Stupid newbie question about post shave ritual.

Finski · Post by **Finski** » Fri Jun 30, 2006 9:56 pm

Let me preface this long-winded post by saying great site! I've been obsessed of late with the world of DE shaving and this forum is a wealth of information. I apologize in advance for asking a total newb question that has undoubtedly been discussed numerous times.

I recently read the msnbc article on the perfect shave and found myself drawn like a moth to a flame. I'm in the Air Force and have to shave everyday, unfortunately, I've always hated shaving and nothing really seems to work very well at all. Currently I jump between a Mach 3 and an electric of questionable quality.

While I don't have copious amounts of facial hair, (some would say I look like a 15 year old boy

) it is very quick growing and has the consistency of mechanical pencil lead.

I guess I got that from the Greek side of my family. This leads to harsh shaves and lots of ingrown hairs, which really suck.

Everything I've read has me hoping DE razors are the way to go. So I took the plunge and bought a Merkur Hefty Classic (HD), the C&E brush (the $35 one) and some Vulfix luxury shaving cream, in sandalwood. I hope I didn't bite off more than I can chew.

While I feel fairly confident in what I should strive for as far as technique, one part of the shave that has me completely perplexed is the post-shave regiment. I simply don't know where to start. Witch Hazel, balms, after-shave, lotions, colognes, etc, I can't make heads or tails of it.

Obviously, this is due to the fact that almost everyone here has a different post-shave ritual. This is because there are seemingly so many different products out there and personal preference/experience rule the day. I understand that no one would be able to give me a set-in-stone list of what I should do post-shave. I'm fine with that. I guess just some basic help as to what the purpose of all the different steps are for would be a huge help.

What really kills me is that I'm not aware of any place locally that I could peruse and sample goods. It would seem that I will end up just having to do a lot of reading and purchase items based on testimonials.

I don't know if it's important, but as I mentioned before I'm part Greek, but my skin seems 100% Greek. Olive tone, slightly oily, etc. I also don't have a heavy beard, if that matters to the post-shave regiment.

Thank you for your time.

msandoval858 · Post by **msandoval858** » Fri Jun 30, 2006 10:00 pm

There's lots of good products out there for aftershaves, and I'm sure everyone has a different opinion. Based your situation, check out your local Target for Proraso products, if you have one near by.

Mike

Finski · Post by **Finski** » Fri Jun 30, 2006 10:02 pm

Yeah. I'd love to have a Target nearby, as would my wife. Unfortunately, it's not the case.

kd7kip · Post by **kd7kip** » Fri Jun 30, 2006 10:10 pm

Well, where to begin...

I would suggest you contact Trumper's email and request a free sample of their Coral (rose scented) and Limes Skin Foods. I really don't think you can go wrong with these products, except that they're a bit spendy. They are gentle, smell good and provide a bit of soothing moisture. I consider skin food an essential and use it every single day. It would be almost the last product I would give up (next to shaving creme).

Another option, go to Target and get Proraso aftershave balm. It’s a milky white liquid in a bottle, and is fairly cheap. Very good, soothing, smells fine, and contains a bit of witch hazel.

Speaking of Witch Hazel: I use a strong version as an antiseptic, and to remove remaining lather. It’s certainly not necessary. I like the burn it gives my face, but is probably not everyone's cup of tea.

There are certainly a plethora of other products I could suggest (Truefitt & Hill, D.R. Harris, etc.) but you need to start somewhere, and I would suggest the above. Then, as your needs, interests, and finances allow, branch out and enjoy...

-Scott

EDITED FOR GIN&TONIC INDUCED BLATHER

JimT · Post by **JimT** » Fri Jun 30, 2006 10:18 pm

Unfortunately, you will have to find what works for you since shave cream, soap, and aftershave preferences are highly subjective. I have slightly oily skin too and I use Thayers Lemon Witch Hazel as my more frequent daily aftershave. It has a natural light refreshing scent, soaks into your skin without leaving any sticky residue, and contains aloe to moisturize. The small amount of alcohol in the product does not bother me. It is available at Whole Foods market and at about $0.85/oz (including 8.25% local tax), it is a very good value. The nicer aftershaves discussed in this forum can get to be pricey on a $/oz basis. I prefer the Thayer Lemon over the Thayer Rose Petal Witch Hazel. Good luck.

See www.thayers.com for more information.

JimT

ThomasB · Post by **ThomasB** » Fri Jun 30, 2006 10:34 pm

Hi Finski and welcome - My post shave is to rinse well with cold water
to close the pores, pat dry and apply a liberal amount of Nivea For Men
Balm (in the white box/bottle). Feels great and doesn't really smell
which works well when I put on my cologne (which is either Old Spice
Original, Mennen Skin Bracer, or AquaVelva (blue).
Try different things and find what works for you.
Good luck - and good shaving

notthesharpest · Post by **notthesharpest** » Fri Jun 30, 2006 10:55 pm

My solution is unorthodox. I rinse with warm water, then I rinse again with cold water if I feel like it, get dry, and then I put on my shirt. My day goes just fine.

designwise1 · Post by **designwise1** » Sat Jul 01, 2006 12:06 am

I used to hate shaving, too. It has become an obsession now, though. I realy enjoy every shave. It seems hard to believe at first that you'll spend more time than ever doing something you hate. That will change. Trust me...

