Question about post shave treatment

[binder]

My question is about post shave treatment. I've heard of splashes, balms and colognes. I'm unclear about what these are for and what I would need. Do I need anything for antiseptic? Anything else I need to know? I like to keep things as minimalistic as possible. Can't afford a lot.

Thanks for enlightenment.

 

[DE Shaver]

To make it simple as possible, an aftershave regimen is to help your skin heal/recover after a shave. Many aftershaves have value-added features, such as moisturizing properties, fragrances and other related goodies. If you want minimal, alum block is quite minimalistic and is what I use on occassion.

 

[georgekyr]

Some of us overdo it. Some of the overdoing is necessary because of irritation soothing, but the other part is just for the fun of it!
Since you want to be minimalistic and keep a low badget I would suggest to use just 2 products.
The first one is an alum block, which will touch up any nicks, close the pores and provide some antiseptic properties for all the irritation. Cost is 5-10 $ and will last for years.
Second one is witch hazel oil after rinsing the alum block (leave it for a minute or so while cleaning your brush and razor). I would suggest Thayer's super medicated witch hazel oil. You can get it very cheap for the large bottle at iherb.com. If you look around here at the board you can get many coupon codes for -5$ for your first purchase. The large bottle will cost with that promotional code less than 3$ plus shipping and it should last for at least a year.

 

[binder]

I prefer something besides alum. I'm not big on using aluminum products.

Thanks

 

[dirtdog]

A dab of any skin moisturizer you like on the face after rubbed between your hands

Works for mew

 

[Slivovitz]

Whatever works for you, and I'm sure that others will have good advice on AS, WH, and whatnot. If you like a minimalist approach, though, try experimenting with nothing at all. All I do is rinse off with water and I'm good to go. If you feel you're getting benefits from other treatments, that's fine, but you may not really need them.

 

[ackvil]

I like Thayer's Rose Petal WH. Helps heal nicks, etc.

 

[cnnc97]

You can get generic witch hazel and drugstores, Target, etc. for about $4 a bottle. Start with that and some kind of AS splash or balm. Nivea Balm isn't bad if you are looking for something cheap to start with.

 

[GLteam]

Everyone here has given good, solid advice. When we teach our shave clinics at The Groom Room, two of the things I stress is the importance of the Pre-shave prep, and the Post-shave regimen. I my opinion, the post-shave routine is most important, because you want to protect your skin now, and help it to begin healing.

My absolute 2 products for the post-shave are: Thayer's Witchhazel/toner (Rose), and a moisturizing skin lotion. Or, simply rinse your face VERY WELL with COLD water, then pat your face dry. Next, apply a moisturizing skin lotion.

 

[ackvil]

Everyone here has given good, solid advice. When we teach our shave clinics at The Groom Room, two of the things I stress is the importance of the Pre-shave prep, and the Post-shave regimen. I my opinion, the post-shave routine is most important, because you want to protect your skin now, and help it to begin healing.

My absolute 2 products for the post-shave are: Thayer's Witchhazel/toner (Rose), and a moisturizing skin lotion. Or, simply rinse your face VERY WELL with COLD water, then pat your face dry. Next, apply a moisturizing skin lotion.

+1.

My post shave routine starts with a warm wash cloth to remove any lather, soap, etc. Next comes a wash cloth in cold water over my face, followed by Thayers Rose Petal, followed by a moisturizer. My post shave procedure is just as important to me as what I do pre-shave.

 

[resj]

Witch hazel then a moisturizer

 

[guitar2mw]

I usually rinse thoroughly and then apply witch hazel and an aftershave balm. I like to use Dickenson's Witch Hazel (although Thayer's is great as well). Some people cannot get past the smell of Dickenson's though, so be aware that it is COMPLETELY fragrance-free (it has a smokey smell to me, but it doesn't hang around after it absorbs; no worries). I use Nivea Replenishing Balm to keep my skin from drying out. Both products are not expensive and they can easily be found at your local Wal-mart. You might also check the reviews here on the site for other ideas. I would recommend checking out Barbasol's line of aftershaves and balms. They are super cheap and most tend to perform VERY well, especially for their price. Good luck!

