What to do this winter?

[Quarterstick]

Since the official start of fall is this Friday and we have had some distinctly cool weather in my neck of the woods, I have begun to consider my winter options for the ol' facial hair. Historically, since moving north, I would grow a full beard as the weather gets brisk. This has two advantages:

- Keeps the face warmer
- Avoids additional irritation from shaving due to cold, dry weather

Now that I have started all this wet shaving business and I am getting no irritation (at least from most shaves) I am left with the quandry of what do to do for this winter. I am leaning toward continuing to shave, but I am still concerned about the dry weather wreaking havoc on my face. Unfortunately I have not found a moisturizure my face gets along with. Any thoughts on shave products that could help or any other general advice for winter shaving?

[churchilllafemme]

Olivia's products (http://www.olivia-seife.de/) are quite moisturizing and nourishing for the skin. I especially like her winter type aftershave balm, for which you can choose whichever scent you want. I definitely think it would help to keep your skin from getting chapped or irritated.

[gil3591]

REALM aftershave balm. it's the bomb.

[Flash G]

I use D.R. Harris Aftershaving Milk during the winters with great effect.

[jww]

Coral Skin Food is a great winter skin product. Who am I kidding -- it's a great year-round skin product.

One thing that I do when I am outside and active is to apply some Dermatone skin protector. I use either SPF 18 or SPF 23, but they also have a z-cote product for sensitive skin protection against UV.

The SPF 18 is one outstanding product. My daughter and I are faithful users when we downhill ski. I also used it when I ran year-round (alas, due to ACL repair surgery my running days stopped 4 years back) -- I never feel that biting feeling of irritation from the wind when using these products. You only need a small amount to produce a protective layer -- it's fabulous stuff if you are active and a wet-shaver.

[Quarterstick]

Thanks for the suggestions thus far. Is aftershave balm different from a moisturizure? I have not had a lot of luck with various mosturizers. I have combination skin and they tend to cause me more problems than they fix, so I am somewhat cautious. I may seek out samples, if available, from the above.

[fallingwickets]

John

i took a look at the olivia website and ordered two bars...one churchill one plain.......hopefully the soaps are as good as you say they are.....facing another winter with cracked bleeding hands/skin is not something i am looking forward to

clive

[churchilllafemme]

Clive, I hope they work well for you. I haven't used the bars, but the balm has been wonderful. And Olivia herself doesn't hesitate to answer questions. If the bars aren't working well, ask her about what else to try, and she'll no doubt have suggestions.

[SRD]

Beards and great shaves are not mutually exclusive. I have a very trimmed beard that I have worn for almost 40 years and I still enjoy a 3 pass shave every day.

[maskaggs]

Beards and great shaves are not mutually exclusive. I have a very trimmed beard that I have worn for almost 40 years and I still enjoy a 3 pass shave every day.

+1. If I want to grow out a beard, I still very much enjoy the shaving process (if I grow it out, I make sure it stops just below the jawline). Not to mention being liberal with the aftershave means I get to enjoy the scent all day long.

[jww]

Thanks for the suggestions thus far. Is aftershave balm different from a moisturizure? I have not had a lot of luck with various mosturizers. I have combination skin and they tend to cause me more problems than they fix, so I am somewhat cautious. I may seek out samples, if available, from the above.

Hard to say. Balms tend to have scent/fragrance in them -- not always so with moisturizer. Some balms have some alcohol --- so that they evaporate as well as work into the skin. The few balms I have used over the years, tend to have restorative properties and some amount of astringence. Not so with moisturizers which will soak in, and sometimes leave a residue-ish feeling.

Can't talk to the actual pharmaceutical science of the differences, but there you have it.

[Quarterstick]

Beards and great shaves are not mutually exclusive. I have a very trimmed beard that I have worn for almost 40 years and I still enjoy a 3 pass shave every day.

+1. If I want to grow out a beard, I still very much enjoy the shaving process (if I grow it out, I make sure it stops just below the jawline). Not to mention being liberal with the aftershave means I get to enjoy the scent all day long.

Too true. I do sport a goatee year round and when I go full beard I do not get totally crazy mountain man; the neck and upper cheeks are shaved. I just dislike the thought of limiting what has become an enjoyable process to such small areas of my face. Also, I am working through the blade trials and some of my more challenging areas get covered up when I grow a beard (which was also another benefit of growing the beard out).

Hard to say. Balms tend to have scent/fragrance in them -- not always so with moisturizer. Some balms have some alcohol --- so that they evaporate as well as work into the skin. The few balms I have used over the years, tend to have restorative properties and some amount of astringence. Not so with moisturizers which will soak in, and sometimes leave a residue-ish feeling.

Can't talk to the actual pharmaceutical science of the differences, but there you have it.

This actually helps. I suspect it is the residue from mosturizers that causes the grief. I currenlty use Thayers as my aftershave and it works well for me. Some of these other options may be worth a shot. Of course it does come down to trial and error at some point.

Do not worry about getting scientific. It would proably have nudged a 737 as it sailed over my head.

Since you are the resident champion, how about MWF? Does it provide any additional protection given the lanolin? This of course assumes you can be objective.

[Squire]

Oh just give him an opening Andy, go ahead.

[Quarterstick]

I was actually being serious about the lanolin in MWF. I know it can be very benificial for hands if you do not have an allergy (which I am pretty sure I do not), but I was wondering if there was enough in MWF to help out with my face in the winter. I am looking to buy a something new to try as I have been pretty much sticking to one cream while I test out different blades.

[jww]

Lanolin has moisturizing features in it, but it's also the operative component that keeps sheep dry, oddly enough. Yet the fat loves hydration, and could well help you. It's worth a try -- because if you use it and don't like it, there are many here who would take it off your hands.

[Quarterstick]

Thank you Wendell. I think I may go this route as a start. I like to keep things somewhat minimal so if I can lather and protect in one all the better. However, the prices seem to vary pretty widely. Where do you get yours if you do not mind me asking?

[jww]

As we have family in England, and have traveled there quite frequently in recent years, I just get it direct from Mitchell's in Bradford. The best pricing I have seen is for the Kent OEM branded soap. It's the exact same product -- Mitchell's makes it for Kent -- it's reasonable off of the Kent eBay site last time I checked.

A couple of UK-based online dealers sell it at a reasonable cost as well -- connaughtshaving.com, I think was one. Another is carbolicsoap.com.

[brothers]

I highly recommend The Body Shop's Hemp Hand Protector for face and hands during the colder weather. It's a very good product. I'm assuming it hasn't been discontinued. Here's what it looks like:

[jww]

+1

The Body Shop still sells this stuff. It's the only hand cream that actually works for me without leaving my hands feeling greasy, and as a result, dirty.

[Quarterstick]

Thanks Gents, this is great info. I will be picking up a tube of this soon. I need to have a good hand cream come the winter, but I really dislike the greasy residue most hand creams leave. Currently I use Vaseline "aloe fresh hydrating" which works like a charm. However the smell leaves something to be desired, so I am looking for another option.