Hello,

First thanks to all the members of this forum for all the information you share. It has been so helpful to me. I will try to returm some of the favor by sharing my AS experience.

* In the past I was using an AS lotion with alcohol. It was kind of ok but my skin being sensitive, I would still feel some discomfort durign the day.

* A couple of years ago, I bought the Art of Shaving book. They explain in that book that you shouldn't use an AS with alcohol. This was very bad and you should only use a balm made of natural products without any alcohol.

* I started using balm without alcohol only. While pretty good, I would still feel some discomfort during the day (itching) and I would feel like rubbing my face.

* So I was kind of thinking ... What about using both ? Reading method shaving and the B&B wiki I found a suggestion to use a toner, followed by a AS Splash with alcohol (astringent), followed by a moisturizer.

* I decided to give it a try and used :
- Toner : Thayer's LAvender witch hazel Toner (no alcohol)
- AS Lotion - Splash : Selected Speick Lotion but used bottle of Chrome I already had (with alcohol)
- Moisturizer : Avalon Organics Lavender

I apply one after the other waiting a little in between. It might be overkill and I have no idea if it is good or not for your skin but it is working for me very well. No discomfort anymore and no irritation during the day.

Anybody has tried something similar ? Just wanted to share an experience. Thanks
Yves