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
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.
And yet, I have no signs of skin irritation from shaving, nor do I get the same reaction to sweat when I do a heavy exfoliating routine with a loofa or pumice.
Both shaving stones and alcohol are astringents. Both will strip oils out of your skin. Both prevent the burning sensation from the salt in sweat.
if your skin is burning from sweat, you absolutely do have signs of irritation. You can choose to believe whatever you want to believe, it’s your skin, idgaf.
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
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.
I hate to break it to you, but your face burning from sweat has nothing to do with your pores. It’s the skin irritation.
Know how I know this? Because your face doesn’t burn when you sweat at other times.
Know how I know that? Because pores aren’t painful, no matter how “open” they are. That’s not how pores work. Here’s the Simplest explanation I could find quickly.
Seriously, if your pores are painful, it isn’t from shaving.
And yet, I have no signs of skin irritation from shaving, nor do I get the same reaction to sweat when I do a heavy exfoliating routine with a loofa or pumice.
Both shaving stones and alcohol are astringents. Both will strip oils out of your skin. Both prevent the burning sensation from the salt in sweat.
if your skin is burning from sweat, you absolutely do have signs of irritation. You can choose to believe whatever you want to believe, it’s your skin, idgaf.