My post shave goes like this:
After my last pass with the razor, I rinse the remaining shving cream off with hot water. Then I splash on cold water. Next, I splash on witch hazel. Since last October I have applied Trumper Limes Skin Food as a final layer but I have a bottle of their Coral Skin Food on the way (just for variety). I paid about $23 for the bottle but I still have half a bottle of the Limes left as you only need to use a drop or two (so really it's a bargain).
Welcome and enjoy.

scarface911 · Post by **scarface911** » Sat Jul 01, 2006 12:09 am

My post shave ritual is a hybrid of the above mentioned.

I usually wash my face with cold water to close the pores as mentioned above.

Then I apply my aftershave of choice, usually Proraso variations or Thayers Witch hazel.

Finally like "ks7kip" I always follow up with Coral or Limes Skin food from Geo F Trumper. It soothes my skin very quickly and leaves my face feeling baby soft.

Some people will use moisturizer afterwards but I personally don’t as I have oil skin and it tends to leave my ace shiny. Intstead I use a night time moisturizer before I go to bed and it works good for me.

Like others have said, send a email to Trumpers and Truefitt and Hill they will send you a generous bag of goodies to try out before you plunk down your money. Be sure to ask Trumpers for the Coral and Limes skin food. Though they maybe small bottles, a little should go a long way. Also the larger 100ml bottles may seem expensive but you should easily be able to get 6 months out of it and some can even get a year.

Welcome to the Forum and Good Luck!

jww · Post by **jww** » Sat Jul 01, 2006 6:23 am

My post shaving ritual is easy and simple. Rinse with lots of hot water, then rinse with lots of cold water - as hot and as cold as I can stand. Pat the skin dry, the apply some Limes Skin food. Either skin food (Limes or Rose) is excellent - it is astringent so it helps close the pores, and is a nice base for a moisterizer, which is my final step - either an aftershave gel or moisterizer, depending on the weather outside.

jww

Laney1566 · Post by **Laney1566** » Sat Jul 01, 2006 7:29 am

Hey Finski,
Saw far I have seen 2 suggestions that I use as well.

After the last stroke of the blade, apply warm-hot water to your face to get the extra cream/soap off then immediately splash on cold water to close the pores. You can clean your brush first and use it to clean your face with the hot water if you like. If you use a hot towel in your pre-shave routine, by the time you finish shaving the towel will be cool and that can be helpful as well.
Now it starts to get murky as what to do next.
Some use astringent...I use an alum block on the sensative parts of my face that might be irritated or spot bleeding. Of course keep a styptic if you get a cut.

The rest depends on your face. Before DE shaving I used to get ingrown hairs all the time. Not any more. Keep in mind it takes your face a while to adjust to any new shave process.
I have no input for the products you have chosen because I have never used them, but they are liked by others in this forum so they must be fairly good.
Aftershave........Alcohol or no alcohol. Splash-on lotions are usually alcohol based. Some hate the burn while others like myself love it for some strange reason. I use it when I know I have had a great shave, which is most of the time. If my face feels irritated, then I go for non-alcohol balms to sooth the irritation.
Always if you can, smell the product before you buy. Some products that one guy might recommend could be horrid smelling to you.
Main thing for me is to keep my face as dry as possible for as long as I can after a shave. Sweat on a freshly shaven face can cause irritation even if the shave was good. Pat any irritated spots dry, do not rub.
Good luck in finding the products that work best for you.

Gatorade · Post by **Gatorade** » Sat Jul 01, 2006 7:59 am

OK. One more to weigh in on this. My post shave treatment is usually something along the lines of a Balm aftershave as I like the moisturizing effect. As far as alcohol based aftershave I do use them occasionaly but wouldn't reccomend them for someone with sensative skin.

I guess the only genral tip would be to use something with a moisturizer factor. Make use of the sample thread and get some to try them out. Process of elimination.

Finski · Post by **Finski** » Sat Jul 01, 2006 1:15 pm

Thanks for all the help and the quick responses guys. I appreciate it.

Looks like I'll be sending some emails requesting some samples.

Gatorade, do you have a link to the sample thread you speak of? I have a hard time searching for it because it seems I can't search just the thread title, so a search for "Sample" returns all sorts of stuff, as you can imagine.

ShavetheBadger · Post by **ShavetheBadger** » Sat Jul 01, 2006 2:37 pm

Check out the shopping forum, the second article down marked "sticky-sample request emails" or something like that.

For my aftershave I occasionally use Trumpers line "Skin Food" or Origins or Origins line "Firefighter".

As for the order of applying layer of products, I don't know because I only use one.

Good luck,

Matt