Gentleman's Refinery After Shave Balm

You must have this in the den!! Great quality product that I'm just glad it exists. It's my go to after a rough shave. It stave's off razor burn like nothing else. Expensive? Yes, but it'll last you a long time and thus is worth the initial buy in price.

This AS is fairly impressive. It goes on very nicely, sinks in quickly, and moisturizes like nothing else. That being said, for me it didn't really do anything significant for the razor burn. I find that if I use proraso pre/post and let my face air dry, then apply this AS it works very well. The proraso does the dirty work, and the TGR takes care of the rest.

This is the best. I am sold and will never turn away. I bought this with a great deal at makeup.com along with the preshave oil and shave cream...so glad I did...Im not sure I can find anything better. Leaves your skin feeling perfect and the wife liked it too...A LOT

I'm apparently one of the few that's unhappy with this stuff. I actually stopped using it today. Maybe it's my face but it leaves me shiny and greasy. After I apply it I can feel it on my face, and it even makes me sweat a little on my upper lip.

By unscented I'm assuming that means they don't add any scent, and that seems to be what I got. You can't make anything with multiple ingredients and have no smell at all.

I bought a sample back for about $10 and tried out everything. WOW. I am speechless. It's pricey but it's supposed to last a year. It's works amazingly well. Pretty as a damn princess. It leaves no shine (which I like most of all) and no matter how much a scraped on my mug it stood up to the damage.

Here is my resolution: Every year when I take in my collection of loose change to the bank and they run it through the machine and give me the cash and my loose buttons back-instead of going to the liquor store I think I will buy a tube of this. I know that's crazy but I just might do it. This way I feel more like I FOUND the tube than BOUGHT the tube.

This is my favorite AS; even if I'm using a different balm I'll often mix in a half-pump or so of this stuff just to help the lesser product out.

One note: to get a little to go a long way you need to have a wet face

The only thing I'm not sure I like is the scent. The actual smell is nice, but quite mild--when it's time to order a refill I might go for the unscented. Either way it's not a black-mark, and overall this stuff is great!

Not a bad product, but it's way overpriced for what it is.

And a bit overrated if you ask me; heck, Nivea, l'Oreal, AV Ice Balm or RSC balm are better in my opinion



Meh...

Price: I would rate it lower, but I rated it high due to personal preference. If something is quality, then I have no problem paying extra for it.

Quality: To me, this is the benchmark. This is the ASB by which all others should be measured. It is uniform in appearance, not too heavy and not too light.

Fights Razor Burn: This is really where this product earns its keep. I had just finished shaving with my 38c loaded with a feather. Keep in mind that I had not shaved for about seven days and I did not have all of the products I use for my prep. Long story short, there were a lot of bumps and a lot of weepers.

As soon as I applied the product, I expected my face to let out a big burp as it absorbed it (more like slurped it up) so fast. The burn was gone just as fast. I mean immediately. Also, the face sensitivity associated with a bad shave was gone as well. My face felt great save for the noticeable reminders of a bad shave.

Cooling Sensation: I rated this low because I did not feel any "cooling" effects as compared to something that is a little more mentholated. It fought the burn, but not with "cooling" relief.

Scent: Very nice. Very subtle, very clean. I read the ingredients. The scent that I smelt the most was a light cedar scent that lingered (in a good way) for about 5 minutes. That is not one of the ingredients, but that is what it smelled like to me.

Efficacy: Again, it does what it is supposed to do. I marked it down a notch, because it didn't really put the weepers to bed as some other products do. However, I think that may be a good thing in this case because this product produces the desired effect without blocking the pores.

Moisturizing: Excellent. I did not give it a 10, because I had to apply a second pass to get cover everything. Again, your face will literally suck this stuff right in.

No alcohol Burn: No burn whatsoever.

I've not had this balm very long and it is only due to the help of a B&B member that I actually managed to get hold of it, as it is not sold in the UK. The fact that it isn't available in the UK, made me give it only a 7 for price. Usually I would justify a high cost product by taking into account how long it lasts for given normal use and the amount required for each application. The advice for this balm is to apply a couple of squirts in the palm of the hands, rub hands together and then gently massage into your face. This worked a treat for me.

