Post Shave Routine. To Moisturize or Not to Moisturize?

[prrt949]

So I am trying to figure out the best plan of attack for my post shave routine.

I have been trying Razorock alum block (not digging this product), wipe it down with some water, splash on some aftershave (Captains Choice). I let that sit while I brush my teeth. And then I add moisturizer on top of that (Jack Black) being that it is winter my shin can get fairly dry.

Do any of you us aftershave and then a moisturizer? When I asked in the store they said the aftershave was unnecessary if you us a moisturizer. What are your thoughts on that?

Am I doing too much post shave?

 

[Alejandro Salemandro]

I am finding that the alum block in winter leaves my face a bit chapped, so am going to come back to it in the spring time and see if I like it then.

I am using more balm products in the winter than splashes.
I'm using the following regularly:
Myrsol emulsion
Proraso balm (I think it is the green one, oats and green tea or something?)
Nivea
GFT coral skin food.

I dont think you need to use splash and moisturizer, unless you want to and have product to use up!

 

[crleftwich]

I always use a moisturizer....always. My face is fairly dry so everyday, whether or not I shave, I use Pond's Dry Skin Cream. I have used this moisturizer for years and love it. A little goes a very long way. One jar of it will last me about a half year. So, when I shave, I use either alum or witch hazel immdiatley after shaving. Then, I clean up the sink, razor, brush, etc. Then, I apply aftershave. Once that's dry, I put on mthe moisturizer.

 

[dgreene120]

I've never used moisturizer, so I'm not sure that my feedback will add much value, but here goes anyway ...

I was using an alum block pretty regularly when I started wet shaving. After a while I started to use it less and less, as I felt that my skin didn't feel as nice afterwards. Eventually, I was only using it when I had some small nicks and weepers that I needed to close up. Last week I picked up a bottle of Dr. Thayer's Witch Hazel with Aloe and used that before my aftershave the past two days. I feel like that really added a nice moisturizing effect to my skin. If you like the scent of aftershaves, but feel like you need an astringent that doesn't dry out your skin, maybe give witch hazel with aloe a try.

 

[BSAGuy]

I use a post-shave balm most days in winter. Not in summer. Always an alcohol-based aftershave in any season.

 

[rlsinaz]

My face reacts to alum blocks. I tried one for two days. On day 1, I assumed the soreness was revealing bad technique. On day 2, my face was raw, red and throbbing - all day. I washed my face at least 10 times that evening. By the next day, my face was fine. I won't use one again.

I also have problems with some aftershave products and lotions. Eucerin cream, for example, makes my face sore...even though we used it on our baby daughter for several years without a problem.

Gold Bond healing lotion is about the only thing my face accepts well. There could be others, of course, but it is the only product I've found. I don't use it immediately after a shave. I grab it 5-10 minutes later, put a large pearl sized glob on my finger, and work that amount into each cheek & jawline. My throat usually is fine, but that amount spread around there doesn't hurt.

Witch hazel is fine on my face, but I stopped using it because I didn't see any added value.

 

[TexLaw]

I've been playing around with both an alum block and witch hazel (Thayer's unscented with aloe), and I like them both. There is no doubt that the alum block is harsher and more drying than the witch hazel, though, and that the witch hazel is milder. On either case, I also enjoy an alcohol free balm (NfMS). I haven't had a day, yet, where I've felt that my face was overly dried out, and my skin slightly drier than average (but I'm also in humid Houston).

 

[bananhunden]

Whatever I do, I always moisturize.

I could forget/skip WH or aftershave but I couldn't go out without moisturizing

Chapped skin would make me look like a leper ;-)

 

[imcndn]

My routine is pretty similar to yours:
Cold splash
Alum
Cold splash
Aftershave
Nivea Aftershave Balm

I find the Nivea absorbs really well and is so light in scent it doesn't interfere with which ever aftershave I'm using. Nivea Aftershave Balm is the one product I use every shave. Its really great stuff.

imcndn

 

[onethinline]

As with others, I've been preferring balms with the cold weather. I've also used an alum block after pretty much every shave at this point. After my cold rinse, I apply the alum, let it sit while I clean my brush and such, then rinse again with cold water. Then I apply a balm (either Nivea sensitive or L'Occitane Cade), though if I want some extra toning and healing I'll splash something like Speick on before the balm.

I've tried the Proraso white balm, but it stays a bit greasy for a while and seems to slightly redden my skin. The L'Occitane is amazing, however, and the Nivea easily wins for best value.

 

[mikehancho]

my routine is about the same...Warm water rinse Cold water rinse Alcohol based aftershave splash Nivea sensitive skin post shave balm especially in the winter or cold weather

 

[ackvil]

I follow a similar routine. However, if I use the Alum I don't use an AS. So, cold water rinse, alum block - Thayers WH or just WH, then AS if I don't use the alum, followed by Nivea ASB.

 

[godlike]

Cold Water
Alum
Cold Water
Witch Hazel
Alcohol Aftershave
Alcohol free Balm

 

[Burgundy]

Yes - especially in the winter.

Cold water -> aftershave splash -> unrefined shea butter (evening shave) or moisturiser with SPF (morning)

I'm currently using Myrsol Agua Balsamica and Nivea Sensitive Day Cream respectively.

 

[prrt949]

So I decided just to skip the alum bar. My face feels so much better. I was feeling like my skin was being pulled up like a bad facelift. I guess I will put that away until warmer weather and stick to my aftershave, rinse, moisturizer. Thanks all for the great comments. If anyone else has more I would be interested to read!

 

[Boro62]

I use a splash aftershave then nancy boy replenishing facial moisturizer after.

 

[dan86]

I moisturise every day anyway apart from the days I forget. It's not usually part of my post shave routine, but I have done it.

My post shave routine tends to be:

- Warm water rinse.
- Apply alum block. Leave alum on face for a few minutes while I clean the sink/rinse the razor etc.
- Cold water rinse and splash. I actually dunk my face and neck in the sink and hold my breath under water for a few seconds too. I tend to add a little distilled witch hazel to the water too.
- Apply after shave balm or Trumper's Skin Food.

 

[tejolot3]

So I decided just to skip the alum bar. My face feels so much better. I was feeling like my skin was being pulled up like a bad facelift. I guess I will put that away until warmer weather and stick to my aftershave, rinse, moisturizer. Thanks all for the great comments. If anyone else has more I would be interested to read!

I've found that, in drier weather, I have to be careful how long I leave the alum on my skin before rinsing it off, and I also have to do a better job of rinsing it off. I don't ever get that "tight skin" feeling in the summer to the same extent I do on dry winter days. So if you still want to ever use your alum again before the weather turns warm, you could try leaving it on for a shorter time and rinsing it off better.

 

[Longshanks66]

My skin is dry, especially in winter. So, I use a moisturizer then, a splash. I've found that Neutrogena AS balm is a great moisturizer with little scent. Sometimes, as said in previous posts, I'll bypass the AS splash, but never the moisturizer.

 

[Jaybeez]

Warm water rinse
Cold water rinse
Alcohol based AS
L'Oreal Men's Comfort Max or Cetaphil facial moisturizer, both with SPF 15