The lowdown on Aftershaves w/ Alcohol??

Manco · May 28, 2011

Watched American Psycho.. and he says that alcohol ages the skin, is this bro science or is there any truth in it? What are the pros and cons of using an alcoholic AS over a non? Does the alcohol tighten pores more than a non??

Thanks guys.

JoshuaNY · May 28, 2011

Manco said:
Watched American Psycho.. and he says that alcohol ages the skin, is this bro science or is there any truth in it? What are the pros and cons of using an alcoholic AS over a non? Does the alcohol tighten pores more than a non??

Thanks guys.

From what I understand, the main concern with alcohol on the skin is that it dries the skin out. Alot of people do not have this drying problem. My father has used Old spice for 40 years and his skin looks great.

If I put alcohol on my skin its like all of the moisture is sucked out, so I use balms followed by my daily moisturizer.

If I ever use alcohol I have to put on moisturizer all day to counteract the dryness from the alcohol. After the balm, I only need to moisturize once.

rafikz · May 28, 2011

JoshuaNY said:
From what I understand, the main concern with alcohol on the skin is that it dries the skin out. Alot of people do not have this drying problem. My father has used Old spice for 40 years and his skin looks great.

If I put alcohol on my skin its like all of the moisture is sucked out, so I use balms followed by my daily moisturizer.

If I ever use alcohol I have to put on moisturizer all day to counteract the dryness from the alcohol. After the balm, I only need to moisturize once.

My father has oily skin and uses splashes only, everyday

I have dry skin and I have to reapply lotion several times a day if use an alcohol splash

luvmysuper · May 28, 2011

No one can say "X does Y to everybody".
It is going to depend on the individual.
Some folks with dry skin report poor results with alcohol.
Others report great results and clearing of problems they have had.

I have used alcohol splash nearly every single day since I started shaving some 40 odd years ago (and it has been 40 odd years) and I have absolutely no skin issues at all.

Yep, making a blanket statement like "alcohol ages the skin" is indeed Bro Science and is not to be trusted.

Ceri · May 29, 2011

'Alcohol dries the skin.' is a mantra I hear almost daily, more often than not from women - none of whom will admit to applying aftershave to their face each morning.

So many factors affect the condition of skin - dietary, liquid intake, environment - I fail to see how splashing on a few millilitres of aftershave each morning can have as drastic an effect as some maintain.

The only time my skin becomes dry, is during the winter, largely due to standing around in cold winds waiting for buses. Then I'll supplement the aftershave with a small amount of balm.

That said, I do follow a very strict diet and take in a lot of liquids, because of other health issues.

JoshuaNY · May 29, 2011

Ceri said:
So many factors affect the condition of skin - dietary, liquid intake, environment - I fail to see how splashing on a few millilitres of aftershave each morning can have as drastic an effect as some maintain..

+1 I think most of anyones "condition", whether it be their skin or anything else has to with genetics and the few things Ceri mentioned.

I mean it is a fact that alcohol is a drying agent(hence some gents dip their razors in it before storage for the day), it doesnt mean however that it dries everyones skin out the same way.

What makes one look older is:
1 - Genetics
2 - Aging
3 - Diet
4 - Lack of sleep/exercise
5 - Environment
6 - Did I say genetics?

akokandy · May 29, 2011

Virtually all alcohol splashes I've used have something, whether it's propylene glycol, glycerin, castor oil, or some other humectant, which moisturizes or at the very least counteracts most of the drying effect of the alcohol. In almost every case, my skin feels better and more moisturized when using an alcohol splash compared to using no aftershave at all.

For me, balms are too aggressive at moisturizing and I wind up with pimples.

Greyfox · May 29, 2011

Alcohol works well for me...externally and internally. :001_tt2:

JoshuaNY · May 29, 2011

Greyfox said:
Alcohol works well for me...externally and internally.

+1 on the internally!! :a17:

Quintar · May 29, 2011

The alcohol evaporates within seconds. I don't think it would dry your skin anyway since almost every splash has water in it so the alcohol is pretty saturated with water.

There was a scientific paper done in the 60s I think looking at the optimal percentage of alcohol for killing bacteria. which works by denaturing proteins (cooking, basically) and drying germs out. They found the optimal ratio was around 70% alcohol/water. Higher ratios evaporated too quickly and didn't penetrate deep enough into bacteria because they would basically seal the surface of the cells so the insides stayed hydrated! lower concentrations didn't do enough drying or denaturing.

