Witch Hazel + Shea Butter = Perfect!

[MFNEWYEARAMDG]

B&Bers! I'm pretty new to this wet-shaving thing, which I switched to because of sensitive skin and the copious ammount of irritation I got from cartridge razors. I've been playing with a post-shave routine that can treat the skin damage that comes with the learning curve. The irritation gets less with every shave... But it's still there. I think if found what works for me!

Which combination of aftershave products works best for you?

I had been using alum, then witch hazel and then Proraso White ASB (the milky stuff). It felt great, but eventually I would get a burning sensation all over my face... (about 1 hour after shaving).

One day I tried only rubbing Alum only where I needed it, then using witch hazel and letting it air dry... After that I rubbed some unrefined shea butter onto my face. The result: No burn, quick reduction of irritation, and a super soft and smooth feeling face. The witch hazel + shea butter combination works for my sensitive skin.

What combination works for you?

please respond if you have found some tricks, I'm new and hope to keep learning!

 

[mistercitizen]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I've heard the praise of unrefined shea butter from other members and have been tempted to try it. So far I've only used shea butter aftershaves in certain balms like Pre de Provence, Cade, and Acca Kappa where shea butter is not the only ingredient. Good to know that it works for you.

Ben

 

[Puerco]

This side of the pond it's very hard to find witch hazel so I never tried that, wish I could find some.
Instead I only use alum when I nicked myself or had a rough shave but always rinse it afterwards. After drying the face I use some cheap Turkish lemon cologne (80% alcohol with a faint lemon scent) to clean my face and apply unrefined shea butter. The shea butter feels very good and leaves my face very smooth and soft, I rub what's left on my palms on my hands and those are soft and supple as well. I love this stuff, you only need a tiny bit as it is the pure thing and not some watered down expensive balm.
It's also great for sore or dry feet, elbows and basically the whole body, even for the hair. Did I say I love this stuff???

 

[MFNEWYEARAMDG]

Puerco,

It was like a revelation when I discovered shea butter! I only learned about it because of this awesome site and these awesome shavers.

 

[buca3152]

I always use alum after the shave and rosewater spritz works great also. ive used unrefined shea and raw coco butter. i like em both but the coco works better for any irritation .YMMV.

 

[Puerco]

Puerco,

It was like a revelation when I discovered shea butter! I only learned about it because of this awesome site and these awesome shavers.

Yeah, I'm surprised people rather pay a lot of money for some product that are mostly water, some chemicals, fragrance and a little shea butter, than they pay a small amount of the real pure stuff that works so much better and is 100% natural.
It may not be the greatest smell in the world but it leaves my skin so soft and hydrated, so much better than any commercial product, I never want to be without it.

 

[buca3152]

Unrefined shea butter and pure coco butter is $10 a pound. It will go bad before I will use it up. Shelf life i believe is up to 2 years. Wife and daughter love the shea. I also use rosewater in a spritz bottle. 20 for 4 oz AOS but amazon has 8 oz for 10. light scent and soothes razor burn.

 

[MFNEWYEARAMDG]

Unrefined shea butter and pure coco butter is $10 a pound. It will go bad before I will use it up. Shelf life i believe is up to 2 years. Wife and daughter love the shea. I also use rosewater in a spritz bottle. 20 for 4 oz AOS but amazon has 8 oz for 10. light scent and soothes razor burn.

So rose water... never heard of that one. I need to look into it for a possible summer splash. How do you use it... other than the spray bottle. Do you use a moisturizer or is it one?

 

[buca3152]

So rose water... never heard of that one. I need to look into it for a possible summer splash. How do you use it... other than the spray bottle. Do you use a moisturizer or is it one?

Its distilled rose petals. I know it dont sound manly but it relieves irritation very quickly and hardly leaves a scent. I use mine in a recyled AOS toner spritz bottle. Quick spritz, and I take a towel to fan the face for 15 seconds or so. Then finish with whatever as lotion. Ive used proraso, nivea, AOS as balm, and now I usually use the coco or the shea. Works great. All the face balms have shea or coco. Save the money and get the good stuff. YMMV. Amazon has the rose water, unrefined shea and the coco.

