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Discussion - Post shave

I'm interested in all your perspectives on the following and/or anything akin.

With so many artisanal soaps and creams formulated with post shave feel in mind, does one experience a better post if they pat dry after their final pass rather than thoroughly rinsing off all soap residue?

Do multiple applications of lather, usually in the form of multiple passes, improve post?

Does water content within one's lather affect post shave?

Do post shave products (alum, aftershave etc) override post shave feel? Or can you feel your soap's influence through said products?

Have you found any other practices that positively or negatively influence post?
 
After I shave, I lightly rinse with cold water to get the soap out of my beard. I follow this with a post shave balm (Nivea). I like to be able to smell my soap when I'm done.
 
I will say that I thoroughly rub the excess lather into my skin then rinse EXTREMELY thoroughly with COLD water. I don't leave any residual slickness anywhere. Even though I usually use aftershave, I have found soaps like Zingari Man are not affected by full rinsing. Still has that wonderful post shave.
Good idea, I'll give this a try, as I'm honestly having a hard time telling much of a difference in how my face feels after soap A as opposed to soap B. While I do use post shave products, I like to wait ten minutes just to evaluate post shave of the soap. But then I've been using good soaps. Maybe I'll shave with Arko next so there will, in theory, be more contrast.
 
I'm interested in all your perspectives on the following and/or anything akin.

With so many artisanal soaps and creams formulated with post shave feel in mind, does one experience a better post if they pat dry after their final pass rather than thoroughly rinsing off all soap residue?

Do multiple applications of lather, usually in the form of multiple passes, improve post?

Does water content within one's lather affect post shave?

Do post shave products (alum, aftershave etc) override post shave feel? Or can you feel your soap's influence through said products?

Have you found any other practices that positively or negatively influence post?

Soap by itself disrupts the skin's natural protective barrier. Plain soap strips away a layer of oils from the skin. Some types of soap are more drying than others because they strip more oil. Additionally, the pH level of soap is generally alkaline. The natural skin pH level is mildly acidic (pH of 4.5-5.5).

The original idea behind super-fatted soaps is to replace part (but not all) of the oil lost from the skin. Soaps may also contain humectant ingredients which help the skin attract and retain moisture. Despite all this, soaps are not moisturizing lotions.

Post-shave feel from soaps is promoted by artisans because this is something that distinguishes their products from more mainstream ones. Exotic oils and butters are used in fairly minute quantity but make the product seem luxurious. This focuses attention on post-shave and makes people feel post-shave feel is a mark of quality. I don't want to debate that. I'll just say I prefer a soap that rinses clean without leaving a greasy film. I can use a balm or aftershave lotion as needed and feel this works better than shaving soap alone.

My usual post-shave treatment is a long cold-water rinse, then witch hazel blotted off with a towel and either an unscented balm or mildly scented aftershave lotion. Sometimes, I will use an unscented moisturizer later in the day, diluted with a bit of plain water. I have a few stronger aftershaves for special occasions.
 
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With so many artisanal soaps and creams formulated with post shave feel in mind, does one experience a better post if they pat dry after their final pass rather than thoroughly rinsing off all soap residue?
For me, I don't leave soap residue on my face at the end of my shave. I rinse with cool water and then pat dry with a soft towel. Then I apply aftershave, or something more, if I feel the need. Any simple good shaving soap, combined with a good balm or some Cerave moisturizer gives a great post-shave, as well.
Do multiple applications of lather, usually in the form of multiple passes, improve post?
Since I do two or more passes a day, I do believe that some of the ingredients in artisan soaps do soak in during my shave, e.g. the lanolin in MWF when I was using this almost daily seemed to definitely keep my skin softer. I imagine that using some of the artisan soaps that emphasize their post-shave ingredients may also accomplish something similar. I do let lather sit on my face for a while before shaving, which may have some impact. But, as @Atlantic59 points out soaps do in fact strip facial oils and the ingredients added are just replacing some of what was there naturally.
Does water content within one's lather affect post shave?
Not sure about this one; a well hydrated lather has always shaved better for me. And, since I use a well-hydrated lather I can't say if a denser lather would be a positive or a negative.
Do post shave products (alum, aftershave etc) override post shave feel? Or can you feel your soap's influence through said products?
I can feel the difference in some soaps' post-shave feel, even after rinsing and applying an alcohol based splash. Since I rotate soaps so often, it's hard for me to say which ones were more or less effective post-shave. I'd have to use them for a prolonged time to better evaluate, which is why I used MWF above as an example, having had used it for quite long periods.
Have you found any other practices that positively or negatively influence post?
As mentioned above, giving my lather a bit of time to sit on my face before starting to shave seems to allow the ingredients designed to work towards an improved post-shave to do so, but maybe more importantly it gives the whiskers time to soften.

