Shaving balms

[Cumin]

I was recenlty converted to "real shaving" nad have brought a load of stuff from Truefitt & Hill's site....while i did this, i got some samples of their shaving balms. It's the fuirst time i've used balm, and it smells and feels nice.

However, what does everyone use, and what do they recommend?

One of the comercial ones i.e. Nivea...or are T&H ones better. If so which "flavour". Only tried the west indian limes one so far

 

[Rudy Vey]

I was recenlty converted to "real shaving" nad have brought a load of stuff from Truefitt & Hill's site....while i did this, i got some samples of their shaving balms. It's the fuirst time i've used balm, and it smells and feels nice.

However, what does everyone use, and what do they recommend?

One of the comercial ones i.e. Nivea...or are T&H ones better. If so which "flavour". Only tried the west indian limes one so far

I assume you mean after shave balms when you say shaving balms, or? It is my preferred "after treatment" after a good shave. Some like the splashes, I like the moisturizing balms, milks or creams (whatever they call them). Our member Sue of Saint Charles Shave makes a wide variety of all kind of after shave treatments in form of splashes and cream/balms/milks - all are great and I got a number of them. Of the T+H line, I really like the Grafton scent. Another type of after shave would be the Skin Foods of G F Trumper, they come in three 'flavours'.

 

[thunderball]

I love the scent of Trumpers Sandalwood Skin Food....heavenly!

 

[goby]

So many choices!

Trumpers Skin Food is great
Saint Charles is great, and their samples are amazing!!! $2.50 for 1/2 oz (and 1/2 oz is pretty big)
Nivea (not bad)
Proraso Balm (awesome)

 

[tsmba]

You must try the DED products....they are the "best buy in balms"!

 

[goby]

You must try the DED products....they are the "best buy in balms"!

never heard of them... how about a link?

 

[dpm802]

My all-time favorite ASB is Bigelow's #1200 unscented. At $15/100ml, its a little more expensive than others, but a little bit goes a long way. And its well worth it. Each bottle lasts me about 8 or 9 months.

I've tried many other ASB products, but I keep coming back to this one ... since its unscented, it combines well with every ASL or EdT or EdC that I use it with.

Watch for B&BW's frequent sales on Bigelow products ... I scored a B1G1 sale this summer, so I'm stocked up 'til the end of next year. If another sale comes along, I wouldn't hesitate to get even more.

 

[Cumin]

So skin food or T&H?

Can't find a decent article comparing the two. Has anyone here tried/got both?

 

[jkh]

You must try the DED products....they are the "best buy in balms"!

never heard of them... how about a link?

I think the poster meant QED (www.qedusa.com). Unfortunately, QED's aftershave balm have been discontinued, which is a real bummer because they were out of this world.

 

[goby]

So skin food or T&H?

Can't find a decent article comparing the two. Has anyone here tried/got both?

Do a search and you'll find a zillion posts.

I've never tried T&H, but Trumper Skin Food is amazing. It may seem expensive, but a 100ml bottle should last 6-12 months. The stuff is really great.

After the holiday you should get a Trumpers sample pack and ask for skin food (they don't offer them during the holidays). It will be the best $6.50 you spend.

 

[JPM]

My vote goes for skin food. I have the coral and the sandalwood with a bottle of limes on the way.

 

[Mr. O]

Nivea alcohol & dye free ASB for damage control, Bigelow Blue Elixer ASB for smell good.

 

[HoratioCaine]

Do a search and you'll find a zillion posts.

Yeah, there is a ton of stuff written about them here, especially the Skin Food; check the review section. But don't expect a consensus of opinion. It's kind of like getting an arena full of psychologists and sociologists together and asking, "So, is it nature or nurture?" When you go to the review section, you will see not only just how many different aftershave balms are recommended by various members, but how divergent the opinions are on each one - and that includes T&H balms and Trumper Skin Foods.

My own two cents regarding balms are as follows: I think The Gentlemens Refinery balm is probably the single best in terms of function, but the scent annoys me, even with the unscented. T&H scented balms (e.g., Trafalgar, West Indian Limes, etc.) are also really good, but the scents prevent them from being universally usable. T&H Ultimate Comfort balm is very lightly scented and is also good, but it is a bit heavier in texture than their scented balms, and it's not my favorite. Trumper Skin Food is good, but it's not so much a balm as a lighter aftershave "treatment." It works well for some, not so well for others. Of course, this is really true for just about every product out there. You'll need to do some experimenting to see what works best for you.

 

[Kmitch]

I think the poster meant QED (www.qedusa.com). Unfortunately, QED's aftershave balm have been discontinued, which is a real bummer because they were out of this world.

This is terrible news! These have been my work day balm for the last 3 years.
Hopefully Charles will have a change of heart.

 

[rbaloha]

Em's makes a very nice balm.

 

[beginish]

Coral Skin Food is great. Nivea is cheap, available and reliably good. Castle Forbes also makes amazing ASBs that aren't cheap in the large size, but reasonable in the travel size, especially if you want to just try it out.

 

[HoratioCaine]

Castle Forbes also makes amazing ASBs that aren't cheap in the large size, but reasonable in the travel size, especially if you want to just try it out.

The travel size CF balms are a great way to try the balms out without laying out too much green, but per ounce they are even more expensive than the large bottles, and present a false economy for long-term use. Interestingly, for all the talk of how expensive the CF balms are, they are actually the same price per ounce as The Gentlemens Refinery balm.

I wax hot and cold with them, myself. There are some days when I feel they are the greatest balms made - they glide onto the skin and absorb to a nice, matte finish. Other times, they don't seem to moisturize well enough, and can even feel a bit tacky. This is why I didn't mention them in my recommendations above. It's frustrating, because they complement their creams perfectly in terms of scent, forming the ultimate duo of a given scent (lavender cream and balm is the ultimate lavender combo, etc.). Then again, I've been playing around with a lot of aftershaves lately. One of these days, I'll have to just stick with one of the CF balms for a while to see how I get on with it.

 

[Sterling Cooper]

Truefitt's balms are great and contain aloe and witch hazel. I find them very moisturizing and toning and the scent seems to persist on me for quite awhile. A little goes a long way, and as part of a small rotation will easily last me over a year.

Don't forget Penhaligon's with even more scent options from which to choose than t&h. Expensive at $55 per, but you get 150ml which actually drops the per ounce price to slightly lower than T&H.

 

[eldonanda]

Prairie-Creations Golden AS Balm. Amazing stuff.

 

[Austin]

I have used DR Harris Milk for years but nowadays I opt for SCS milks. They are just as good as Harris at 1/3 the price.