Sensitive Skin Aftershave Battles

[Bud2024]

Day 1: Zingari Man vs Duke Cannon Ice Cold

Two of my favorite balms lately so I decided to let them go head to head. After my shave, I put each balm on one side of my face. There are some key differences in this case. I tend to pick unscented products if I have the option so I have the unscented version of Zingari Man’s balm. Duke Cannon’s balm is also mentholated, but the point here is to see which balm is the most soothing.

Packaging:
ZM comes in a pump bottle and has a great label design. While pump bottles can be more convenient, I do find that they stop pumping when there’s still some product left so that’s the only complaint here.

DC comes in a flip-top bottle and the label is very basic looking in design. The bottle cap feels ice cold to the touch which I think was a nice touch and very fitting.

Consistency:
ZM pumps out a product that is pretty typical of other face lotions. Cerave comes to mind.

DC is still lotion-like, but is noticeably thinner.

Scent:
Not a fair comparison here since I have the unscented version of ZM. The ZM balm smells like what you would expect from an unscented lotion. What scent you may notice completely dissipates upon application. No complaints.

At first, I get kind of a medicated menthol note from DC. That begins to fade upon application and you are left with what I would describe as a clean, fresh scent. DC says that it’s a sandalwood fragrance, but I can’t say that I detect much sandalwood. It is a very pleasant and light scent, though.

Initial application:
ZM immediately soothed my skin and I felt great.

Before I discuss DC, it’s important to note that I usually go a few days without shaving and that I have sensitive skin. Lately, I have been testing out shave products so I am shaving more frequently and my skin is more sensitive than usual. I used DC over the summer with great results. This time, it stung in a few places initially. I did love that menthol kick though and it was alright overall. The problem here is that I could immediately tell that it was not in the same tier as ZM.

Later impressions:
When I touched ZM side, my skin was not greasy, but I could tell it was well hydrated. I was impressed by how smooth and nice my face felt.

The DC side, not bad, but not nearly as well hydrated as ZM.

Winner: Zingari Man

With that being said, I really enjoy the DC balm. It’s definitely one of my favorite summertime aftershaves. It just didn’t perform anywhere near the same level as ZM. I’m not sure what I’ll pick to go up against ZM next, but it’s going to be tough to beat.

 

[Doc Dan]

I simply use Roskin skin cream. It is really good for the skin, especially if it's dry.

 

[Bud2024]

Day 2: Zingari Man vs Stirling Soap Company

Two balms that get a lot of love from the community. I was very excited to put these two up against each other. I won’t cover ZM in each category today since I did so in my Day 1 post.

Packaging:
SSC’s balm comes in a green plastic flip top bottle with a nice label. Nothing fancy here. ZM’s balm looks more premium, but I personally don’t care too much about the packaging.

Consistency:
SSC seems thicker than ZM and SSC also seems slightly difficult to work into your skin.

Scent:
I have the unscented options. They both smell like a typical unscented lotion and whatever smell you do notice dissipates upon application.

Initial application:
Again, ZM immediately soothed and my skin felt great again. I applied SSC and I also felt my skin was immediately soothed. To my surprise, that side of my face felt noticeably more soothed than the ZM side.

Later impressions:
Both sides of my face felt very hydrated and smooth. I feel like ZM absorbed slightly better. With that being said, both sides feel very, very similar. The difference is that my skin on the SSC side feels more soothed than the ZM side.

Winner: Stirling Soap Company

To my surprise, we have a new champion on Day 2. ZM is still a top tier balm and one of my favorites. Over the summer, I felt like SSC made my face feel slightly greasy; but, now that we are experiencing fall weather, it seems to have absorbed into my skin better. I think that’s one of the key takeaways here. If you have oily skin, then you may prefer ZM. Vice versa if you have dry skin or if you need a balm during the colder months.

 

[NotBloomingAL]

I've tried Duke Cannon's, Zingari Man's Sego Unscented, and Stirling's. For me, Stirling wins out. I use Stirling's Glacial Unscented quite regularly. Zingari's once in a while.

Perhaps I might try that Roskin skin cream as some point.

 

[jesseix]

@Bud2024 are you using the regular balm that Zingari does, or the Sego? I've actually never used either, but I've always heard that the Sego formula is pretty thick.
I really like their Recovery Splash formula, great consistency and skinfeel.

