Do you put anything on your face after shaving?

[preidy]

You bet. First Alum for 1 minute then rinse, shave balm (then after it's dried) some AS.

 

[Bakker1964]

Witch Hazel (Dickinson's or Thayers), Nivea post shave balm, followed by A/S of choice for the day.

 

[Badgerstate36]

Thanks for the history of aftershave products. I knew that blade shaving can be rough on the face including occasional small nicks and cuts. Some men may want to use an after shave product after using an electric shaver because of skin irritation. I shave completely dry first thing in the morning and shower afterwards. By shaving without any preshave product or liquids I get a close, comfortable and irritation free shave. I haven’t found an aftershave with a fragrance that I like.

No worries. Theres a lot of gear out there. LOL

 

[Flyboybob]

Witch Hazel (Dickinson's or Thayers), Nivea post shave balm, followed by A/S of choice for the day.

Witch Hazel seems to show up frequently. Are the brands you mentioned superior to the generic drug store brand?

 

[bberg100]

I mostly use Dickenson's, smells rather cruddy, but goes away quickly. Nothing wrong with Thayers or Humphries, but they add scents, aloe, and other goodies. After the WH dissipates, I like a good splash with an alcohol based after shave.

 

[Chandu]

Witch Hazel seems to show up frequently. Are the brands you mentioned superior to the generic drug store brand?

No I don't think they are, if you want "real" witch hazel. Real witch hazel just witch hazel, water, and the alcohol that is used in the process - about 10 - 14%. Because some have an ill-founded fear of alcohol ever touching their precious skin, they think WH with alcohol is bad.

Thayers is a little better for combating irritation as it has aloe and other things that true / generic WH does not.

Here is an interesting article. The Mysterious Past and Present of Witch Hazel

I like the scent of TN Dickinson WH. Smells smoky or woodsy for about 2 seconds and then the scent is gone.

You should be able to get a big bottle of plain old WH for less than $5. If it's more than that, it's hipster WH

 

[ajkel64]

I use Emu Oil Lotion on my face after a shave. I shave before I shower and apply the Emu Oil Lotion after I dry myself. I then spray a cologne on my chest/neck or dribble some aftershave down my chest.

 

[Flyboybob]

No I don't think they are, if you want "real" witch hazel. Real witch hazel just witch hazel, water, and the alcohol that is used in the process - about 10 - 14%. Because some have an ill-founded fear of alcohol ever touching their precious skin, they think WH with alcohol is bad.

Thayers is a little better for combating irritation as it has aloe and other things that true / generic WH does not.

Here is an interesting article. The Mysterious Past and Present of Witch Hazel

I like the scent of TN Dickinson WH. Smells smoky or woodsy for about 2 seconds and then the scent is gone.

You should be able to get a big bottle of plain old WH for less than $5. If it's more than that, it's hipster WH

I actually have a bottle of the drug store variety but never used it. My wife bought it for some reason. Shaving with my Braun is so irritation free that I don’t need anything afterwards. As for aftershaves, I’m not into smelling like musk or whatever. Of course if you like the combination of the which hazel followed by a an alcohol based aftershave for the aroma, then go for as it must work for you.

 

[Joncr]

last 5 years Cart or DE, Aqua Velva Ice Blue every day. Great summer winter never oily or drying

 

[Flyboybob]

I use Emu Oil Lotion on my face after a shave. I shave before I shower and apply the Emu Oil Lotion after I dry myself. I then spray a cologne on my chest/neck or dribble some aftershave down my chest.

Is Emu oil what I think it is? I looked it up and it is from Emus. Do you shave with an electric or a blade? What’s the difference between cologne and after shave? I don’t use either. I don’t like any fragrance other than clean and natural.

 

[Chandu]

Shaving with my Braun is so irritation free that I don’t need anything afterwards.

That's been the experience with my Panasonic and Norelco as well. But now I like the aftershaves so even if I use electric, I'd probably splash one on after the shower.

 

[Scaramouche]

I don’t like any type of aroma in aftershave. Do you use aftershave to heal your face or for the odor?

Actually both, and depends on the shave or the day. Some "healing" aftershave I've used include those by Ariana & Evans, Tallow + Steel, and various balms by Proraso, GFT and DR Harris (Trumper's Skin Food is particularly nice). More of an alcohol "splash" type AS includes those by B&M, Stirling, Captain's Choice and CFG, all of which tend to have more scent added. The short answer is, "it depends." I rarely use cologne or other scent, because the AS is usually enough - and sometimes more than enough!

 

[cyclingsteveb]

Witch hazel, after shave, scent depends whether I'm working or not as I work in a scent free field. If my shave soap or cream doesn't provide some post shave moisture I will use a balm.

