I've always been a balm guy, my favorites being Cade and Pre De Provence. D.R.Harris milk(old formula) being my all time favorite. Although not really a balm. Not sure why, but balms always made sense to me. Coats the skin nicely with soothing and moisturizing properties. Could never imagine splashing my face with a product loaded with alcohol right after a shave. To be honest i thought you were all crazy! Until now. Yesterday Speick Aftershave splash proudly joined my extensive collection of shave stuff, and I was excited to try it. I just had to see what I was missing(good or bad). Great shave this morning using tabac soap and my usual 7 o'clock yellows in a Merkur HD. I finished, cool water splash and towel dryed my face. Now the aftershave. Smell was exactly as I had hoped. Very light with a citrus note to it. So I put some in my hand, rubbed my hands together gently, and held my breath. The cooling sensation was unbelievable. It felt so refreshing and was a huge eye opener. There was a slight burn(which balms do too), but that dissipated in seconds. What I was left with was the best my face has felt after a shave in years. The irritation feeling was gone. My skin was smooth and I could just feel the healing process begin. Not sure if all aftershaves perform like this, But my hat comes off to Speick Aftershave. And to all who recommend it here. I am now a huge fan. Can't wait till my next shave.
Splash vs Balms
- Thread starter CoolBurn
- Start date
I love Speick Lotion also.
The bad news is, hardly any other splashes perform like Speick (for me anyway). SMN comes close, but at 4x the cost. Once you've been to the top of the mountian it's downhill from here.
The bad news is, hardly any other splashes perform like Speick (for me anyway). SMN comes close, but at 4x the cost. Once you've been to the top of the mountian it's downhill from here.
I wasn't much of a splash aftershave person myself but they do have a place in my cabinet. They provide a bracing effect, are stimulating and many have a nice fragrance. However, I can see why people would not want to use them regularly. Speick is definitely one of the better ones, however.
I have dry skin and use splash infrequently, but when I use one, it's the Nivea Splash
It's loaded with glycerin and castor oil, really thicker and less watery than traditional splashes, and it seems that the alcohol % is lower
I wouldn't be able to use the most alcoholic, traditional ones
It's loaded with glycerin and castor oil, really thicker and less watery than traditional splashes, and it seems that the alcohol % is lower
I wouldn't be able to use the most alcoholic, traditional ones
I've had the opposite experience. I could never fathom why people would rub that thick gunk all over their face everyday until I recently started using LEA balm. Even having said that, I still prefer the feel of a nice splash to the feel of a balm. Heck, even my $1.75 bottle of Barbasol beats almost any balm I've tried; especially Nivea!
It's just a matter of skin type
Someone with very dry skin can't fathom why people would put an alcohol-ater on their freshy shaven mug
What about splash and then AS balm/moisturizer?
That is my routine; I have rather dry skin but I want the alcohol just for desinfection. And for fragrance...
After 5-10 minutes I use a hardly scented balm to bring back some moist. Sometimes I use a balm that contains alcohol (Tabac) and leave out the splash.
I love it as well ... I think it cools more than others because of the alum. someone correct me if that doesn't make sense.
I like my splashes but in the dry winter the balms are good too.A very good value balm is the Nivea Extra soothing balm without alcohol.It has a nice milky texture and a light scent which disappears quickly.Coral skin food by Trumpers is pretty good stuff and again the scent is short lived.If you are looking for luxury balms then those from Floris and Penhaligon's in the various scents are as good as it gets.
I use a combination of Gatsby's After shave 'Water' and Nivea balm. If I take either one of them out of the equation, I'll be having a very bad day 
I shunned AS for 20 years in favour of cheap balms and moisturisers - before DE shaving taught me I was using the wrong stuff.
Tabac, Speick, Musgo, Proraso and all those others do far more than the Alcohol + Fragrance stuff I used years ago.
Speick and Musgo in particular have good moisturising properties, Musgo unbelievably so, but you need to be stingy with it as it covers really well, and the Aloe can be tacky for some skin types. While I add a light balm/cream like Proraso after other splashes, as my skin tends towards dry, with these two there isn't any point.
Tabac, Speick, Musgo, Proraso and all those others do far more than the Alcohol + Fragrance stuff I used years ago.
Speick and Musgo in particular have good moisturising properties, Musgo unbelievably so, but you need to be stingy with it as it covers really well, and the Aloe can be tacky for some skin types. While I add a light balm/cream like Proraso after other splashes, as my skin tends towards dry, with these two there isn't any point.
I have dry skin. But I cannot understand why anybody would smear greasy stuff on their face after a shave. A splash is so much cleaner, makes the skin feel really good. I just add a little glycerin to aftershaves that don't have anything moisturising in them.
I've got dry skin and it seems that even when I was using the Nivea ASB, I still had to use a moisturizer after wards anyways. So I moved on to splashes, with Aqua Velva being my favorite. Finally picked up some Speick splash and it was the first time I hadn't used a moisturizer after any aftershave. Speick left my face incredibly smooth and my face never got dry all day long. I think it all comes down to your specific skin and finding the products that enhance what you've already got.
That's pretty much how it started for me...
Using a splash was always a big no no! But I love the feeling during and afterwards. Sure, it burns a bit but not always. When I get it right, it doesn't burn at all and I have a BBS. My face feel tight when I use it but not dry!
I've started with excellent products (Japanese AS)... I can only blame one member for it...
I have dry skin; I could add tons of glycerin to a splash, I would still need to put on moisturizer afterwards.
Dry skin too; which Nivea balm did you use? Because some of them do have alcohol.
Even if I use the alcohol-free version, I still have to add moisturizer afterwards.
But when I use a splash, I have to put way more moisturizer than if I used a splash.
I've used both the Sensitive and Replenishing. I like the Replenishing more for the scent and the sting. Either way, I've put them towards the back and used more splashes lately.
Yeah I like the Replenishing for the scent too, but unlike the Sensitive, it leaves my face flaky.
Not overtly dried out, but flaky; must be the combination of alcohol and balm.
What about you, did you find the Replenishing and Sensitive to bring the same level of moisture?
(Personally I think the Sensitive provides more moisture than the Replenishing)
I always used an AS splash, but recently got the Alt-Innsbruck balm. I apply it after witch hazel and have been very pleased with it.
Like many of you, I never cared much for greasy lotions. However, I tend towards the dry side and have been very pleased with the way a balm performs.
Like many of you, I never cared much for greasy lotions. However, I tend towards the dry side and have been very pleased with the way a balm performs.
Other than scent and tingle, I felt no difference between the Sensitive or Replenishing. In fact, they left me just as dry as when I use just Aqua Velva splash after a shave. The Nivea scent isn't anything to write home about, so I don't use them as often in favor of more scented or mentholated splashes. I guess Nivea products just don't mesh well with my skin, and that's fine by me with all the other AS out there for me to try.