I live in the west where it is quite dry, so I do a light warm rinse between passes and before subsequent lather applications. I also do like a well hydrated lather from my straight razor shaving days.

Hope this helps.
 
^^ great response here.

I use warm water for shave duration ie brush rinsing, face lathering, razor rinsing and washing off the lather after the shave.
I use cold water to finally rinse off the lather thoroughly.

I apply Witch Hazel on my still wet from cold water rinsed face and if more moisturizing effect is needed then I'll use Nivea aftershave balm is applied.

I stopped using alcohol based aftershave since this Summer and my skin felt better almost within the same week.

Although I find the concept of using matching aftershave (alcohol based) interesting but turns out it is too much for my skin and hence my post shave regime is limited to - thorough rinsing off of lather with cold water, using Witch Hazel distillate (non alcohol) and Nivea Aftershave Balm.

If in the rare case when even more nourishment is needed then I use a combination of Hyaluronic acid with Nivea AS balm.

For my skin alcohol based aftershave provides negative effects otherwise everything works fine for me.

Ample and quality lather for each pass is the key for me to get comfortable, close shaves ; whether that provides added benefits to my skin via absorption of beneficial ingredients or not that I don't know for sure.

Best shave results are achieved by - Tabac (tallow), MWF, Williams Mug Soap and GFT Violets soap.
 
My main soaps are Stirling, both beef and mutton tallow. Cold water rinse, pat dry, witch hazel and/or AS splash (depends on the mood, sometimes I use both). Then Argan oil. If I use a mutton tallow I go light on the oil otherwise I get a little shiny. I find that if I don't rinse the soap off thoroughly I don't like the way my skin feels. And Stirling's scents seem to linger regardless.

As the seasons are changing I've been doing hyaluronic acid before bed, too. I tried it post shave and didn't care for it.
 
I should note that if my skin feels dry I skip the alcohol splash, but if it seems oily I use it. My face seems to go through dry/oily cycles over the course of a month. Argan oil doesn't seem to make the oiliness worse for whatever reason, and my skin loves it.
 
I stopped using alcohol based aftershaves in my late twenties. Now I rinse with cold water, use alum, and then tidy up. After a couple of minutes, rinse with cold water and then apply witch hazel. After a couple of minutes, either a moisturiser or--if I want something lightly scented--a balm. This has worked well for me for decades, so I'm unlikely to change at this point. :p
 
My lathering practices are pretty constant (Bowl lather or face lather) so I don't notice much difference in changing my routine.

However, I do notice that some soaps dry out my skin and others don't. In general, the more butter, the more moisturizing my skin feels during and after the shave. Alum block and alcohol aftershave dries out my skin; Alum helps with irritation and ingrown hair for me and I follow up with witch hazel and balm to counteract the dry feel. For alcohol aftershaves, it just feels nice and I enjoy the scent but I don't notice much benefits to my skin.
 
