After shaving - what do we really need and why?

Millay said:
That to me seems the wrong way round.

The splash closes the poores of the skin, making it difficult for the skin to soak up the moisturizer.

So surely putting moisturizer on letting the skin soak it up then closing the poors with an AS is the correct way round.

I could be being extremly thick and as usual everyone has there own personal preferences.


Do what work's for you Millay but I am not convinced that applying an AS to seal in the AB is entirely desirable.
 
I don't find any burn or pain when I use the proraso A/S.

You could get a sample from the CONUK decant club. I did.

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philamac said:
Using splash AND a balm seems odd to me. I have it in my head that they are different products for different needs, and that one should do you once you establish which you prefer. Certainly the expense of having to buy balm and a splash and then cologne/EDT is going to add up? Do they not cancel each other out in some way when used together?

That is a good point using both could be totally unneccesary and complete over kill.

So you've applied your'e alum then witch hazel then applied AS or AB ( or the other way round) or both then cologne or EDT?

Shit I hope you're skin looks good after all that?
 
This morning it was cold rinse, apply alum block, allow to dry for say 2 minutes whilst cleaning up then further cold rinse followed by balm. Job done and face feeling great.
Tomorrow is another day and maybe another routine.I find post shave "fiddling" very enjoyable and my skin can take most things.
 
philamac said:
But I am intrigued by the idea of splashes, in particular the Harris Pink and Proraso. However juvenile use of Old Spice and Brut and the stinging memories associated with the experience have continually prevented me from buying Pink or Proraso.

D R Harris Pink is very, very mild with very little alcohol in it (something like 10% ish). You won't find that stinging - even if you have a really bad shave.
 
Manoflamancha said:
This morning it was cold rinse, apply alum block, allow to dry for say 2 minutes whilst cleaning up then further cold rinse followed by balm. Job done and face feeling great.
Tomorrow is another day and maybe another routine.I find post shave "fiddling" very enjoyable and my skin can take most things.

That's interesting. I've had some less pleasant experiences with alum before, but never tried the cold rinse thing. I'll have to buy a new alum block but then I'll give it a try. Would be great if it worked because an alum block is quite a bit cheaper than all those bottles of Harris Pink.

*edit: just found an old block hidden in a dark corner of the shave cave. Will try the alum-rinse-balm tomorrow morning.
 
For a long time my after shave treatment was cold water. Nowadays it's still cold water, followed by either Taylors aftershave lotion (I'm one of these people who likes the sting) or Proraso pre/post. I think a lot depends on the weather. During the summer I can get away with more or less anything, but in winter my skin dries out badly and some sort of moisturiser is a necessity; currently a Nivea intensive type, but anything unscented really.
 
The only requirement for a perfect shave for me is the following:
Good Razor and blade, my favourite at the moment is a Merkur 38c with Derby blade
Good quality soap, my favouties at moment are MWF and Palmolive stick
Warm rinse
Cold Rinse
ALUM
Good Quality Balm such as Proraso
Good qality aftershave such as Taylors Sandalwood

I can say with all honesty that you can skimp on any part of this set up other than the Alum and still get a good shave.
To me the Alum smoothes out and erases all redness in a way that no other product can.
I used to always use the balm after the aftershave but have found it works best after the Alum ( wait a while ) then apply a aftershave.
 
On most weekdays I cold water rinse and apply moisturiser, thats it.
I do use alum(always rinse after) or whitchazel(in a pumpy spray bottle) sometimes.

I always apply moisturiser first then cologne as the skin is protected from the alcohol which is just a carrier.

C
 
Manoflamancha said:
This morning it was cold rinse, apply alum block, allow to dry for say 2 minutes whilst cleaning up then further cold rinse followed by balm. Job done and face feeling great.
Tomorrow is another day and maybe another routine.I find post shave "fiddling" very enjoyable and my skin can take most things.

Edit to my routine: Prior to the first cold rinse I do a warm water rinse.
 
I've tried the alum-rinse-balm routine for a couple of days now and I must say It has worked very well. The cold rinse after the alum has dried really tightens the skin, I imagine I can actually feel my pores close. The rinse also seems to completely stop the alum from further interacting with the skin. This really makes all the difference, as just letting it dry completely (like I did in the past) always made my skin feel sore and very dry.

After the alum & cold rinse, the D.R.Harris milk replenishes all moisture lost during the shave. I do need a little more milk than without the alum though.
 
Hi Fido,

In HiFi terms I think of the razor as the Hi Fi itself, while the blades are the CD’s and the cream or soap is like the interconnecting leads, you do need all three to play anything but everything else is optional. In much the same way that a high end pair of speakers cannot make up for a poor source and gold plated interconnects can make a good sound even better, even the best skin conditioning products cannot make up for a blunt blade or bad lather but good balm can make a comfortable shave that little bit nicer. Given this I believe you need to take a balanced view and aim for decent products along with good technique across the whole shave.

I find some soaps are slightly more drying so I use a moisturiser when I use them. Some shaves a bit more raw for a number of reasons, I usually reach for the Dr Harris milk after those. I do not have a shave routine as such, although I do the same 2 pass with touch up and three pass shave with touch up at the weekend I adapt the products round the shave.

If I get up in the morning and am going to go eat first I will slap some Proraso pre/post on when I get up, if I am going to try a new blade I use a soap with high protection such as Tabac, when it is hot and humid outside I use different scents to the ones I use in the winter with the strong cold wind.

I guess if you are being really strict you do not need a brush, you do not need aftershave, moisturiser or alum, but they are nice to have. I chased the perfect shave routine for a long time working through nearly 40 types of blades, 25 different razors, 30 soaps and creams with a dozen brushes. Like you I took a methodical approach to systematically working through the permutations. I decided to start with blades so I bought an HD, a tub of good soap and an EJ brush keeping a spreadsheet to track how they faired compared of each other. I then tried razors followed by soaps and brushes.

I now realise there are probably more combinations than there are shaves, additionally some blades I scored highly are no longer available and some of the soaps have changed. On revisiting some of the products I thought were not so good I find that my improvement in technique changes my evaluation.

These days I do not keep such a precise track via a spreadsheet and now tend to work in group comparisons. About once a month I go to shave stash number two and pick out a few razors, some blades and about half a dozen soaps and creams. I take them to the bathroom cabinet and over the next few weeks I try different combinations paying attention to the good combinations that I am able to repeat to eliminate the flukes. The cream of the crop is noted and that gets carried over to next months selection. The ones I keep going back to I make sure I have stock of, and the ones I like only now and again I either PIF or do not replace when done. The ones I hate seem to sit there as I would not inflict them on anyone….anyone want a Wilkinson Sword soap bowl?....or perhaps some Dorco ST300s? or even better some other strange Indian made blades that will shave like a broken bottle?

The main point is that I do enjoy the pursuit of the perfect shaving combination and I realise it will probably never end. In the same way that I am nearly 38 and still attending education classes because I want to keep learning I know even when I have that perfect shave I will still look to see if I can better it.

Enjoy your journey, I do enjoy your reviews and thought provoking questions.
 
Now there's an insight! What a journey. By the time you reach my age you should really know what you are doing. During my working life the only thing that I took on in my spare time was competitive sport. In retirement I am playing catch up. Questioning people who know more than you do saves a lot of time. Your post was a joy to read. Thanks for taking the trouble.
 
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