There are many balms out there. They all claim to ease razor burn, soothe and moisturise your face and even clean your oven, but there's only one Gentlemen's Refinery Balm! The standard one has a delicate smell and really does soothe. There's no menthol in it at all, which is exactly why I gave it a full 10 marks. Menthol isn't for everyone and can give more burn and discomfort to some people than others. But there's no burn from this balm. In fact it's very ideal for dry and sensitive skins, being a little greasy, whilst at the same time easily absorbed.

Like any after shave or balm, this needs to be used in parallel with an appropriate shaving soap or cream. I tried it with Acqua di Parma shaving cream, Tabac and Trumper's Rose shaving soaps. It worked OK with the cream, but I would like to use it again with that before I can say how good it works with it. With Tabac it was pretty awesome, but with the Trumper's Rose it was out of this world. It kept my face very smooth and moisturised with no itchy feelings for a good 12 hours. Very rare for a balm these days, so I highly recommend it.

One final word on when to use this. I think it's more of a winter/spring/autumn type balm. I don't recommend its use the hot months as it doesn't feel quite right then.

Enjoy!!

Price: this is one of the most expensive aftershaves on the market aside from maybe Penhaligon's

Quality: excellent, royal even

Razor Burn: not much help here, but most balms aren't anyway

Cooling: no menthol

Scent: decent green rose scent

Efficacy: makes the skin smooth

Moisturizing: excellent

Something I don't like about this lovely balm; the way it dispenses from the canister. I guess they keep it airtight because it preserves the product, but it tends to spurt out and such expensive crap can fall to the floor if you're not terribly careful.

Works absurdly well as a balm.

But given the price per use, I don't think I can stomach it.

I..........LOVE...........THIS...........STUFF

It is the best aftershave product that I've tried as of yet, including several cheaper balms, some samples of skinfood, Castle forbes ASB, and other products like witch hazel, etc. I'm hooked.

This review is a first for me, and I hope it's worthy of posting. I'm jumping in here because I believe this product to be absolutely in a star quality class and worth a try by everyone on this board. Like others, I've tried so many products in my search for the "best", it's too embarassing to list the number - even on this site!

I gave TGR ASB 10's in every category (not sure if I'll post it correctly to include the ratings box) because it's the best product I've used to date, and deserves the best ratings. I'll elaborate on each below, but will try not to repeat what so many others have already said so well.

PRICE - It's not the most or least expensive, but it's the product that is most worth the price that you pay.

QUALITY - Packaging is nice, but the most important thing is the ASB has great ingredients.

FIGHTS RAZOR BURN - This soothes and calms ANY irritation I have after shaving, whether from razor burn or sensitivity to other products - it makes my face feel good!

COOLING SENSATION - It doesn't have menthol, eucalyptus or mint like other products (which irritate my skin) so it doesn't make my face feel cold, but it doesn't make my face feel warm like some products do, either. It just feels very comfortable.

SCENT - I use both Standard and Unscented, and like both. The Standard has a pleasant, very mild rose/sandlewood scent that is gone after 20 minutes.

EFFICACY - This does exactly what I want an ASB to do. It calms and soothes my skin immediately, soaking in and immediately disappearing. No tackiness, oiliness, greasiness. Just a nice matte finish on my face.

MOISTURIZING - After applying TGR ASB, my face has no tightness, and doesn't feel dry at all. As I have sightly dry skin, I follow up with a moisturizer with SPF. But I don't consider an ASB to take the place of a moisturizer.

NO ALCOHOL BURN - None. And I've experienced burn from enough other products to know what this can feel like.

Again, I've searched for the perfect product to make MY face feel good after shaving, and I've found it in TGR ASB. Everyone's face is different, and YMMV, but this is a must try.

What I like about this balm:

• Absolutely the best absorption of any balm I've ever used. Period. It is very easy to apply, doesn't go on greasy and absorbs quickly & fully.
• Excellent moisturizing properties to cover a wide range of situations. I could use this in the summer or winter.
• The lavender scent fades very quickly which is what I like my balms to do.

What I thought could be better:

• I wished the lavender scent had a little more punch. I like the scent of a balm to fade away I also like it coming out strong during application and moments afterward.
• This is not as effective at fighting burn as alcohol based aftershaves.
• Doesn't feel as soothing as I would like.

Overall it is excellent and I would recommend it as a balm you could use after a splash.

Hands down the best aftershave milk/balm that I've tried yet, and probably the only one that I'll continue purchasing.

As others have said, a little goes a very long way, with a dime-sized amount covering my entire face.