 

[rsaltonstall]

My question is about post shave treatment. I've heard of splashes, balms and colognes. I'm unclear about what these are for and what I would need. Do I need anything for antiseptic? Anything else I need to know? I like to keep things as minimalistic as possible. Can't afford a lot.

Thanks for enlightenment.

As for your post-shave regimen, you do not need a cologne, but it will make you smell nice. You, however, do need some sort of an antiseptic. This could be witch hazel, an alcohol based aftershave, or both. I use an alcohol based aftershave.

Since you want to keep expenses low, just go to your local drugstore--eg. Walgreens, CVS, or even Target--and chose an aftershave and/or witchhazel. Their scent selection, however, will not be that great for the aftershave: Aqua Velva, Old Spice, may be Pinaud. Now these are all very good, but you may prefer another scent. If you do prefer another scent, you can check out one of the wet shaving vendors such as West Coast, Shoebox, or Bullgoose. They have large selections that can fit any budget.

 

[Go West Young Man]

Aftershave products are used to help heal and treat the skin after shaving.
You have easily thousands of choices, and what you use depends mainly on what you're looking to get out of the product.

Splashes are (usually) alcohol based liquids that disinfect and tone the skin.
Balms are like very liquidy creams that coat and moisturize the skin.

Each brand has a different set of ingredients, and you need to find the ones that work best for you. Some guys get by with nothing but cold water, some guys use 4 or 5 products at the same time.

Oh, and by the way, cologne is perfume for men, it serves no skin-healing purposes.
And alum isn't that kind of aluminum.

 

[jmg]

I like Thayer's Rose Petal WH. Helps heal nicks, etc.

+1

 

[InvictusManeo]

One thing I've been doing lately is mixing my favorate alcohol based shave cream with aveeno face lotion I stole from my wife. Alcohol based afetershaves used to dry my face out really bad, and my wife's lotion has a pretty feminine scent, but when I mix the lotion and the aftershave I get the best of both products it seems.

 

[M80]

I prefer something besides alum. I'm not big on using aluminum products.

Thanks

Alum and aluminum are two different substances, with distinct chemical signatures. They possess different chemical properties which create different chemical attributes. Potassium alum contains a negative ionic charge, which does not allow it to travel across cell membranes, so it cannot be absorbed like aluminum can.

 

[Luc]

My question is about post shave treatment. I've heard of splashes, balms and colognes. I'm unclear about what these are for and what I would need. Do I need anything for antiseptic? Anything else I need to know? I like to keep things as minimalistic as possible. Can't afford a lot.

Thanks for enlightenment.

Aftershave products are used to help heal and treat the skin after shaving.
You have easily thousands of choices, and what you use depends mainly on what you're looking to get out of the product.

Splashes are (usually) alcohol based liquids that disinfect and tone the skin.
Balms are like very liquidy creams that coat and moisturize the skin.

Each brand has a different set of ingredients, and you need to find the ones that work best for you. Some guys get by with nothing but cold water, some guys use 4 or 5 products at the same time.

Oh, and by the way, cologne is perfume for men, it serves no skin-healing purposes.
And alum isn't that kind of aluminum.

This...

I wouldn't use a cologne as an aftershave. Cologne have more essential oils that can/most likely will clog the pores of the skin. It will leave you with a "greasy" feeling and probably give you irritation.

Some use a balm, some use a splash, some use both. I used to only use balms as I though a splash was not good for my skin. I now exclusively use splash as I get better results with them. It depends on your skin type.

Good starter balm -> Nivea Sensitive Balm. Start with that one, it's cheap and you will see how you go.

if you want to compare 2 similar products, I would then recommend Proraso Balm and Proraso Splash. The scent is similar, same company, it should give you an idea if you prefer balm or splash.

 

[binder]

Thanks everyone for the posts