 

[Scaramouche]

Which additives do that?


Haven't had an issue with it feeling sticky, but I guess that's a good thing!

This is a list from one of Thayers products (they have quite a number):

Purified Water, SD Alcohol 40-B (Natural Grain) 10%, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice (Certified Organic Filet of Aloe Vera), Hamamelis Virgiana Extract (made from Certified Organic Witch Hazel), Glycerin (Vegetable), Fragrance (Natural Witch Hazel), Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Seed Extract, Citric Acid.

The chief culprits in "stickiness," alone or with another AS, tend to be glycerin and aloe, which is in almost all of Thayers' witch hazel formulations. Good for healing and soothing by itself, as noted; not so good of you don't favor the tacky feel it leaves on your skin. Dickinson's and generic witch hazel compounds contain basically water, alcohol and witch hazel extract, and dry clean with nothing left behind. "With hazel" is actually a misnomer, because none of these products are "witch hazel," which is a plant (Hamamelis Virginiana), but instead contain witch hazel extract, usually manufactured by distilling the leaves, bark and twigs of the plant in alcohol, resulting in a solution of water, plant extract and alcohol (generally 10-14%). Witch hazel extract is primarily an astringent and very slightly anti-microbial, so is known for its healing properties when applied to cuts or irritation on the skin (as in after a shave), without being irritating itself.

 

[Flyboybob]

This is a list from one of Thayers products (they have quite a number):

Purified Water, SD Alcohol 40-B (Natural Grain) 10%, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice (Certified Organic Filet of Aloe Vera), Hamamelis Virgiana Extract (made from Certified Organic Witch Hazel), Glycerin (Vegetable), Fragrance (Natural Witch Hazel), Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Seed Extract, Citric Acid.

The chief culprits in "stickiness," alone or with another AS, tend to be glycerin and aloe, which is in almost all of Thayers' witch hazel formulations. Good for healing and soothing by itself, as noted; not so good of you don't favor the tacky feel it leaves on your skin. Dickinson's and generic witch hazel compounds contain basically water, alcohol and witch hazel extract, and dry clean with nothing left behind. "With hazel" is actually a misnomer, because none of these products are "witch hazel," which is a plant (Hamamelis Virginiana), but instead contain witch hazel extract, usually manufactured by distilling the leaves, bark and twigs of the plant in alcohol, resulting in a solution of water, plant extract and alcohol (generally 10-14%). Witch hazel extract is primarily an astringent and very slightly anti-microbial, so is known for its healing properties when applied to cuts or irritation on the skin (as in after a shave), without being irritating itself.

Thanks for the Witch Hazel explaination. I never knew that it is derived from a plant.

 

[ajkel64]

This is the Emu Oil Lotion that I use most days. Normal routine is a 3 pass DE Shave, followed by rubbing the Alum Block on my face. As the Alum dries, I rinse up shaving implements and dry them. I then shower and after drying myself I apply the Emu Oil Lotion to my face and hands. I then either spray the cologne on my chest or dribble some Aftershave down my chest. The Lotion seems to work well on my face and there is not much smell with it.

 

[Mecator]

Tradition says you want some mind of an astringent to disinfect any nick or cuts you may get while shaving. For some thats an aftershave splash with alcohol or something like witch hazel, that is a bit more gentle than an alcohol splash is.
Some like balms too, which dont have the sting of alcohol and are better at mositurizing your skin and helping it heal after the trauma of shaving.
Thayer's is good stuff and is probably the best witch hazel you can buy, although it is a bit pricey for what it is. Ive used the unscented astringent and the rosepetal toner. I didnt much line the rosepetal toner. I didnt like the scent and found it to be kind of sticky on my skin. The unscented astringent was good stuff though, I just like something with a bit more of a scent.
What you use is really more of a personal preference and what you like. Some like a splash and some who suffer with dry skin or razor burn like the moisturizing properties of a balm. Some also change it up and use a splash in the summer and a balm in the winter when their skin needs a bit more moisturizing.

Excellent advice. The only thing I would add is that I now use Dickinsons hydrating toner more than any other AS. This octogenarian’s face needs all the help it can get.

 

[Old beard]

I use after shave balm. Brush my teeth clean sink then add an after shave of my weekly choice.

 

[rff000]

I use after shave balm. Brush my teeth clean sink then add an after shave of my weekly choice.

Very hot water followed by very cold water. Can't beat the price. Then, on (hopefully rare) occasions of accidents, styptic pencil.

 

[Flyboybob]

Very hot water followed by very cold water. Can't beat the price. Then, on (hopefully rare) occasions of accidents, styptic pencil.

Certainly is the least expensive option. Using the styptic pencil was the reason I abandoned blades for electric shavers.