Plus, as Lou Barazzo said, it helps to see where you have burn. Before I discovered the benefits of witch hazel, it was my go-to after shave.From my experience, certainly not authoritative:
SplashesI find an alcohol-based A/S splash helps ease razor burn, albeit with sting. I like to say that you experience all the pain either way, it just compresses a day's worth of burn into a few minutes.
Since starting to shave DE I've begun using Thayer's Witch Hazel. Technically, it's an A/S splash but it's still hard for me to think of it that way. I tend to think of it as a lotion. At this point, I would give up anything else before I'd give up the witch hazel. It helps calm razor burn. It's a toner so it tightens up your skin somewhat. And, it just helps to condition the skin. My skin has improved remarkably, and I don't think anything else has contributed to that as much as the w/h.
Balms
A balm moisturizes the face so I usually only use it in the winter months. It can be a bit heavy when it's hot. Although, I've tried a few others, I've been using Nivea Sensitive After Shave balm almost exclusively for about 10 years. Nivea can get sticky during the day sometimes, but I alleviate that by applying it with wet hands on wet face. For some reason, mixing it with water helps.
Sequence!!This works for me. YMMV!!
[*=1] After I rinse, I apply the witch hazel to every bit of exposed skin from the neckline upwards and let it dry as I take care of other things. I apply it to my forehead, ears, neck, etc. because I figure it doesn't make sense for my beard area to look really good and the rest of my face not to .
[*=1]If I'm using an alcohol-based splash, I put it on the beard area only and let dry. By this time I'm getting dressed, etc.
[*=1]If I'm using the balm, I add it last, usually after I'm dressed. Once again apply it to everything, nice and wet.
