Thread: What is the purpose of aftershave?

Seriously, I have never used the stuff. After my first or second straight razor shave I put some Oil of Olay onto my face but I stopped doing that also.

What is aftershave for?

Originally it was used as a disinfectant post shave and to carry a scent. A century ago hygiene was not what it is today and antibiotics were not around

I finish my shave with witch hazel.

Some are scented. Some are to moisturize or similarly maintain skin health. Some are astringents. Some may prevent or reduce skin irritation that shaving can cause.

If not using it doesn't cause you any problems, you won't have any problems not using it.

I use witch hazel after every shave. Then a splash of A.S.
Always wondered if it was really a waste. Guess all i get from A.S. is a scent. Thanks for asking this question. Guess its not needed, just wanted.

Good question and I doubt there are any wrong answers, my first response is if the splash has alcohol then it’s a good astringent disinfectant then there are the oils and such that are added to some for the post shave recovery.

A good aftershave has a disinfectant in it (usually alcohol), a skin moisturizer (often glycerin, but can be any number of oils), an astringent (witch hazel, bay, etc.) and usually some kind of fragrance.

I didn't use AS before using a straight, but once I tried it I found that my skin liked that little bit of moisturizer and I enjoy the scents.

Purpose is absolutely as a disinfectant, those nicks, cuts, scratches need to be taken care of.

As Richard points out, when there wasn't a lot of water around, and clean water at that, this was what you did to smell fresh and clean and remain free of infections. You have to remember, bathing wasn't a big thing till the 20th century, if you were to pop into an 19th or 18th century drawing room, the ladies and gentlemen would smell foul and rancid by today's standards, and masking that foulness, would be excessive perfumes, powders, colognes, and aftershaves.

What did I read, you got two baths in your life, one when you were born, and one when you died....

Still a good idea to use a good aftershave for disinfectant purposes, but alcohol really dries your skin.

For me, I'll hit with some nice aftershave, when it dries in about 5 minutes, I follow it up with some unscented moisturizing cream or aftershave oil, otherwise, I get dry, red, flaking skin.

Oh, and if you find the right AS that mixes with you just right, that isn't overpowering, the ladies love it. The one I wear, from the 1970's, a hard to find Givenchy, very subtle, you have to be close, I've always had women insist on hugging me because I always smell so good....LOL!

Originally Posted by Phrank

Oh, and if you find the right AS that mixes with you just right, that isn't overpowering, the ladies love it. The one I wear, from the 1970's, a hard to find Givenchy, very subtle, you have to be close, I've always had women insist on hugging me because I always smell so good....LOL!

See? What did I tell ya?

Of course, the rest of what Phrank said is also true.

AS back in the day probably saved lives!

Phrank, I've actually thought about that before. How bad the smell would be if you travelled in time to those eras. Poor hygiene, little bathing, and people congregating in buildings without A/C. Chamber pots emptied on the street. The good ole days.