Witch Hazel Question

For those of you who use witch hazel after you shave (such as Thayer's) do you splash a little on and follow up with an alcohol splash or balm?

I splash on the witch hazel and then apply a balm. I'm not a fan of alcohol in ASB's as I find that they irritate my skin. I find Nivea Sensitive ASB is excellent in terms of price and performance.

Pete

I splash the WH then when dry follow with balm.

Paul.

saltypete said:

I splash on the witch hazel and then apply a balm. I'm not a fan of alcohol in ASB's as I find that they irritate my skin. I find Nivea Sensitive ASB is excellent in terms of price and performance.

Pete

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I don't like the alcohol burn, either.

I apply a generous serving of Thayer's immediately after I pat dry my face following rinsing. I let this dry.

Then, if I'm using an alcohol based ASL, I will mix some more Thayer's and the ASL in a roughly 1:1 ratio in the palm of my hand, and apply it. NO MORE BURN!!! This works especially well to tame down harsh ASLs like Aqua Velva and Musgo Real.

After the Thayer's+ASL air dries, I top it off with ASB. Usually, I use Bigelow's #1200.

I never dry my face after shaving. After a warm water rinse and a cold water splash I then apply some Thayers witch hazel which I allow to air dry while I finish up my routine. Then, I apply an aftershave splash.

johnniegold said:

I never dry my face after shaving. After a warm water rinse and a cold water splash I then apply some Thayers witch hazel which I allow to air dry while I finish up my routine. Then, I apply an aftershave splash.

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What I find interesting here is the WH followed by a Splash. I've actually never owned a splash (I have one incoming) but I was curious how it would work post WH. Not overly drying?

Which Thayer's do you guys like best?

bokaba said:

Which Thayer's do you guys like best?

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Cucumber, smells fresh and fades away quick enough

cattytown said:

I splash the WH then when dry follow with balm.
Paul.

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+1

Cucumber-it has a mild scent that does not last, and cucumber is good for irritation-very soothing after a shave.

I use witch hazel on a pad, then I spray some hydrating mist on, add my water based serums and my lotion. My skin needs lots of hydration not to break out after shaving.

Warm water rinse, cold water rinse, splash on witch hazel. Police the area, clean up. AS splash or balm depending how I feel. I prefer the generic store witch hazel. I can't see spending that much for Thayers.

I guess I'll be taking a trip to Sprouts this week then

Dennis said:

Warm water rinse, cold water rinse, splash on witch hazel. Police the area, clean up. AS splash or balm depending how I feel. I prefer the generic store witch hazel. I can't see spending that much for Thayers.

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+1 on this.

Don't find that my skin gets dry, even working outdoors.

Cold water, spash on Thayers, AS splash or sun block balm if I'm doing outdoor activities.

Thayers Witch Hazel Astringent with Aloe (the one with alcohol). Allow to air dry.
Alcohol based AS splash.

witch hazel 70% superior70 bay rum 30% mix.

Cold water rinse, WH - air dried, AS splash or balm. Within minutes my skin feels fantastic! Of course this is a case of YMMV!

Me: warm rinse, cold rinse, drugstore witch hazel, air dry then apply generic unscented moisturiser for my insanely sensitive skin.

For those of you with moderate saddle bags under the eyes (like me), a fingertip full of WH in this area tightens the skin a little bit.

Yeah, I can afford name brand stuff, but I don't see any downside to the drugstore version.

Cheers,
Ian

I go with warm rinse, cold rinse then a splash of Thayers alcohol free. I let it sit on my face while I clean up the shaving implements and brush my teeth, etc. It seems better (for me) if I then do another cold rinse and then apply whatever aftershave balm or splash I'm going to wear that day. I think that's less irritating for me but I'm not 100% sure. My shave technique is more of a variable for irritation than any of the aftershave products are - so it's hard to tell for certain. I've had low/no irritation days that I've not rinsed off the WH.


----------T_M

As with SaltyPete, I too use the hazel and Nivea afterwards.
Here's my process that Ray (ThirdEye) tipped me onto:

1 - Shave away!
2 - Warm/Hot water rinse
3 - Pat dry
4 - Witch hazel splash on face & neck (shaving areas)
5 - Air dry (I usually start cleaning the brush, bowl and razor while waiting for this)
6 - Cold rinse on same areas
7 - Pat dry
8 - Apply balm.

Nice & supple, with little to no burn or irritation.... Ahhhhhhhhh