Neutrogena hydro boost was the A-HA moment and game changer for me for post feel

certain soaps for sure do bug me more than others but glad I tried them to know they are not for me

so many to try finding a few might be lucky on first or take a while :) no shortage of soaps that is for sure

I do prefer to get every bit of soap off with cold water though ! And then dry then AS splash then Neutrogena hydro
 
Neutrogena hydro boost was the A-HA moment and game changer for me for post feel

certain soaps for sure do bug me more than others but glad I tried them to know they are not for me

so many to try finding a few might be lucky on first or take a while :) no shortage of soaps that is for sure

I do prefer to get every bit of soap off with cold water though ! And then dry then AS splash then Neutrogena hydro
Yeah I want to try that stuff
 
I do the same in one of two ways…. I finish with Thayers WitchcHazel and then Nivea post shave balm if I am going Cologne route for the day…. Or I go Witch Hazel and then either Aqua Velva, Skin Bracer, La toJa, or the king of all aftershaves and ALWAYS on Friday (to my wife’s dismay) Clubman!!!!

Aqua Velva, Skin Bracer and La ToJa I believe have glycerine in them… it really smooths my face! Plus I love love loce the scent

My wife doesn’t care for the “traditional” aftershaves…I love them! I love the scent and the price of them!!!

I shave in the shower so as soon as I get out I am ready to treat my skin.
 

Ravenonrock

I shaved the pig
I’ve been paying close attention to post shave lately, especially how my skin looks. Soap and water and that’s it. I sometimes get a very light sheen on my cheeks, not greasy or overdone in the least. Just a pleasant something extra that’s visible. I can’t explain it really, but I can tell when it’s there and not all soaps have that quality for me. I get this result from both tallow and non tallow as well as some soaps containing lanolin. The fatted soaps seem to agree with me, both animal and vegetable. An example would be using Tabac this morning. Early evening now and my face still feels moisturized and smooth, using only soap and water and that tallowy goodness. Perhaps living in a coastal rain forest contributes to the effect? Who knows, but there sure are some good soaps out there.
 
Soap by itself disrupts the skin's natural protective barrier. Plain soap strips away a layer of oils from the skin. Some types of soap are more drying than others because they strip more oil. Additionally, the pH level of soap is generally alkaline. The natural skin pH level is mildly acidic (pH of 4.5-5.5).

The original idea behind super-fatted soaps is to replace part (but not all) of the oil lost from the skin. Soaps may also contain humectant ingredients which help the skin attract and retain moisture. Despite all this, soaps are not moisturizing lotions.

Post-shave feel from soaps is promoted by artisans because this is something that distinguishes their products from more mainstream ones. Exotic oils and butters are used in fairly minute quantity but make the product seem luxurious. This focuses attention on post-shave and makes people feel post-shave feel is a mark of quality. I don't want to debate that. I'll just say I prefer a soap that rinses clean without leaving a greasy film. I can use a balm or aftershave lotion as needed and feel this works better than shaving soap alone.

My usual post-shave treatment is a long cold-water rinse, then witch hazel blotted off with a towel and either an unscented balm or mildly scented aftershave lotion. Sometimes, I will use an unscented moisturizer later in the day, diluted with a bit of plain water. I have a few stronger aftershaves for special occasions.
Agreed. Everytime a new base comes out the forum is filled with post after post of how great it is, can't be beat, perfect in every way, yada yada yada. If a few drops of emu oil added into the soap or a cool seed butter that replaces lanolin does it for you, far be it from me to get in the way. But the idea that these soaps replace conventional face wash, pre-shave or moisturisers are laughable. These products are not designed to be absorbed by the skin. Post-shave for me just has to be not dry and not irritating. I then use required post-shave for what my skin feels it needs.
 
I do the same in one of two ways…. I finish with Thayers WitchcHazel and then Nivea post shave balm if I am going Cologne route for the day…. Or I go Witch Hazel and then either Aqua Velva, Skin Bracer, La toJa, or the king of all aftershaves and ALWAYS on Friday (to my wife’s dismay) Clubman!!!!

Aqua Velva, Skin Bracer and La ToJa I believe have glycerine in them… it really smooths my face! Plus I love love loce the scent

My wife doesn’t care for the “traditional” aftershaves…I love them! I love the scent and the price of them!!!

I shave in the shower so as soon as I get out I am ready to treat my skin.
I don't think La Toja aftershave splash has glycerin. Love that stuff.
 
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