balms, toners, gels, etc.

well, i used to think i needed a toner and tried kiehls, and clinique and baxter. well i got some ems place aftershave stuff and it was mostly witch hazel. i also tried QED davinci water which is rose and lavendar hydrosol. then someone suggest thayers witch hazel. you can get it with or without alcohol and fragranced. i use it without alcohol and with rose. why? witch hazel is a base ingredient of a lot of the shave stuff we get and it and rose water have been known to have antiseptic properties. when i shave, i dry my face and then get a cotton ball and apply the thayers. you would be surprised what comes off the face - yes, it still has some brown stuff. if i have a nick or irritation, it helps a bit. the price is about 8 bucks for 16 ounces that lasts at least 6 months. nothing fancy.

same with natureade80 aloe gel. i use it to cool or soothe my face. got a chock full of the active aloe ingredient. $11 bucks for like 16 ounces and i am a year on one bottle. i know it works cause i used it when i had sunburn on my shoulders in florida and it took the sting out just like that. i then use coral skin food 30 minutes later to seal in any moisture i have. as lynn said, i like the skin's oils to start to come back and then seal it with the gum in the coral skin food.

someone sent me some taylor sandalwood aftershave gel. also no alcohol. i was leery since im not a big sandalwood fan. i used it tonight and it has a good enough scent. this stuff reminds me of the natureade gel, in that it dries matte and it has a soothing effect. baxter aftershave balm used menthol to accomplish that, but i dont think taylors has it in there. dont know how much it runs but it is a good enough product.

so i guess i am old school on post shave products - would rather save the money for a great cologne or more shave stuff. witch hazel to cleanse and aloe to heal.

sam