 

[Bud2024]

Day 3: Stirling Soap Company vs Nivea Men Sensitive Soothing Post Shave Balm

Nivea. A balm that I’ve had since the beginning of my traditional wet shaving journey and perhaps the most often recommended balm on this forum. Again, I won’t cover SSC in each category today since I did so on Day 2.

Price:
I see Nivea priced around 7 or 8 dollars and some change online.

Packaging:
Nivea comes in a glass bottle with a plastic twist cap. I like SSC’s labeling better, but the glass bottle is definitely preferable.

Consistency:
Nivea is much thinner than SSC. Definitely a bit closer to a liquid than a lotion.

Scent:
Nivea has a fresh, generic cologne-like scent that is typical of men’s grooming and hygiene products that you’d find at a big box store. It’s pleasant, but I neither love or hate it.

Initial application:
After finishing my shave with my DE, I reached for my Feather Artist Club razor to get in a little closer around my mustache. It was in this area that I felt a tiny bit of sting with Nivea, but my face felt instantly soothed everywhere else. SSC performed just as well as it did yesterday. SSC wins this category because I experienced no sting from it and because my face felt a bit more soothed overall.

Later impressions:
Honestly, this is a very tough call. Even though I felt SSC was a bit greasy over the summer, for whatever reason, it seemed to absorb a bit better than the Nivea balm. This may be due to the fact that I used a much smaller amount of SSC compared to Nivea. Nonetheless, both sides of my face feel almost indistinguishably soothed and hydrated. I say it’s a tie in this category.

Winner: Stirling Soap Company

This battle was very close. Much closer than I expected. Nivea is exactly what we’ve all heard about it. One of the best aftershave balms regardless of price.

 

[Bud2024]

Day 3: Stirling Soap Company vs Nivea Men Sensitive Soothing Post Shave Balm

Nivea. A balm that I’ve had since the beginning of my traditional wet shaving journey and perhaps the most often recommended balm on this forum. Again, I won’t cover SSC in each category today since I did so on Day 2.

Price:
I see Nivea priced around 7 or 8 dollars and some change online.

Packaging:
Nivea comes in a glass bottle with a plastic twist cap. I like SSC’s labeling better, but the glass bottle is definitely preferable.

Consistency:
Nivea is much thinner than SSC. Definitely a bit closer to a liquid than a lotion.

Scent:
Nivea has a fresh, generic cologne-like scent that is typical of men’s grooming and hygiene products that you’d find at a big box store. It’s pleasant, but I neither love or hate it.

Initial application:
After finishing my shave with my DE, I reached for my Feather Artist Club razor to get in a little closer around my mustache. It was in this area that I felt a tiny bit of sting with Nivea, but my face felt instantly soothed everywhere else. SSC performed just as well as it did yesterday. SSC wins this category because I experienced no sting from it and because my face felt a bit more soothed overall.

Later impressions:
Honestly, this is a very tough call. Even though I felt SSC was a bit greasy over the summer, for whatever reason, it seemed to absorb a bit better than the Nivea balm. This may be due to the fact that I used a much smaller amount of SSC compared to Nivea. Nonetheless, both sides of my face feel almost indistinguishably soothed and hydrated. I say it’s a tie in this category.

Winner: Stirling Soap Company

This battle was very close. Much closer than I expected. Nivea is exactly what we’ve all heard about it. One of the best aftershave balms regardless of price.

@Bud2024 are you using the regular balm that Zingari does, or the Sego? I've actually never used either, but I've always heard that the Sego formula is pretty thick.
I really like their Recovery Splash formula, great consistency and skinfeel.

I have the Sego unscented balm. I also have the recovery splash. Both are very soothing and non-greasy on my skin.

 

[Bud2024]

Day 4: Stirling Soap Company vs Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements Mysterium Serum

PAA is so confident that their balm is the best that they offer a 7-day money-back guarantee. I love it! Let’s see how it performs. It will be my first time using it.

Price:
$19.95. More than twice the price of SSC.

Packaging:
PAA comes in a small square plastic pump bottle. I love the labeling from PAA because I’m into such offbeat topics, even if I don’t believe in them. It’s a picture of Bigfoot.

Consistency:
It’s a bit thinner than SSC, but lotion like.

Scent:
I have the unscented version and you probably know what to expect in this section by now.

