I started shaving.
That and I'm considering cooking up a batch of menthol additives myself once my bottle of Stirling's Frost Drops runs out. There was a mention around here of mixing crushed menthol crystals and vodka/grain alcohol.
Thanks

 

[SydneyShaver]

I'm no expert but I'll give my experience.

1. I usually shower prior to shaving. I may wash my face with a face wash but I prefer to do that at night and just rinse my face off in the morning with hot water. Holding hot water on the face either through the towel or shower or just splashing the face helps to hydrate the facial hair and skin. This softens it and makes it easier to cut. Menthol does not work against this as it does not actually reduce the temperature of the skin, just makes it feel cold. You may react to menthol and find it irritating but overall, it shouldn't work against preshave. Personally, I don't find I need to do anything miraculous and have been having better shaves prior to showering recently. Just splash hot water on the face, rub it in and carry on.

2. Alcohol is the traditional ingredient of aftershaves because it carries fragrance very well, is antiseptic, antibacterial and easy to apply. I believe it was also cheaper to manufacture historically. Theoretically, alcohol based splashes do indeed dry out skin but many of the nicer ones also have some moisturising and conditioning properties to negate this. I always follow up with a face moisturiser anyway, I tend to use the splash to tone and clean my face to get rid of residual lather, close up nicks etc.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Much that you read can be one of these.

1. A shaving myth
2. Something which might work for another gentlemen but won't work for you
3. Misinformation or damn lies or the blind leading the blind
4. Great advice which will help you

The real deal is you have to determine what works for your skin and your whiskers.

Here's what works for me.

It took me a long time to stumble across the methods and products which work for me. I've probably tried everything in the process of figuring it out. I'm also not saying anything which works for me will work for you, but it might.

As much as I like my aftershave and cologne splashes I'm not at all sure their drying effects benefit the skin of my face and neck. I've taken to using men's perfumes which are not applied to areas which have been touched by a razor, but still smell nice and are fun.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[gpjoe]

My skin leans toward oily, especially in the summer, so I prefer a splash that leaves my face smooth and somewhat dry in warm weather. I have used Nivea balm after using aftershave in the colder, drier season.

You will need to find out what works and feels best for your skin type. Personally, I don't care for any aftershave product that leaves my skin tacky.

 

[CCS]

Much that you read can be one of these.

1. A shaving myth
2. Something which might work for another gentlemen but won't work for you
3. Misinformation or damn lies or the blind leading the blind
4. Great advice which will help you

The real deal is you have to determine what works for your skin and your whiskers.

Here's what works for me.

It took me a long time to stumble across the methods and products which work for me. I've probably tried everything in the process of figuring it out. I'm also not saying anything which works for me will work for you, but it might.

As much as I like my aftershave and cologne splashes I'm not at all sure their drying effects benefit the skin of my face and neck. I've taken to using men's perfumes which are not applied to areas which have been touched by a razor, but still smell nice and are fun.

Happy shaves,

Jim

This is really it in a nutshell. You can read all the forum and blog posts you want but much of it is BS, ignorance, and lack of experience. Learning what will work for the individual is trial and error. While wet shaving isn't rocket science (the basic principles are, I think, sound) but there is no best razor, blade, soap/cream, brush, method, etc., etc. You just have to start with the very basics and learn what works for you. And God help you if you have the OCD gene...

 

[DEgeezer]

As for the first question, In my case I've never seen the need of appling a hot towel, but it's probably beneficial for someone with a very heavy beard.
And for the second, you might like a balm, such as Duke Cannon aftershave balm. It contains menthol which is cool and at the same time very soothing.

 

[santamariasteve]

So many products and procedures will work. Our faces and skins are different. There is no "one way." Experiment and seek. Maintain an open mind and cultivate knowledge and wisdom. Let the results on your face be the determinate.

Life is a lifelong experience and discovery is one of life's pleasures.

 

[Skin_Flint]

I roll with oily skin but can experience dryness in the winter. That’s when I tried Nivea balm which caused some acne. My DE shaving journey has introduced me to scented Witch Hazel from Stirling. Some times I combine it with some aloe gel. So far my face has felt moist but not oily. Can’t wait to see how things go this winter.

