As I mentioned before, I use witch hazel. After reading these posts I decided to get some Shavex alum. I've been using the alum alone for 2 weeks now post my cold water rinse, but no WH. From what I see, compared to WH, the alum is easy to apply, does a slightly better job at closing minor cuts, and stings a bit more on the cut/nipped areas. I'll keep using the alum to see how long it lasts me, but I don't see any major reason for me to switch from WH to alum, or use both.