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In search of my perfect ASB

Help needed folks!
I'm a couple of months in to DE shaving and am looking for an ASB that fits all of my needs.

Here's what I've tried thus far and what I've thought of them - hopefully it will give you a few clues as to what might be a good ASB for me to try next.

-REN multi tasking ASB - Pros - absorbs quite well, leaves face smooth, calming on burn. Cons - Pricey, smells pretty bad (sort of medicinal)
-eShave ASB (unscented, Lime Verbena, Almond, White Tea, Lavender) - Pros - fragranced versions smell good, Cons - Too heavy, not easily absorbed, doesn't relieve burn very well
-Murad Razor Burn Rescue - Pros - Very calming, very easily absorbed. Cons - Pricey
-Anthony Logistics ASB - Pros - Cooling, nice menthol aroma. Cons - Loose consistency, not very calming despite inital cool feel

In short, Murad does the skin calming job best; I don't like anything too heavy/greasy like the eShave; a pleasant fragrance would be preferred.
It may be that Murad turns out to be the right one for me but I want to go on a voyage of discovery first.....
 
Was the eShave stuff you tried the Aftershave Cream, or the Aftershave Soother? The Soother is more lightweight. I have two bottles of Soother - Lavender and Lime. Haven't used them yet (trying to decide if I'm going to keep them or BST them), so I can't really give too much of an opinion on those. They smell good though.

I personally prefer unscented balms, so that I can do a splash over the top of them with the scent I want. For unscented, I would recommend Crown Shaving ASB or T&H Ultimate Comfort.

For scented balms, L'Occitane and Crabtree & Evelyn are as good as you can get. Each has a few scents to choose from.
 
My favorites:

• Crown ASB absorbs quickly, is very calming, very moisturizing and leaves the face feeling very good. It's a little pricey, but not outrageous. The scent is not offensive but not good, so it's a good thing that it fades in moments and doesn't interfere with a cologne.

• Mama Bear's ASB (winter variety) absorbs well and leaves the face feeling good. Not quite as calming as some. Because you can have this custom-scented for a couple of bucks, you can have it smell anyway you want it! I have an awesome cedar scent that is like standing in a cedar-lined closet! And yes, the scent lingers -- even hours -- which I didn't realize until people told me how good I smelled.
 
Forgot to mention Every Man Jack face lotion. Probably the best bang for your buck aftershave balm, and it's widely available. They have unscented and mint, but the mint is very light and gone quickly so it doesn't interfere with your splash or cologne.
 
I'm really glad to hear that - I've been trying to hunt down a good balm to replace my dwindling supply of Every Man Jack...I thought I might want to try something better. If you think it's particularly good for the price, maybe I'll grab another tube.
 
Omp,
I was a beta tester for a new balm from Queen Charlotte Soaps. I'm not sure if it is even yet available for sale; it's brand new.

But this stuff is da bomb! Moisurizing, wonderful lime scent, goes on smoothly and absorbs well, soothes, no greasy or shiny after-feel.....just a really, really nice balm.

You might want to go to Queen Charlotte Soaps and see if it is available. If not, you might want to go back to the site once a week or so until it is, and then buy it. ;-)
 
My best luck with ASBs so far has been with:
Trumper's Skin Food
RazoRock AS Wax.

L'Occitane Cade and Hydrolast conditioner are both very good, too, but they cost about 2x what the GFT and RR products do, and don't work any better (for me).
 
The eshave after shave soother seems greasy at first but completely absorbs in minutes.

I also like Jack Black Post Shave Cooling Gel
 
Was the eShave stuff you tried the Aftershave Cream, or the Aftershave Soother? The Soother is more lightweight.

I didn't even realise there were 2 types. It turns out I have both. I have a 200ml bottle of the unscented soother (which is the one I actually find a bit heavy(!)) and I have 4 samples of the cream which is a much better consistency for me.
 
Omp,
I was a beta tester for a new balm from Queen Charlotte Soaps. I'm not sure if it is even yet available for sale; it's brand new.

But this stuff is da bomb! Moisurizing, wonderful lime scent, goes on smoothly and absorbs well, soothes, no greasy or shiny after-feel.....just a really, really nice balm.