I dry out tissue samples in the lab by immersing them in progressively higher concentrations of alcohol (50% alcohol water, 75% alcohol, 90%, 100%) the 50% doesn't do much at all and I'm also completely submerging them for 5-10 minutes which is way different than splashing it on your face.

I think most of the effect you feel on your face that people think of as drying out, sealing pores, or tightening is due to the alcohol denaturing the keratin in the very top layer of skin cells. I doubt it is drying out your skin since 1ml of 50% alcohol applied for 10 seconds can't displace very much water and you are constantly re-hydrating your skin from within. especially since many aftershave have glycerin or some other humectant to help attract moisture to your skin.

Manco · May 29, 2011

Quintar said:
The alcohol evaporates within seconds. I don't think it would dry your skin anyway since almost every splash has water in it so the alcohol is pretty saturated with water.

There was a scientific paper done in the 60s I think looking at the optimal percentage of alcohol for killing bacteria. which works by denaturing proteins (cooking, basically) and drying germs out. They found the optimal ratio was around 70% alcohol/water. Higher ratios evaporated too quickly and didn't penetrate deep enough into bacteria because they would basically seal the surface of the cells so the insides stayed hydrated! lower concentrations didn't do enough drying or denaturing.

I dry out tissue samples in the lab by immersing them in progressively higher concentrations of alcohol (50% alcohol water, 75% alcohol, 90%, 100%) the 50% doesn't do much at all and I'm also completely submerging them for 5-10 minutes which is way different than splashing it on your face.

I think most of the effect you feel on your face that people think of as drying out, sealing pores, or tightening is due to the alcohol denaturing the keratin in the very top layer of skin cells. I doubt it is drying out your skin since 1ml of 50% alcohol applied for 10 seconds can't displace very much water and you are constantly re-hydrating your skin from within. especially since many aftershave have glycerin or some other humectant to help attract moisture to your skin.

Wow, a great answer. Thanks

Luc · May 29, 2011

I never used Splash for that very reason... I tried one and I was sold. A splash works better for my skin and I don't find that I look any older... YMMV!

rafikz · May 29, 2011

Quintar said:
The alcohol evaporates within seconds. I don't think it would dry your skin anyway since almost every splash has water in it so the alcohol is pretty saturated with water.

There was a scientific paper done in the 60s I think looking at the optimal percentage of alcohol for killing bacteria. which works by denaturing proteins (cooking, basically) and drying germs out. They found the optimal ratio was around 70% alcohol/water. Higher ratios evaporated too quickly and didn't penetrate deep enough into bacteria because they would basically seal the surface of the cells so the insides stayed hydrated! lower concentrations didn't do enough drying or denaturing.

I dry out tissue samples in the lab by immersing them in progressively higher concentrations of alcohol (50% alcohol water, 75% alcohol, 90%, 100%) the 50% doesn't do much at all and I'm also completely submerging them for 5-10 minutes which is way different than splashing it on your face.

I think most of the effect you feel on your face that people think of as drying out, sealing pores, or tightening is due to the alcohol denaturing the keratin in the very top layer of skin cells. I doubt it is drying out your skin since 1ml of 50% alcohol applied for 10 seconds can't displace very much water and you are constantly re-hydrating your skin from within. especially since many aftershave have glycerin or some other humectant to help attract moisture to your skin.

Based on my experience, I (respectfully) disagree :001_smile

Quintar · May 29, 2011

rafikz said:
I have dry skin and I have to reapply lotion several times a day if use an alcohol splash

rafikz said:
Based on my experience, I (respectfully) disagree

No problem, I'm not claiming that what I said was fact, just some observations about what I know regarding alcohol and skin :wink2:

Though what you may be experiencing after applying lotion may be that the alcohol is denaturing the proteins in your outer layer of skin, toughening it up. thats why applying multiple applications of moisturizer is not sufficient to change the way it feels.

Thinking about it, I realized that I spray my hands down with 70% ethanol 3 or 4 times a day to sterilize them before touching my cultures. I never get dry hands or use moisturizer or anything. and that's a lot more alcohol than is in an aftershave.
However, one time i coated my hands with alcohol to make them slippery so I could slip on a small pair of vinyl gloves (ran out of my size) and worked with them for 2 hours. after I took them off they were still wet with alcohol and when it dried my skin was not dry or anything. But the prolonged exposure to the alcohol had damaged my skin so much that the skin all peeled off the next day!! :scared:

not flaking off, more like the wet rubbery skin that comes off when you get a bad sunburn...and my hands were still as moist as could be! :lol:

rafikz · May 29, 2011

Quintar said:
No problem, I'm not claiming that what I said was fact, just some observations about what I know regarding alcohol and skin

Though what you may be experiencing after applying lotion may be that the alcohol is denaturing the proteins in your outer layer of skin, toughening it up. thats why applying multiple applications of moisturizer is not sufficient to change the way it feels.

