Good aftershave at Walgreens

[Samouraï]

Hey, I have been using the AoS aftershave balm to great effect, but I am afraid it might be causing a bit of acne in the corner of mouth/drool area. Does anyone know what good-quality aftershave splash might be available in a Walgreens or a grocery store or something?

I was thinking about an Alum+Splash, then a very light mist moisturizer. should i try throwing witch hazel in there? i want to keep it simple...

thanks

 

[Spivey]

You can almost always find all 3 of the Aqua Velva *** at Walgreens. They are all pretty great.

Walgreens (and most drug stores) also carries Pinaud Clubman and usually Pinaud Virgin Island Bay Rum.

 

[douglask]

My fav is Aqua Velva Ice Blue with Porasso or C.O. Bigelow shave cream.

 

[strat1117]

I have had good luck with the green Gillette AS gel for many, many years, and it is still in my rotation, right along side the fancy stuff. It comes in regular and sensitive (there is also a white balm that I have not tried), smells clean and fresh, and is a good compromise between alcohol splashes and rich lotions. It's available for about $3.50 in most chain stores.

Good luck!

 

[MrGuy]

One of my Walgreen's has a couple of AS splashes by Adidas. Not top notch scent wise, but by no means bad. Outstanding performance though. No sticky or greasy feel after use, and fights any redness I might get.
I don't know what it means that only 1 out of 3 Walgreen's in my area has them. YWMV, (your Walgreen's may vary) But I have also seen them available in a coupe of local grocery stores, so I'm sure you could track them down if you wanted.

 

[Samouraï]

Thanks for the advice, guys. I'll pick up a few today, but I am really excited about the Aqua Velva. I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[ClubmanRob]

Your Walgreens may be one of the lucky ones that carries the Clubman products (regular, Bay Rum, Lilac Vegetal). Between those and the Aqua Velva (beware- some Walgreens have stopped carrying Aqua Velva), you should be set for awhile. Keep in mind though, you can actually get a bigger bottle of Aqua Velva at Wal-mart for less than the price of a small bottle at Walgreen's.

 

[Obelit]

Gentlemen,

The charming young lady in command of the perfume and shaving counters at the walgreens nears my humble castle delights my heart by keeping the Pinaud Clubman shelf well stocked. For that, I plan to include her in my will.

Regards,

Obelit

 

[Spivey]

Keep in mind though, you can actually get a bigger bottle of Aqua Velva at Wal-mart for less than the price of a small bottle at Walgreen's.

This is a great heads up. I just noticed this last month. Fortunately, I had only bought one of the small bottles before finding the big boy.

 

[Samouraï]

Well I picked up a small bottle of classic ice blue Aqua Velva. It felt great, though the scent is a bit strong. I kind of like it, but I don't know that women will. I think there was a bottle of Clubman's there, which I didn't pick up, but might on my next trip (I only wanted to try out an alcohol-based splash). Anyhow, it really curtailed redness and irritation (not the best shave today--late in the day, showered this morning). I followed it up with a moisturizing mist (extremely light). Tomorrow I'll try some witch hazel. Overall, I think I like it more than balm, but I'll give it a few shaves.

ps, I also wanted to add a question: what is the purpose of an aftershave, a toner, or witch hazel? Does the alum block inhabit the same role? Was the aftershave splash originally meant to go on right after the shave? basically, I want to simplify the shaving experience to the essentials so that I might build from there (or even remove certain aspects of my regimen that are redundant). Now, from a purely utilitarian standpoint, what is necessary after one completes his last pass with the razor?

 

[Koss]

I like the Nivea Balms

 

[Kratos]

Beware of the Adidas AS. It's like diluted napalm. Burned twice as long as my Aqua Velva Ice Sport. I cannot stand AV Musk or Ice Blue. Nor Brut, Skin Bracer, and I'm no fan of Old Spice. I have not smelled Clubman yet, but all the CVS/Walgreen's here carry it.

 

[Samouraï]

Beware of the Adidas AS. It's like diluted napalm. Burned twice as long as my Aqua Velva Ice Sport. I cannot stand AV Musk or Ice Blue. Nor Brut, Skin Bracer, and I'm no fan of Old Spice. I have not smelled Clubman yet, but all the CVS/Walgreen's here carry it.

do you recommend anything?

 

[Kratos]

do you recommend anything?

It's not as if those are the only aftershaves to buy. CVS has a pretty wide selection. The Ice Blue and Skin Bracer are solid performers, I just can't stand the smell of the old stuff. Obviously if I use the AV Ice Sport I'd recommend it. Most people who use the Adidas say it burns like Hell, and with no cooling effect to even it out.

The Nivea balms are pretty good. I like the Extreme Comfort, and the Cooling Balm is not bad. It just doesn't have very much cooling effect.

 

[Spivey]

ps, I also wanted to add a question: what is the purpose of an aftershave, a toner, or witch hazel? Does the alum block inhabit the same role? Was the aftershave splash originally meant to go on right after the shave? basically, I want to simplify the shaving experience to the essentials so that I might build from there (or even remove certain aspects of my regimen that are redundant). Now, from a purely utilitarian standpoint, what is necessary after one completes his last pass with the razor?

Aftershave serves a couple of purposes. An alcohol-based AS can eliminate/lessen some of the redness you may encounter after a rough shave. The alcohol also acts as an astringent, closing the pores (this is also what an alum block does, but an alum block is more effective at stopping any bleeding you may have).

Some people find their redness or irritation is mild enough that a cold water rinse following the shave is enough to knock the redness down. For me, aftershave is both a necessity and a pleasure: I need the alcohol to eliminate redness and I enjoy the scents.

BTW, my wife loves the AV Classic Ice Blue scent on me!

 

[Kratos]

^Yeah, what he said. Also, some find the block doesn't quite stop weepers and nicks. The styptic is better in that function. And burns more. I like to use witch hazel before any aftershave or balm. Helps with redness and irritation. It basically does the same as a block, which is why most people use either/or.

 

[krevo]

Samouraï, for what it's worth, you might find that the ladies aren't a fan of a lot of the older more classic aftershave splashes. (like Lilac, Clubman, etc) Some are, however, mine isn't

She much prefers the softer stuff.

 

[Spivey]

Samouraï, for what it's worth, you might find that the ladies aren't a fan of a lot of the older more classic aftershave splashes. (like Lilac, Clubman, etc) Some are, however, mine isn't

She much prefers the softer stuff.

Yeah, my wife's Abuelo wears Clubman, so I have to limit my usage.

 

[MrGuy]

Most people who use the Adidas say it burns like Hell, and with no cooling effect to even it out.

I wonder if Adidas has changed formulations since you tried it. I get no burn at all from the ones I have used, and the three reviews in the AS section also report no real burn. It doesn't really have a "cooling effect", but I guess I find I don't need that in an AS. Adidas does well to sooth the skin, cool or not.

 

[Samouraï]

i may have to go for a more expensive splash if the ladies are to like it. at this point, i just don't want to be that smelly cologne kid (the one who wore too much in high school) during my (university) lectures...

it seems to me that the aftershaves are GREAT (at least Aqua Velva) about an hour after you put it on, but way to strong right away. maybe ill cut it with a bit of water.