Well my wife is Filipina but her facial skin is very sensitive. Apparently she can't use the Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid it makes her face get red quickly, like a sun burn.I appreciate the kind words @Keto. Thank you. The short answer to your question is that yes, some things changed after August.
But TBH, far and away the biggest skin care change I made was in the spring, and that change was getting religion about the twice daily cleanse/moisturize/sunscreen regimen. My right neck was getting increasingly unshavable, and I couldn't figure out why. I finally plugged my brain back in and went to the dermatologist, who identified the problem as sun damage. I did not agonize over finding the best products, but I did do enough homework to find good products - products that fit my lifestyle and that, for the time being at least, I still use. I cannot tell you how pleased and relieved I am with the results, now that I can shave more frequently again, and with less frustration!
Now, fast forward from spring to August: The impetus for last August's research was one of my cardinal rules of shaving: My face is not a laboratory! I do not take that rule to its extreme, which IMO would be to do a fixed four forever. That would be too boring. But by the time August arrived, my morale was back on track, and I thought to myself, I can likely do way better by simplifying my post shave care. TBH I have been a sucker for the matching aftershave or balm. They prolong the soap scent and look good in photos, but they also eat up budget, and they are all over the map with chemicals. Perfumes and colognes are available for scent, which is what they're made for and good at. But most importantly, perfumes and colognes don't need to be applied to the face. So why not ditch the aftershave parade, and put on the face only products made for the sole purposes of soothing and healing the skin and proven day after day to work on my skin. It's hardly a new idea, but it made great sense to me.
So in my own mind, I broke down post shave care into immediate and follow up care, and to be clear, I mean "follow up care" to exclude the daily morning and evening regimen. (This might change later.) In any case, I'm thinking that immediate care includes antisepsis, astringency, moisturizing, and soothing/healing. OTOH follow up care generally includes only moisturizing and soothing/healing. The more I looked, the more two chemicals stood out, in my mind at least, for moisturizing and soothing/healing: hyaluronic acid and aloe. That leaves me here regarding post shave care:
Time will tell how disciplined I am about the matching aftercare products. Most, if not all of us, have our favorites, and one vendor in particular makes post shave products that always smell great and work well for me. Plus, I have an embarrassingly large cache of aftershaves already. Perhaps I will use them sparingly. ¿Maybe between the HA and the aloe?
- Astringency and antisepsis (no change): I currently use a brand of witch hazel which also contains 14% grain alcohol and meets both of these needs. In a pinch, I also have styptic powder for added astringency.
- Moisturizing and healing (new): I have The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% with B5 and Seven Minerals Organic Aloe Vera Gel. We have already talked about The Ordinary. I like the Seven Minerals because it is made directly from aloe leaves, has a minimal ingredient list, and seems to be a pure, simple, unadulterated version of aloe.
But first things first: It remains to be seen how well a HA/aloe routine works by itself for soothing and healing. If things go well, I may forget about aftershaves entirely, and if nothing else, I will have an excellent baseline available. Please keep your
I need to find a Hyaluronic Acid that has less added ingredients.
This one was good to her skin not available now.
