Is witch hazel all you need for an aftershave?
- Thread starter nick1990
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An ice cube,what does that do for you besides make your face cold?
I splash cool water on my face,then use witch hazel,then face food,then aftershave splash,then a aftershave balm,then a tea tree moisturiser and then my face is good for the whole day.
Paul
I splash cool water on my face,then use witch hazel,then face food,then aftershave splash,then a aftershave balm,then a tea tree moisturiser and then my face is good for the whole day.
Paul
The witch hazel should do if your on a budget, but if you not then NO you will not be happy until you have acquired aftershave from all corners of the globe 
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The witch hazel should do if your on a budget, but if you not then NO you will not be happy until you have acquired aftershave from all corners of the globe
what would you use?
Im thinking poraso?
Maybe use an alum block as well?
If you face feels good and your just using WH, then it is good enough!
Witch hazel is great right after the shave. I usually do a cold water splash, Witch hazel, and a bit later an AS. There are plenty of good, reasonably priced aftershaves out there, experiment and see what works for you.
I'm not a real big fan of the alum block but that's just me. The proaso splash and the pre/post shave are both great. In my experience I've got the best bang for my buck with Speick splash and Musgo Real splash in terms of making my face feel better after a terrible shave, I have 25+ aftershave splashes and a small ammount of balms for winter.
I read somewhere that the post-shave routine should be a warm water rinse (to get rid of any lingering lather), followed by a cool water rinse to close the pores. Pat dry. Splash on some witch hazel and let your face air dry. Then use your AS/ASB of choice.
I have no idea whether this is the best procedure, but it works for me.
I have no idea whether this is the best procedure, but it works for me.
All you need is whatever works for you. I spent a great many years without ever using AS. Actually only started this year (thanks B&B!) and love it. That being said in all those years of not using it, my face never fell off, burst into flames or experienced any other ill effects.
Make sure, at all times you do:
1. What works for you
2. What you enjoy
If you enjoy ice cubes and WH and that works for you, great. If you want to try AS and it works for you great.
**CAUTION** It's highly addictive. Once you start, you may not want to go back
Make sure, at all times you do:
1. What works for you
2. What you enjoy
If you enjoy ice cubes and WH and that works for you, great. If you want to try AS and it works for you great.
**CAUTION** It's highly addictive. Once you start, you may not want to go back
I have a similar routine:
- warm rinse
- cool rinse
- witch hazel splash
- proraso pre/post, let dry while cleaning up, stropping and oiling my blade
- A/S splash or balm
I also tried alum and it didn't work well with my sensitive skin (even with rinsing).
- warm rinse
- cool rinse
- witch hazel splash
- proraso pre/post, let dry while cleaning up, stropping and oiling my blade
- A/S splash or balm
I also tried alum and it didn't work well with my sensitive skin (even with rinsing).
Balm.
Yes, WH is enough. I just spent some time down in the desert where all I had was WH. After shaving, I used warm water to remove the leftover lather. Then I splashed with cold water, dried off, and gave myself a couple applications of WH. It worked great.
This is pretty much what I do, but I use an SPF moisturizer in place of an ASB. Works great for me.
You can get by, but you can do better.
Holy crap, that's quite the process!
I do cold water, WH and an AS. The cold water and WH pretty much do the same thing (function as astringents) and the aftershave moisturizes my face and applies a pleasing scent. That being said, most quality *** will function as an astringent (through alcohol or WH), so I probably could skip the thayer's, but I like the feel and scent of it.
I'm sorry but that makes me cringe. To answer the OP, our grandfathers used Witch Hazel as an aftershave daily.
Witch hazel makes a great aftershave. However, since the OP noted that his face is "tight", a balm would probably be of help. A product that I have grown very, very, fond of is Jason's 6-in-one beard conditioner, which is witch hazel and aloe vera based, but with a host of other skin goodies. I use this and then a witch hazel splash afterward to thin out any tackiness from the aloe vera. I usually follow up with a light balm. While it sounds somewhat involved, I can manage this with my normal get ready for work routine, and my face feels great all day.
It's a very subjective question. Faces are all different and respond to shaving and aftershaves differently.
I do a little something different each time.
Find what works best for your face and go for it.
I recently took up straight shaving so my post-shave routine consists of:
1. a blood transfusion
2. plenty of suturing
3. or if I had a good shave then I give thanks that I didn't have to use #1 or #2
But for real I like using a cold splash of water, WH, then apply an AS balm if I feel like I need it (about 1/4 of the time). But whatever works for you.
1. a blood transfusion
2. plenty of suturing
3. or if I had a good shave then I give thanks that I didn't have to use #1 or #2
But for real I like using a cold splash of water, WH, then apply an AS balm if I feel like I need it (about 1/4 of the time). But whatever works for you.
It's your shave, and your aftershave! Do whatever you like!
I personally go with a balm or lotion on the days I get a little too close, or use a blade past its "expiration" date. But for the most part, I stick with just a splash in the summer now, and a splash followed by a balm or lotion in the cooler months.
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