I prefer alcohol based aftershave.

I've never used aftershave and I don't know why I would. What's it even supposed to do? Whether I use a shaver or a razor the difference is the same. My hairs just gone.

28

I'm in this camp. I also do not understand the purpose of aftershave.

8
- Primarily it's to disinfect all the microcuts that shaving causes, which helps prevent breakouts, redness, and itchiness.
  
  21
- Liking the smell is probably a primary reason. Otherwise, if you have really dry skin, it can help with moisturizing. Most shaving creams are nothing special: It's just a fancy soap that may have additional lubricants in it. Soap will generally dry your skin.
  
  I think people with other specific skin conditions need to use it to prevent redness or additional irritation. Not sure about that though.
  
  There are hundreds of different formulations for all of this stuff and hundreds of different skin types, so this is just a generalization.
  
  5
- I get these jumbo zit and ingrown hair combo bumps all over my shave zone if I don't use it. It started when I reached my 30s and before that I often did patial shave without shaving cream.
  
  2
- It closes the pores. A warm shave will open the pores making them open for dirt and ingrown hair etc., so it's a good idea to close them again.
  
  Cold water will do the same.
  
  1
I get massive breakouts after shaving, unless I finish it off with a lotion. I'm guessing aftershave is the same general idea.

6
- I just stopped clean shaving. I use a trimmer to buzz my beard down as short as it will go and that's it. No more terrible acne.
  
  8
The need for it varies greatly from person to person. I personally don't use anything and have never felt a need for it, but I have friends for whom aftershave products (I couldn't tell you if they're alcohol based or not) do reduce razor burn and the like.

2
- Would just washing your face produce a similar effect?
  
  1
It keeps my skin form breaking out, and it helps close up any nicks I may have given myself.

2
Supposedly it's about closing the pores. I kinda think it's a myth level thing.

Now, a good moisturizer to keep the skin nice, and maybe a little something to reduce shave irritation is good thing, but that's not where aftershave got its start in the form this post is talking about.

That kind of aftershave, ala aquavelva is a fairly recent thing, having come into existence during the early 1900s. There were absolutely other aftershave products before that, at least as far back as the 1700s, and they often contained alcohol (along with other lovely things like potassium cyanide), but it wasn't quite the same thing.

Before that era you still had things used after shaving, usually to reduce irritation. There's records in Egypt going back to B.C. eras describing the use of oils and balms for such. Same in China, India, pretty much anywhere people shaved amd kept written records of some kind.

But the advent of what we think of as aftershave when speaking english came around after affordable steel razors matched up with a general social trend that made shaving the default. Alas, those razors were not always well made or well maintained, and there is a skill to shaving with them. So skin irritation was a common thing, hence the market booming.

Nowadays, people have realized that dumping a liquid that dries out skin (alcohol) onto freshly scraped flesh is not ideal. So we have better options ( not surprisingly, the trend is to things closer to the centuries old supplies than anything else)

A good safety razor, disposable multi-blade, or well maintained electric razor aren't going to abuse skin much, assuming basic care is taken. Even a well kept straight razor and some practice can give a clean, low-to-no irritation shave, though the learning curve is still there for both the shaving and the razor maintenance.

If one's skin isn't bothered by the shave, bothering with products afterwards is not necessary, though it can be pleasant

1
- Supposedly it’s about closing the pores. I kinda think it’s a myth level thing.
  
  It's not.
  
  I wet shave with a safety razor. I change my blade no less often than every 3 shaves. I use Feather Platinum blades, and Proraso shaving soap (I've tried a few others, but Proraso seems to do the best at making a good, slippery lather for me). I failed to use my alum shaving block--same principle as an aftershave--immediately before heading outside to do physical labor in 85F heat. My skin was burning from sweat; it was incredibly unpleasant. I've done the same thing before except with the shaving block, and have had no issues.
  
  1

I'm 39 and still do the Home Alone scream when putting on aftershave even if it doesn't actually burn.

13

Nothing unpopular here, imo.

I am with you on that!

9

Weird. Basically anyone who learns I use alcohol based aftershave just looks at me weird and asks "doesn't that burn?" Yeah, that's kinda the point. I haven't met anyone else that uses the alcohol based stuff anymore other than my dad.

6

I still prefer the full caveman mode of not shaving. But yeah when I shaved regularly I used alcohol based after shave.

not exactly full caveman I still keep it somehow groomed.

5

I wish I could do that. Unfortunately my beard has a massive bald patch right under my chin and there's no way to make that look good. I can grow a mean pedo-stache though if I ever lost my mind and decided to do that.

2

Used aftershave before but always had irritated burning skin and switched to just a non aftershave moisturizer at my wife's advice. For me feels better and no more red irritated skin. Since I have a beard I only shave above the beard line, after that I use the wife's moisturizer. Keeps the skin under the beard healthy too.

3

This thread is making me want to try some aftershave

2

I've gone full grizzly Adams since becoming disabled because my skin hates shaving, and hated alcohol based aftershave even more. But I get what you're talking about.

I agree that it has become an unpopular practice, and thus an unpopular opinion, as well.

That being said, if the product you're using is greasy, it's the wrong stuff.

2

I'm an Aqua Velva man but years ago (before some of you were born) there was this cooling aftershave gel that was fantastic. Forget who made it. Maybe Old Spice? It must have had alcohol and maybe aloe or something. Sadly discontinued. If I like it, they always discontinue it. 😐

2

Have you tried an after-shave stone?

2

Is that like the 3 sea shells?

3
- No, it's alum. Like alcohol, it's am astringent.
  
  1

On the balls too?

2

Sure, why not. It feels minty.

1
- 😂 you're fun
  
  I haven't tried that yet, have you? I usually just trim @ #1
  
  1

Heck yeah, small burning feeling but then youre done with it

2

I just use facial moisturizer, because I don't want to look old.

1

There are also more people who can agree on the next step than the ultimate vision and you have to win elections to ever have either.

1