 

[spacegoast]

I already have Thayer's witch hazel and love it. I just recently purchased some unrefined shea butter. Hope this stuff works for me as well as it has for others from the B&B community. If not, Im sure my wife can find some use for it. Guess I will find out when my shipment arrives hopefully later this week.

 

[Puerco]

Remember shea butter is a thick paste, you apply it by putting a little on your palms and rub it together, the warmth of your hands will melt it and you can spread it.
A little bit will do, when you're done just rub your hands together as it's a great hand balm too!

 

[MFNEWYEARAMDG]

I pour some hot water on top of it... just a quick touch. The hot water melts the butter enough for it to be wet and applicable. In my experience, the hot water does not grab onto the butter and rinse it off (waste it), especially if you only let the water "kiss" the top layer of the butter.
YMMV, but that works great for me.

 

[Luminose]

They do put Shea Butter in a lot of skin moisturizers so I'm sure it would work fine.

This thread does show how varied men can be, some threads are based on "masculine" aftershave scents while I've always associated Shea Butter, Coco Butter & Rose Water as very feminine scents because I've met mostly women who use them. It's perfectly fine for a man to use them though if he likes them YMMV

 

[Syn010]

Should I store shea butter in the fridge to extend its self life? I was thinking of mixing a small batch with thayers, bottling it and keeping that stored in the medicine cabinet but and storing the shea bottle in the fridge.

 

[badgertourist]

Does Shea butter make your skin greasy?

I use alum followed by 99% aloe Vera and is very good for shaving irritation but could be better for dryness (but no greasiness at all)

 

[Attila]

If you use alum, you should make a point of rinsing it off after it has sat on your face for a while. I have heard of cases where people have left it on. But it can cause irritation for those with sensitive skin if you do that. Really, it is meant to be rinsed off after it has dried on the face.

Pure unrefined Organic 100% Shea Butter (the kind you should be using) does not make your skin greasy after you have finished rubbing it in thoroughly and if you don't use way too much of it. I massage it in periodically after use and it doesn't take long at all for it to be fully absorbed with no greasy feel.

If you want a version to be more easily spreadable and one that absorbs even quicker, you can try Niloteca Shea Butter as opposed to the more common variety from West Africa (mostly Ghana). Niloteca Shea Butter is sourced from East Africa where there is a lot more conflict going on and thus is much harder to obtain. It is produced in smaller amounts and so is slightly more expensive. Always try to get the pure unrefined organic version though whichever kind you get. Once Shea Butter is processed into cosmetics and other creams, it loses most of it's beneficial properties.

 

[dparish1952]

I leave any excess lather on my face during clean up, splash off, skip the alum, splash dollar store WH, then follow with splash of by dollar store vitamin E oil (soy and castor oil) which is light, odorless and quickly absorbed into the skin. YMMV

 

[sgtd]

I just received some unrefined Shea butter from amazon and it makes my skin feel great but have found it to leave my skin a little "greasy." I may just be using too much though. I will continue experimenting until I find just the right amount.

 

[deoxy4]

B&Bers! I'm pretty new to this wet-shaving thing, which I switched to because of sensitive skin and the copious ammount of irritation I got from cartridge razors. I've been playing with a post-shave routine that can treat the skin damage that comes with the learning curve. The irritation gets less with every shave... But it's still there. I think if found what works for me!

Which combination of aftershave products works best for you?

I had been using alum, then witch hazel and then Proraso White ASB (the milky stuff). It felt great, but eventually I would get a burning sensation all over my face... (about 1 hour after shaving).

One day I tried only rubbing Alum only where I needed it, then using witch hazel and letting it air dry... After that I rubbed some unrefined shea butter onto my face. The result: No burn, quick reduction of irritation, and a super soft and smooth feeling face. The witch hazel + shea butter combination works for my sensitive skin.

What combination works for you?

please respond if you have found some tricks, I'm new and hope to keep learning!

I think you nailed it. I think your approach is spot on. I have pretty much the same routine. Witch hazel and shea butter are great skin product. I use a homemade 50:50 combination of shea butter:coconut oil but 100% shea butter is pretty similar. I have use a good number of products and none work better for me. Simple and inexpensive.