 

[BanjoCowboyMartaTobes]

Nivea cool or Stirling’s balm in the winter and Stirling AS in the summer for my face. Strange how the rest of my body needs moisturizers twice a day yet my face feels great with just a splash of AS in the summer. My skin has never felt/looked better although it’s likely the high priced razors and brushes that are the real hack lol. I am perhaps unique in preferring no shower before and just cold water during a shave? Ymmv is alive and well.

 

[sarimento1]

Welcome to B&B, Sir lordalexander74!
Love my menthol shaves! Proraso's menthol items are nice!
Happy exploring!

 

[NorthernSoul]

The hot towel is an old barbershop pampering tradition. The idea is to soften the whiskers as they soak up water, while the barber does something else. Too hot water is not good for the skin and can lead to dryness, though. You can accomplish much the same thing by just lathering up and leaving the lather on the face for a few minutes, then rinsing off and lathering up again the shave.

Menthol cooling is just a sensation from the nerves in the skin. It should not affect the shave result.

Alcohol is a good cleaner, solvent and disinfectant. The idea is to prevent infection and some aftershaves also add humectant ingredients and fragrance. Most soap has a higher pH than skin, rinsing with water and applying some post-shave treatment is supposed to restore normal skin pH. Some aftershaves have lactic acid or similar ingredients which can provide some skin toning effects.

 

[65Mustang]

There was a mention around here of mixing crushed menthol crystals and vodka/grain alcohol.

I like to make my own aftershave splashes. It's easy and fun, and you can tune them to your own tastes.

Ingredients:

1. Ethyl Alcohol (Everclear)
2. Witch Hazel -- I use alcohol based Thayers Witch Hazel with Aloe Vera, Original Astringent
3. Menthol Crystals (if desired)
4. Glycerin (optional)
5. Eucalyptus Oil (optional)
6. Other Essential Oils (as desired)

Recipe:

1. Mix ethyl alcohol and witch hazel in 2:1 or 3:1 ratio. Higher ratio will be less tacky feeling.
2. Add menthol crystals from 0.5% to 1.5% by weight if desired. 2.0% provides a real kick if you're into that sort of thing.
3. Add a few drops of eucalyptus oil and/or glycerin if desired for skin hydration
4. Season with drops of essential oils to your taste (e.g. lemon, sweet orange, grapefruit to make a citrus splash)

You can probably figure out a lot of other ways to jazz up the mixture as well.


I buy these 100ml containers on amazon to store my creations. Love em. They're cheap and they work great.
Plastic Travel Bottles,100ml/3.4oz Empty Small Squeeze Bottle Containers for Toiletries With Flip Cap(6 Pack)

 

[Dobric]

Cold water is 10 times better than hot
Cold water with menthol is best thing there is
Alcohol desinfects and closes micro nicks
Try super cold water...

 

[Ratso]

I like to make my own aftershave splashes. It's easy and fun, and you can tune them to your own tastes.

Ingredients:

1. Ethyl Alcohol (Everclear)
2. Witch Hazel -- I use alcohol based Thayers Witch Hazel with Aloe Vera, Original Astringent
3. Menthol Crystals (if desired)
4. Glycerin (optional)
5. Eucalyptus Oil (optional)
6. Other Essential Oils (as desired)

Recipe:

1. Mix ethyl alcohol and witch hazel in 2:1 or 3:1 ratio. Higher ratio will be less tacky feeling.
2. Add menthol crystals from 0.5% to 1.5% by weight if desired. 2.0% provides a real kick if you're into that sort of thing.
3. Add a few drops of eucalyptus oil and/or glycerin if desired for skin hydration
4. Season with drops of essential oils to your taste (e.g. lemon, sweet orange, grapefruit to make a citrus splash)

You can probably figure out a lot of other ways to jazz up the mixture as well.


