Nice shave combination

[Audiolab]

Also, what does the witch hazel / toner do that the alum doesn't? Do you need to use both?

You don't need to use both, you probably don't NEED to either to be honest, it is a preference. To me the Toner is different to Alum but I am not sure chemically what the differences are, if you asked a woman about skin care the mantra is usually cleanse tone and moisturise. The soap from shaving is effectively a cleanse and the alum is a sort of toner but there is an overlap between the Alum block and a liquid toner, to a large extent they are doing a very similar job.

I just like the cooling ingredients added to Thayers, they seem to work well for me.

 

[lagaffe]

My folks are off to stay with my sister in the States next week for three weeks - I'm creating a wee wants-list for them including a big bottle of Thayers and a few Pinaud Clubman products.