Yet another aftershave suggestion thread

[sirplatypus]

Was using proraso but stopped and started using stirling aloe and witch hazel, looking to branch out. My face is a sensitive skin nightmare. Extremely prone to acne and eczema as well as anything shave related from ingrown hairs to the rest. Would love something that can safely double as a full face moisturizer and can help minimize the redness, weepers, and other problems I regularly get from shaving with any type of razor. Would love to hear your thoughts, I will be pairing it almost exclusively with stirling coconut lime or occasionally palmolive cream.

 

[BigJ]

You might consider Lucky Tiger or Speick. I find both very soothing.

 

[sirplatypus]

I was also thinking about something from barrister and mann.

 

[Goblin]

I will second the Lucky Tiger option. I also suffer from eczema and dermatitis, and struggle to shave without irritation (even after all these years). I find balms and such make post-shave irritation worse, but any traditional splash with plenty of glycerin or allantonin is good. Proraso Green splash is hard to beat for the price imo.

 

[sirplatypus]

I’ve never noticed any inflammation from my proraso white, but I avoid anything alcohol based like the plague. I usually aim to moisturize my entire face, and find it annoying using moisturizer on top of witch hazel because I live in a very humid climate. The nice thing about a balm is I can cover my entire face in it and call it a day.

Alternatively, if I start shaving more often than I have been lately, it might be nice not having something so heavy. I’ll pick up a bottle of lucky tiger as well as some balms and see how I feel about it.

 

[sirplatypus]

Thoughts on lucky tiger vs thayers?

 

[Wogus]

... My face is a sensitive skin nightmare. Extremely prone to acne and eczema as well as anything shave related from ingrown hairs to the rest. Would love something that can safely double as a full face moisturizer and can help minimize the redness, weepers, and other problems I regularly get from shaving with any type of razor.

I can recommend Cetaphil Daily Hydrating Lotion Lotion . A little goes a long way. I do NOT recommend the version with sunscreen, it's too heavy and oily. Their face wash is also excellent.

 

[sirplatypus]

My current routine goes as such. Shower, or if not wash my face in the sink morning and night with cerave cream to foam facial cleanser. Moisturize during the day with cetaphil facial moisturizer with sunscreen. Night time moisturize with cerave pm facial lotion. I was about to switch the cetaphil lotion to the cerave am equivalent, which seems to be much lighter. On days I shave (relatively rare on week days), I switched from using stirling aloe and witch hazel to proraso white, so that I could use it on my entire face in place of the regular moisturizer. I found the stirling to be a bit too tacky and the scent was too hard to get off of my hands.

I was thinking down the line I’d pick a nice balm such as Barrister and Mann Waves and on days I shave (switching to every other day) I would use that as my morning facial moisturizer, keep the night time routine the same, and on non shave days use the cerave am moisturizer.

However, since I really know very little about aftershave other suggestions that fit into that routine are welcome. My biggest problem with tonics is that it feels too light if I don’t moisturize on top of it and far too heavy if I do.

 

[The Blackadder]

Have the same problems as you. Saponificio Varesino aftershaves have worked great for my skin

 

[sirplatypus]

Have the same problems as you. Saponificio Varesino aftershaves have worked great for my skin

These look very nice, I’ll have to try one some time down the line. Bit too upscale for now though.

 

[The Blackadder]

These look very nice, I’ll have to try one some time down the line. Bit too upscale for now though.

They are like something between a balm, oil and splash. A little goes a long way and the face remains moisturized for most of the day. You can get them from Connaught for a better price. I’ve tried tons of products, this is the best so far

 

[sirplatypus]

I’ll most definitely take a look into that then, thanks!

So far the main ones I’ve taken an interest too that I’ve seen on B&B are thayers, lucky tiger, b&m, proraso green, and saponifico. Probably not going to do proraso, wasn’t a huge fan of the white, and I’ll knock out thayers in favor of lucky tiger at least to start. Leaves me with three things to try.

I’ve never really noticed much of a difference in impact between aftershaves, mostly just trying to be prudent about it and pick something that fits my routine in a way I like. End result has been nearly the same for proraso white, stirling witch hazel, and just skipping aftershave in favor of my sunscreen moisturizer. I’ve been biased toward balms because they most easily replace moisturizer, and I’ve been fortunate enough not to have eczema on my face for a long time, mostly it’s moved to other areas.

 

[SydneyShaver]

buy a generic witch hazel that is unscented and dilute it with purified water if you feel its too strong. Then just follow up with a dermatologist aproved moisturiser. Realistically, if you're skin is very sensitive any fragrance will cause breakouts. Balms are just worse face moisturisers with nice scents. Save your money and go unscented. The witch hazel for a quick antisceptic and astringing. A high quality moisturiser does the rest.

 

[DEgeezer]

Lucky Tiger is a soothing non-alcoholic aftershave that is reasonably priced.

 

[sirplatypus]

buy a generic witch hazel that is unscented and dilute it with purified water if you feel its too strong. Then just follow up with a dermatologist aproved moisturiser. Realistically, if you're skin is very sensitive any fragrance will cause breakouts. Balms are just worse face moisturisers with nice scents. Save your money and go unscented. The witch hazel for a quick antisceptic and astringing. A high quality moisturiser does the rest.

This does seem like the best way to go, sadly…