Initial application:
I had just a tiny bit of sting in one very small spot from SSC. This is the first and only time I’ve had this issue with SSC. It was not the same spot that the Nivea balm stung me in on the previous day, just FYI. Still very soothing, nonetheless.

No issue from PAA. Very soothing as well. Maybe slightly more so. I did find it a bit harder to work in versus SSC even though the consistency is thinner which I found odd.

Later impressions:
Again, such a tough call. I used about the same amount of SSC as I did PAA. I think I use more SSC than needed, because it’s slightly harder to work in so I’m making sure my face is covered in every area. I’ve found that you only need a very small amount, or else your face ends up a bit greasy (which is what happened this time).

Both sides felt very hydrated. The PAA side felt more hydrated and soothed even though it had absorbed well and wasn’t a bit greasy like the SSC side.

Winner: Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements

Again, this battle was very close. It was difficult to pick a winner since both sides felt smooth and hydrated. PAA was definitely a bit better, though. At more than twice the price for a slightly less amount of product than SSC, is it more than twice as good? My opinion is no, but I’m picking winners based on how my face feels. That’s something to keep in mind if you’re looking to make a purchase.

 

[horizon]

Day 2: Zingari Man vs Stirling Soap Company

Two balms that get a lot of love from the community. I was very excited to put these two up against each other. I won’t cover ZM in each category today since I did so in my Day 1 post.

Packaging:
SSC’s balm comes in a green plastic flip top bottle with a nice label. Nothing fancy here. ZM’s balm looks more premium, but I personally don’t care too much about the packaging.

Consistency:
SSC seems thicker than ZM and SSC also seems slightly difficult to work into your skin.

Scent:
I have the unscented options. They both smell like a typical unscented lotion and whatever smell you do notice dissipates upon application.

Initial application:
Again, ZM immediately soothed and my skin felt great again. I applied SSC and I also felt my skin was immediately soothed. To my surprise, that side of my face felt noticeably more soothed than the ZM side.

Later impressions:
Both sides of my face felt very hydrated and smooth. I feel like ZM absorbed slightly better. With that being said, both sides feel very, very similar. The difference is that my skin on the SSC side feels more soothed than the ZM side.

Winner: Stirling Soap Company

To my surprise, we have a new champion on Day 2. ZM is still a top tier balm and one of my favorites. Over the summer, I felt like SSC made my face feel slightly greasy; but, now that we are experiencing fall weather, it seems to have absorbed into my skin better. I think that’s one of the key takeaways here. If you have oily skin, then you may prefer ZM. Vice versa if you have dry skin or if you need a balm during the colder months.

I hadn't thought of doing a direct comparison of the conditioners from these two brands, but your post piqued my curiosity and I did.
Interestingly, my observations completely overlap with yours. Sterling's balm works better and most importantly with a longer lasting effect.
What I mean: Usually, I don't have any irritation right after shaving, although I'm always looking for BBS and over time I've learned to get it. The eventual discomfort starts the next day when the new stubbles start to show and sting my skin, especially on my neck where there are folds. Sterling's balm copes with these inconveniences very well, and is over 30% cheaper than ZM.

 

[Bud2024]

I hadn't thought of doing a direct comparison of the conditioners from these two brands, but your post piqued my curiosity and I did.
Interestingly, my observations completely overlap with yours. Sterling's balm works better and most importantly with a longer lasting effect.
What I mean: Usually, I don't have any irritation right after shaving, although I'm always looking for BBS and over time I've learned to get it. The eventual discomfort starts the next day when the new stubbles start to show and sting my skin, especially on my neck where there are folds. Sterling's balm copes with these inconveniences very well, and is over 30% cheaper than ZM.

Thank you! That’s great to know. I’ve been using ultra-mild razors and only doing one pass (sometimes two) lately so the long-term effect is one thing I can’t cover in my reviews in a meaningful way.

 

[KUfan]

I solved my "balm for sensitive skin" matters, when I discovered Clinique After Shave Healer/Soother, years ago. Wonderful stuff, light, cooling, non-waxy, scent free, a joy to use...for me at least. A bit costly, but it works. I'll never use anything else. The big-box store stuff is not for me.

 

[benm3]

I think that the french aftershaves with Donkey Milk are the best for my sensitive skin- the best I have ever tried.