You might want to go to Queen Charlotte Soaps and see if it is available. If not, you might want to go back to the site once a week or so until it is, and then buy it. ;-)

Thanks for this - doesn't appear to be there yet but I will keep checking back
 
There's also the new ASB that ItalianBarber is coming out with in a few weeks. I don't think it'll be anything less than spectacular =)
 
I'm really glad to hear that - I've been trying to hunt down a good balm to replace my dwindling supply of Every Man Jack...I thought I might want to try something better. If you think it's particularly good for the price, maybe I'll grab another tube.
I have a bunch of balms in my cabinet right now, and some of them have certain characteristics that I maybe like just a little bit better than the EMJ. Because of that, I rarely reach for the EMJ right now. HOWEVER, when those different ones that I have run out, will I replace them? I doubt it. They're just not that much better or different to justify the large premium over EMJ. If a guy wants to spend the money on something a little more exotic, I completely understand because I do that all the time. But we're really just wasting money IMO.
 
My best luck with ASBs so far has been with:
Trumper's Skin Food
RazoRock AS Wax.

L'Occitane Cade and Hydrolast conditioner are both very good, too, but they cost about 2x what the GFT and RR products do, and don't work any better (for me).
It really depends on your skin type IMO, because I found that Skin Food provides almost zero moisturization. I still have some of a Sandalwood Skin Food sampler in my drawer. I'll have to try it again now that the weather has heated up.

I have almost the same opinion on the RazoRock Wax. It looked like it would moisturize and I wanted to like it, but it really didn't work that well for me. My skin just needs more moisture than those two provide.

I am able to get L'Occitane balms for $20 through my credit card rewards site, so that lessens some of the sting for me on those. I have Cade and Eau de Baux (prefer the EdB), and think they're absolutely fantastic. Same goes for the C&E Nomad. I have only been wet shaving for a few months now, so I don't know how some of these products are going to work for me in the hotter weather. Maybe I'll have to change my tune if these ones get greasy on me.
 
For warmer weather I prefer a balm that doesn't overmoisturize because I tend to get hot and sometimes sweat. Trumper's limes skin food, Aubrey Organics ASB, AoS Ocean Kelp ASB, and TOBS Mr. Taylors ASB are the ones I prefer because they moisturize more than a splash but don't feel greasy. They are all clearish in color and they all smell great.
 
my closest to perfect so far is the Clinique Post Shave Healer.No annoying fragrance,not greasy,contains witch hazel toner,aloe,has a slight tingle but no burn,works awesome
Con:price ,almost $20 for a 2.5 FL OZ bottle at Macys,but thought it was worth it.

My second favorite is Every Man Jack Post Shave Lotion.I choose the unscented so I doesnt interfere with anything else,or for days im not in the mood for fragrance.Its a good bang for the buck

I want to try The Shave Den After Shave Milk someday ,but kinda pricey as well.

I have Proraso ASB (white balm)also,great stuff,but its scent lost some points with me.
 
Best AS Balms I've found after testing/buying 35-40:

For colder weather:
Mühle/Edwin Jagger Aloe Vera AS Lotion - best product out there, has a subtle refined herby-grassy fresh scent - better than Castler Forbes AS Balm and even better than Clinique Post shave healer

For warmer weather:
Musgo Real AS Balm - best AS balm I've tested for warmer weather. Slightly thinner than the Mühle/Edwin Jagger Aloe Vere AS Lotion, and has an even greener scent.

These two are the top of the pop !
 
C&E Nomad ASB. Pricey but lasts. D.R. Harris Milks (Pink or Arlington). Both are exceptional products.

I am slowly but surely falling in love with the Nomad scent from the shaving cream, so that one definitely makes the shortlist.

Some great suggestions out there - thanks guys. Edwin Jagger and Trumper's also have a good chance of being sampled
Sadly, EMJ doesn't seem readily available here in the UK
 
Oh my...just snagged 4 samples of the L'Occitane Cade...very nice. Rich, mostuirizing, seems to be helping me heal. But, yeah, definitely pricey.
 
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