I buy these 100ml containers on amazon to store my creations. Love em. They're cheap and they work great.
Plastic Travel Bottles,100ml/3.4oz Empty Small Squeeze Bottle Containers for Toiletries With Flip Cap(6 Pack)

View attachment 1505660

If you take a couple nips of ingredient 1 you won’t notice dry skin, irritation etc.
Kidding aside, I appreciate the folks that take the time to gather facts and make an educated decision. In my experience, before I went to a DE shaving I used a Harry’s razor in the shower with an anti fog mirror. I noticed a definite negative difference between the shower and no shower shaves.

 

[CCS]

Cold water is 10 times better than hot
Cold water with menthol is best thing there is
Alcohol desinfects and closes micro nicks
Try super cold water...

I tend to lather with warm water but if I don't shower, my prep is cold water and I rinse my razor with cold water between passes, do my alum rinse with cold water and final rinse with cold water. But as the weather gets cold (and I live in a house out in the country built in 1915 without central heat/ac), the water will go from cold to tepid. Showers? I'm too much of a nancy boy to take anything but hot showers and, if I had the space, I'd install a steam sauna for good measure. But shaving is done best cold in my experience as well.

 

[LRod]

Cold water is 10 times better than hot

For you it might be! This is super subjective! I've tried it several times based on reading about it here and it's never worked for me. I got the worst shaves with cold water. I prep & shave with warm water and only my final rinse is with cold water before drying and applying alum block & after shave.
I think I mentioned it once before that I've never seen a barber shop doing a cold shave.

 

[DEgeezer]

For you it might be! This is super subjective! I've tried it several times based on reading about it here and it's never worked for me. I got the worst shaves with cold water. I prep & shave with warm water and only my final rinse is with cold water before drying and applying alum block & after shave.
I think I mentioned it once before that I've never seen a barber shop doing a cold shave.

That's my routine too, with one exception. I splash on some witch hazel between the Alum and aftershave.
I've always used warm water and warm lather. After joining this forum, and reading how some guys shaved with cold water, I decided to try it. Big mistake. It was one of the most uncomfortable shaves I've ever had.
But I'm not going to claim that warm water and lather is the only way to go, because shaving, like most things in life is highly subjective. It would be a pretty dull world if all our likes and dislikes were the same.

 

[Dobric]

I tend to lather with warm water but if I don't shower, my prep is cold water and I rinse my razor with cold water between passes, do my alum rinse with cold water and final rinse with cold water. But as the weather gets cold (and I live in a house out in the country built in 1915 without central heat/ac), the water will go from cold to tepid. Showers? I'm too much of a nancy boy to take anything but hot showers and, if I had the space, I'd install a steam sauna for good measure. But shaving is done best cold in my experience as well.

I always use hot shower, even in summer, I have a fewling that hot shower cleans better than cold

For you it might be! This is super subjective! I've tried it several times based on reading about it here and it's never worked for me. I got the worst shaves with cold water. I prep & shave with warm water and only my final rinse is with cold water before drying and applying alum block & after shave.
I think I mentioned it once before that I've never seen a barber shop doing a cold shave.

YMMV, 95% people use hot water.
I've never seen barber use soap/cream with strong scent (tbh I have a feeling they all use some kind of sensitive cream/soap, just to be safe)
Also I've never seen barmen serve whiskey in glencaring whiskey glass, they always do it in regular tumbler

 

[Phoenixkh]

I was forced to shave with cold water a few weeks ago. It ended up being a lovely shave.

Where we’re staying now, we have sporadic hot water in the shower but just warm water at the sink. I don’t understand that but have to accept it as reality. The lack of adequate lighting affects me a lot more than the temperature of the water. I already have a lighted traveling mirror on order for our return trip next April.

 

[musicman1951]

Face prep depends on the face. I shave after my shower and that works for me. You'll have to experiment a bit, shavers run the gamut from hot towel followed by pre-shave to virtually nothing.

Post shave treatment also depends on the face. I have dry skin, so alcohol is out for me. I use Thayer's WH, followed by balm. If you had oily skin alcohol might be perfect.

The joy of experimenting is the discovery, along with the obvious permission to buy stuff.