Yes it goes on slick, and dries down a bit chalky, but for me (combination / slightly oily skin) its the perfect aftershave balm.

The scent for "the standard" fragrance is very light, but pleasant, and dissipates quickly.

No alcohol burn, and again, for my skin, its plenty moisturizing.

The only downside, the price! Realistically though, its no more expensive than other high-end brands, and it works phenomenally better!

This review is of the "unscented version" of this product, of which I received a sample.

Like everyone else said, the ingredients are top notch. Of course that comes with a price, but I feel this product is not worth even 1/4 of the asking price because of two fatal flaws that taken alone are major deal breakers for me.

1) The scent. Usually I don't have a problem with "unscented" products because I'm no scent snob and prefer unscented products due to my sensitive skin. However, this balm has a scent, which I personally find very disagreeable. It's sort of like an old lady nursing home scent mixed with something else that's inappropriate to mention here. It also lingers. I could still smell it on myself almost an hour later, and if I rubbed my face I could smell it on my hand 2 hours later. Bottom line, I don't like it at all. YMMV.

2) This product, for what ever reason, tends to leave balled up chalky residue on my face. I had to dab a little water on my face to get rid of it. I can't say whether or not this is due to the Booster's splash I applied beforehand (which I allowed to dry for almost 30 minutes) mixing with the balm or the balm itself. Yes, I did shake the bottle up. Either way, it's a problem since other balms and such that I've tried do not have this effect.

Moisturizing is okay. Certainly not worse but definitely not better, and maybe not quite as good compared to other products I've used. Since this is an expensive product, I expected more.

Even those this product doesn't contain alcohol, it did sting a little, so I had to mark it down on the burn rating.

I gave it 10s for "fights razor burn" and "cooling" as neutral placeholders because I didn't have razor burn when I used it and AFAIK this is not a cooling type product.

Overall, disappointing.

This stuff is fantastic, I would recommend it to anyone needing a light ASbalm. I have the unscented variety, and I love everything about it (well, almost see below)

My skin is rather sensitive, so I try to avoid heavy moisturizers after shaving. This product is perfect for my skin, absorbs easily and leaves no residue. Found myself faceturbating more frequently after switching to this balm. Skin feels great.

My only problem with this product is the packaging. It looks rather nice in my cabinet, and the pump is useful for meting out an appropriate amount of balm. The problem is that it tends to clog, which basically means that you´ll find balm spread all over your bathroom tile after it bounces off the palm of your hand. Product quality is 10/10, packaging 3/10.

This is quite different from the other aftershaves in my harem, but that is not a bad thing.

First, the strengths: this stuff makes your skin feel like silk for hours afterward. It seems to genuinely improve the feel of my face. There is zero alcohol burn, no stinging at all. While it isn't the best at soothing razor burn, it does quite a good job.

The weaknesses: this is an expensive product. At around $40 it is on the high end of the price range, but it is still within reason and for some completely worth the cost. This is a personal preference, but I have found that I like an aftershave with a cooling sensation and this one doesn't cool at all. Which isn't to say that if you like a freeze-your-face feel that you should look past it, because I have a feeling this will become my go-to aftershave in cooler temperatures. I have found that while not as moisturizing as some of my other products, it does quite a good job. My face rarely actually feels moisturized, but it isn't dry either.

The scent is not a weakness per se, but I'm not in love with it either. It is very, very light and reminds me of the scent of lemon pastries. It is light and dissipates quickly for those who are not fans of it, so do not worry.

Depending on how dry the day is, I have found that 1-3 pumps are needed. Most days two are more than enough, but some days more or less is just right. Considering the cost to replace it, I try to shoot for 1-2 pumps where possible.

Overall, despite the marks I gave it, this is a very good aftershave product and has inspired me to check out some more Gentleman's Refinery products down the line. If you've got the coin and a little AAD, give it a shot.

Amazing stuff. It's pricey, but you don't need to use much. I've had it for a couple of months and I haven't seem to have made a dent in the bottle. It should last six months, easily. One pump will take care of your entire face. Packaging is top notch, the scent doesn't hang around, it does an incredible job on your skin, and it looks good in the cupboard. The dispenser will sometimes clog a little, however.

Well no more experimenting with aftershaves for me. The hype is 4 real... I would replace silky feel with natural moisturizing feel. If you like to faceturbate than this will have you faceturbating all day long. Couple this with the moisturizer to double the effect.