Good evening chaps. With my recent experiments adding aloe to a/s splashes, I started thinking, what would be the perfect a/s for you? I am talking about if you could start from scratch.
This whole a/s deal is a bit odd. I know I have said this many times but truly superb a/s products are the holy grail of wet shaving. The old formula Vitaman a/s gel with aloe and blue cypress extract was about the BEST I have ever used. I managed to get one tube before they changed it and bollocksed it up. It was expensive as well. $25 for a 3-4 oz. tube. I would have payed half again that to get it though. I have seen Joel's reviews on The Gentleman's Refinery a/s balm and I trust him when he says it is one of the best. It too is expensive. I wonder why this stuff is all so expensive? Some of it is our own fault. We butcher our faces and look for miracle cures. Razor rash should not be a part of an experienced wet shaver's routine. Oh there are those who honestly have sensitive skin and they have trouble with a lot of products. Thankfully I do not. I can get sensitive in a hurry if I mess up the shave but if I do my part, I don't really NEED an a/s splash or balm.
What I truly look for in an a/s is a product that simply stops minor tinglies. Which I feel should be normal if you have just run a surgically sharp stainless blade over your face taking off hair and a thin layer of skin. It should be soothing whether you have shaved or not. Though it is technically possible to make a perfectly suitable combination of a/s soother and moisturiser in one product, I prefer to do this in tow separate steps.
Alright, down to the rat killing. What would you use for ingredients in an a/s? I talking custom made. No off the shelf. Otherwise we would all buy Musgo Classic and call it a day.
Scent, as in added fragrance, is not considered for this discussion. Just the ingredients that make it an a/s.
I think for me it would be two products. One alcohol based and one aloe based. The alcohol based product would be as close to water consistency as possible. A true splash in every sense. It would also have to contain at least some of the following ingredients; aloe juice, cucumber extract, lavender essential oil, likely some bark extracts and other things good for the skin.
The aloe based product would have to contain many of the same ingredients but could possibly contain tiny amounts of fats like lanolin or coconut oil. The main difference would be the aloe based product would be a tad heavier than the splash but no heavier than say, milk. Which is pretty thin anyway. It would be for winter days when my skin gets really dry or if I bollocks the shave and need something that holds to skin longer than a splash. In no circumstance should I be able to feel it on my skin after 60 seconds or so. Demanding eh? I say yes but technically this should not be hard for a toiletry maker to do. I have no experience with our small vendors a/s milks. I have used Em's cucumber extract splash. Liked it but it needed...something? I have also used QED's a/s conditioning balm but if you talk to Charles he rightly states that it is a light after shave moisturiser and not a fire stopper. Remember, I am not even looking for a fire stopper. Only a soother. I know it comes to mind to make your own but how do you really go about deciding formula percentages and how the amounts work with certain emulsifiers? Remember, alcohol is an emulsifier itself. There is much to learn about this. I do know that for $25-45 dollars, a LOT of this stuff is overpriced, weakened edt/cologne and not a true a/s product.
BTW, I am not against adding scents. I love stuff like TOBS Sandalwood splash. I just want to get the base right before I wold consider scent. And yeah, you may correctly assume I would like to talk to one of our crafts makers about doing up a custom a/s for me.
Regards, Todd
This whole a/s deal is a bit odd. I know I have said this many times but truly superb a/s products are the holy grail of wet shaving. The old formula Vitaman a/s gel with aloe and blue cypress extract was about the BEST I have ever used. I managed to get one tube before they changed it and bollocksed it up. It was expensive as well. $25 for a 3-4 oz. tube. I would have payed half again that to get it though. I have seen Joel's reviews on The Gentleman's Refinery a/s balm and I trust him when he says it is one of the best. It too is expensive. I wonder why this stuff is all so expensive? Some of it is our own fault. We butcher our faces and look for miracle cures. Razor rash should not be a part of an experienced wet shaver's routine. Oh there are those who honestly have sensitive skin and they have trouble with a lot of products. Thankfully I do not. I can get sensitive in a hurry if I mess up the shave but if I do my part, I don't really NEED an a/s splash or balm.
What I truly look for in an a/s is a product that simply stops minor tinglies. Which I feel should be normal if you have just run a surgically sharp stainless blade over your face taking off hair and a thin layer of skin. It should be soothing whether you have shaved or not. Though it is technically possible to make a perfectly suitable combination of a/s soother and moisturiser in one product, I prefer to do this in tow separate steps.
Alright, down to the rat killing. What would you use for ingredients in an a/s? I talking custom made. No off the shelf. Otherwise we would all buy Musgo Classic and call it a day.
Scent, as in added fragrance, is not considered for this discussion. Just the ingredients that make it an a/s. I think for me it would be two products. One alcohol based and one aloe based. The alcohol based product would be as close to water consistency as possible. A true splash in every sense. It would also have to contain at least some of the following ingredients; aloe juice, cucumber extract, lavender essential oil, likely some bark extracts and other things good for the skin.
The aloe based product would have to contain many of the same ingredients but could possibly contain tiny amounts of fats like lanolin or coconut oil. The main difference would be the aloe based product would be a tad heavier than the splash but no heavier than say, milk. Which is pretty thin anyway. It would be for winter days when my skin gets really dry or if I bollocks the shave and need something that holds to skin longer than a splash. In no circumstance should I be able to feel it on my skin after 60 seconds or so. Demanding eh? I say yes but technically this should not be hard for a toiletry maker to do. I have no experience with our small vendors a/s milks. I have used Em's cucumber extract splash. Liked it but it needed...something? I have also used QED's a/s conditioning balm but if you talk to Charles he rightly states that it is a light after shave moisturiser and not a fire stopper. Remember, I am not even looking for a fire stopper. Only a soother. I know it comes to mind to make your own but how do you really go about deciding formula percentages and how the amounts work with certain emulsifiers? Remember, alcohol is an emulsifier itself. There is much to learn about this. I do know that for $25-45 dollars, a LOT of this stuff is overpriced, weakened edt/cologne and not a true a/s product.
BTW, I am not against adding scents. I love stuff like TOBS Sandalwood splash. I just want to get the base right before I wold consider scent. And yeah, you may correctly assume I would like to talk to one of our crafts makers about doing up a custom a/s for me.
Regards, Todd