Thinking about it, I realized that I spray my hands down with 70% ethanol 3 or 4 times a day to sterilize them before touching my cultures. I never get dry hands or use moisturizer or anything. and that's a lot more alcohol than is in an aftershave.
However, one time i coated my hands with alcohol to make them slippery so I could slip on a small pair of vinyl gloves (ran out of my size) and worked with them for 2 hours. after I took them off they were still wet with alcohol and when it dried my skin was not dry or anything. But the prolonged exposure to the alcohol had damaged my skin so much that the skin all peeled off the next day!! not flaking off, more like the wet rubbery skin that comes off when you get a bad sunburn...and my hands were still as moist as could be!

no problem

And a very interesting scientific insight, thanks for sharing

I've got the same rubbery wet skin that comes if I use one of the 2 Nivea AS balms that have alcohol, especially if I wash my face with water afterwards - and the aforementioned balms come off too.
Weird, because the alcohol-free balm absorbs well and doesnt come off, where as the alcoholic ones sit on top of my skin and dont moisturize

Sir Walter of Mount Royal · May 29, 2011

Yes, alcohol ages and dries the skin. But, not much while using it externally. It's when you drink too much of it that it really hurts your skin.

http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4586101_what-does-alcohol-do-skin.html

Alcohol enlarges the blood vessels in the skin each time a person drinks. The blood vessels continue to be enlarged until they lose their quality or tone, and a permanent redness to appear on one's face. If a person suffers from a condition referred to as acne rosacea, drinking too much alcohol irritates this condition. Also, blemishes and blotchy bumps appear on the face. Skin wrinkles can occur after an extended period of alcohol abuse because the water in the body and skin is continually evaporated. This occurs because alcohol is a powerful dehydrating substance. Also, overindulgence of alcohol causes a decrease in the body's level of vitamin A. This is a very important antioxidant vitamin that supports body and skin health.

bokaba · May 29, 2011

I certainly like the way alcohol splashes feel--especially ones with menthol--it's by far the best feeling thing you can apply to your face after shaving. However, I try to not use alcohol splashes to often as I find they dry and irritate my skin over time. It won't happen in a couple days of use, but it certainly will after a couple of weeks. I try to reach for a toner more often like Da Vinci Water or Thayer's Rose or Lavender toners (alcohol free).

camjr · May 30, 2011

I usually go with a balm every third day or so, or simply put some moisturizer on in the evening. I really appreciate the way alcohol based spashes feel, both when they first go on and an hour or two afterwards, but something in the back of my brain tells me that the balm may be better in the long run. I don't know, I'm just sayin'...

California Cajun · May 30, 2011

JoshuaNY said:
+1 I think most of anyones "condition", whether it be their skin or anything else has to with genetics and the few things Ceri mentioned.

I mean it is a fact that alcohol is a drying agent(hence some gents dip their razors in it before storage for the day), it doesnt mean however that it dries everyones skin out the same way.

What makes one look older is:
1 - Genetics
2 - Aging
3 - Diet
4 - Lack of sleep/exercise
5 - Environment
6 - Did I say genetics?

I think you're right, at least as far as it relates to me. My dad was a confirmed electric blade shaver, I have for the most part been a wet shaver, and as I age it looks more like dad's at a comparable age. He didn't use aftershave, I do. Our diets once I left home were different because I leaned more toward convenience foods.

fccexpert · May 31, 2011

Let me see if I get this straight: you are relying on a movie, a work of fiction that is based on another work of fiction as a source of scientific information. I woulud say this is where the confusion begins.

The harmful effects of alcohol on your skin are greatly overstated, primarily by those who wish to sell you some type of alcohol free concoction at an inflated price.

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The lowdown on Aftershaves w/ Alcohol??

Manco

JoshuaNY

rafikz

luvmysuper

My elbows leak

Ceri

JoshuaNY

akokandy

Greyfox

JoshuaNY

Quintar

Manco

Luc

"To Wiki or Not To Wiki, That's The Question".

rafikz

Quintar

rafikz

Sir Walter of Mount Royal

bokaba

camjr

California Cajun

fccexpert

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