I saw this stuff earlier in the week at a local Walmart. It was about $5 but had a $2 coupon with it, so for about $3 I thought I would give it a try. Overall, I like this product. The consistency is more of a cream than a balm, which I like because it does a good job of moisturizing my skin after a shave. It doesn't take too long to absorb either. It's got a fresh, floral scent that doesn't overpower your cologne and it dissipates after about an hour. For the price, I think I found my new go-to aftershave balm.
I've read good things about this balm so far. For the price, it sounds like it's hard to beat. Have you tried using it along with the splash? Sounds like the balm has a very different scent so I wonder if they would clash with one another.
I haven't because I use a cologne daily (CK One and Davidoff Cool Water, alternating each day), so I only use a balm and/or a moisturizing cream after the shave to avoid clashing scents.
I didn't either.....I'm stickin with what began in 1935(as an aftershave, that is...don't get me staaaated on its history as a mouthwash)
According to Directions for me dot org, the ingredients are: Water, Glycerin, Mineral Oil, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Dimethicone, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Panthenol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Colloidal Oatmeal, Sodium Benzoate, Fragrance, Cellulose Gum, Carbomer, Salicylic Acid, Sodium Polyacrylate, Sodium Hydroxide (RD-005155). if they wanted to put out a decent product, they could have left out the mineral oil and dimethicone. If you mixed your own glycerin, jojoba oil, a bit of petroleum jelly (Vaseline) as a thickener, water, alcohol, salicylic acid and a drop of an essential oil for fragrance, you might be better off.
Then just stick with a bottle of Nivea Sensitive Aftershave Balm. It's better than all the chemicals they're throwing into the AV AS balm.
If you want natural, pure Aloe vera gel or unrefined shea butter are your best bet. Could also get some witch hazel and add some essential oil or even a splash of cologne or aftershave depending on what scent you want it to have.
Why does the presence of mineral oil or dimethicone preclude it being a "decent product"? Why is mineral oil (crude petroleum distallate) better than Vaseline (also crude petroleum derived)? Neither oil product nor silicone (dimethicone)are absorbed by the live part of skin, and are basically harmless as they coat the skin to retain moisture.
If you watch the superstars of shaving on Youtube, many use all three as a post shave option. First the witch hazel, then the aftershave and finally the balm. I think many would rather not use products derived from petroleum, especially those of us with oily skin. Although I use products with dimethicone (Nivea shaving cream in the tube for one), I would prefer not to. Besides the fact that chemicals like this build up on shaving brush bristles over time and need a real thorough cleaning to get them off, there are quite a few warnings about dimethicone blocking natural oils. It's also not biodegradable. By blocking the pores, it interferes with the elimination of toxins and is also on some lists of toxic chemicals to avoid: http://ohaskin.com/top-10-toxic-ingredients-avoid/ "The European Union has found D4 to be an endocrine disruptor based on evidence it interferes with human hormone function and as a possible reproductive toxicant that may impair human fertility." https://www.annmariegianni.com/ingr...the-smoothing-silicone-that-exacerbates-acne/" Mineral oil, when not washed off has been known to have toxic properties (although it's considered benign in some animal laxative meds, this next link has me wondering): http://articles.mercola.com/sites/a.../is-your-moisturizer-causing-skin-cancer.aspx
I'll probably pick up a tube of this and Nivea SB. As for how bad mineral oil is; it's the primary ingredient in baby oil. You can put it on your baby, but not on your face in smaller amounts? I am an environmental scientist and I've thought it was funny that people worry a trace amount (super tiny) of arsenic in the water and you'll get higher concentrations in natural foods we eat. If your ever curious how safe or the pollution in you area, check out Scorecard.org
Could be when its was made...they just put the product out the last few month. I doubt they'd have on that expires in 2016
After using this product for a while, I'm a bit disappointed in the results I get. For one thing, I get a burn when putting it on, which is a bit strange for a balm. Then I noticed that I would get some weepers after I put on the balm, which I didn't have prior to the balm. I've never had that with any other balm or skin cream used after the shave. So I'm going to use what I have left and then stop using the stuff.