Alcohol Based or Balm? and MORE...

What's the difference between the two and does it really matter? I'm a little confused. One person says alcohol based is terrible for your skin, the other is all like it disinfects and refreshes your skin. I have normal to oily skin (mid 20's), and a mid/nomal beard thickness. What are some product recommendations? I like the citrusy scent of limes, but also the strong lingering (memory) scent of "Grafton" or "Trafalgar" from Truefitt&Hill. Any recommendations and/or advice for a noob in straight razor shaving?

I use alcohol based Hugo Boss for no better reason than that my wife likes it.
It also desinfects, and it tells you whether you shaved good or not.
On top of that I don't like creamy or oily stuff on my face.

If applying the AS is a refreshing sensation, you shaved well.
If it feels like being skinned alive, you didn't.

I start off with an alcoholic aftershave for that splash and the astringent effect and I finish it off with an a/s cream to seal in the moisture.

I prefer alcohol based aftershaves to balms. I really like the "tingle" and "chill" alcohol splash gives me. The balms on the other hand, make my skin feel slimy so matter how little I use.


On a side note: The much denigrated and maligned Mennen Skin Bracer really... and mean REALLY... amplifies and extends the cooling effect one feels after a Proraso shave.

I am a balm guys. I think this is largely due to the fact that when I first started shaving, the alcohol would sting the already super irritated skin, so I switched to a non-alcohol balm. That, and my skin drys pretty easily, the balms help this a bit.

Matt

I stick with the clubman, the feel and scent really wakes you up and it reminds me of going to the barbershop as a kid. Plus, the wife likes it so its a win/win for me.

So let me get this straight. After the cold water rinse you would use an alum bar, and then the A/S, and then the A/S balm or moisturiser, is this correct? If you were to use Thayer's where would that fit into the order of things?

Sorry for going a bit off topic here, but it may help someone else asking the same question as me.

Thanks

John

I have never used an alum bar, and I think most people either use a splash or a balm, but not both. I usually finish of the shave with a thinned out application of proraso pre. The cooling effect clears up any irritation that I might have. Then I apply the balm. I use both Proraso and some of Sue's winter aftershave that I had her whip up for me in British Leather. I love Sue's stuff, but I have to be careful with it, as the FOs sometimes get to my skin. Usually I just use the Proraso, and then if I feel like smelling extra good, I will come back later for Sue's stuff. The break gives my skin a chance to rest, and then the FOs don't bug me. Plus, it helps the aftershave to last if I only use it when I want the smell. It does a great job of moisturizing my skin though.

Matt

After the cold water splash you can use any combination of those that feels good to you. There's no one thing that works best for all skin types.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by johnmw1

So let me get this straight. After the cold water rinse you would use an alum bar, and then the A/S, and then the A/S balm or moisturiser, is this correct? If you were to use Thayer's where would that fit into the order of things?

Sorry for going a bit off topic here, but it may help someone else asking the same question as me.

Thanks

John

---

I do the Thayers immediately after the cold rinse.(no alum bar for me, thanks)

For me it's just cold water and witch hazel ---Thayers or Dickinsons. Don't need no sissy balms or moisturizers ---- now I know what causes Penile Erectile Dysfunction:D.



Justin

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jaegerhund

Don't need no sissy balms or moisturizers....

---

No Jaeger.... they are "neural impulse spike inhibitors" and "counter-dehydration agents".... NOT "balms" and "moisturizers". Nothing is "sissy" if given the correct clinical/technical jargon. Well..... not everything, but you get the point. :D

I usually throw on the thayers after the cold water rinse, let that dry in for a few seconds, then splash on the clubman after that. If its really cold out, I will throw on a non scented balm on top of the clubman so my face doesn't dry out. it really just depends on your face, some people can't handle an alum block or high alcohol based A/S, so cold water and a good balm might be the best for them. when i started shaving years ago, I would put 70% isopropyl alcohol on my face after a shave just to toughen up my face and help clear up the acne I was getting from that wonderful thing called puberty. It burned like hell, but actually worked.

thats what I like about you justin, never afraid to speak your mind. I bet you would stroke off a bobcat with a handful of barbed-wire just to see the reaction you would get from it.:roflmao

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by celticstone

thats what I like about you justin, never afraid to speak your mind. I bet you would stroke off a bobcat with a handful of barbed-wire just to see the reaction you would get from it.:roflmao

---

Jeff, when you're as full of crap as I am, it's easy to speak your mind ;). As far as the bobcat thing --well that's just cruel and unusual (well at least cruel --but maybe not unusual in these parts of the woods):D.

Justin

Thanks guys! That really helped a lot. I just made a mad dash to my local Walgreens to pick-up several of their low-priced, alcohol based after shave products including Brut, Aqua Velva, Drunken Bay Rum - Lime, and Jovan Sex Appeal. Thanks again!

Now, off to study the effects of gasoline on fire...

FWIW,
I use an alum block, Coral Skin Food, and T&H Classic Balm. Never use a balm after the alum block, it seems to denature the balm. The alum block and CFS work great together however. I only use the balm when the humidity is really low or if I've been way too agressive shaving.

Just another data point,
Ed

Personaly I like using Proraso aftershave cream (right after a cold rinse while my face is still damp) followed by a splash of Aqua Velva musk after the cream soaks in.

I find I get the Proraso cooling with a slight sting of the A/V and the fragrances seem to complement each other...or at least the wife thinks so.

Ivan