So I dropped into my local barber supply shop today (I do it regularly - sometimes they have Merkur razors on hand, and they have a few old school products). They have the entire line of Masters aftershaves, and I figured I finally needed a Bay Rum aftershave splash. While there, I also noticed they had a few hair tonics, and since my bottle of Jeris had run out, I thought I might look into getting another. They had a Lucky Tiger special collection (I think that is what it is called), and a Stephan's, but I didn't like the smell of either. They did have some Jeris in back, so I got that. But then I remembered that the last time I got my hair cut (I get it cut really short - a number 2 clipper attachment all around), my barber had rubbed my head with what I believed was Masters Topaz - a very nice old school barbershop smell. I asked the clerk if Masters makes hair tonics, and she said no. I then told her of my experience, and asked if hair tonics and aftershaves were interchangeable. She said no, two completely different products. So I left the store with my two purchases happily in tow. But when I got in the car, I compared ingredients - for both, it was water, SD alcohol 40, and glycerin. The Jeris also contained boric acid. Other than that, the only differences were the fragrances, and the Jeris had some added coloring. So my question to you hair tonic gurus (assuming there are some) is this - is there a difference between hair tonic and aftershaves (the splashes, that is)? Can you use them interchangeably? Is it just the Jeris that seems to be identical? Does it have anything to do with boric acid? Jumping the gun on this, I decided to rub my noggin down with the Masters Bay Rum - I love bay rum, and have been trying to find a place locally that sells a good bay rum hair tonic. Now my head is one big ball of bay rumminess.
Good question. I always ask that when I look at my bottle of Osage Rub because it says for face and head? Bald head? or hairy head? I was interested in hair tonics as well and noticed that many had mineral oil in them and some did not. I have just been Brylcreem instead with good results. I believe Charliec is pretty knowledgable about the tonics. I think most people here dont have hair though My last petition for a haircare section got shot down b/c of lack of interest and/or hair
Since I cut my hair short, I like the tonic for the scent on my noggin. When it gets longer, I put a little Pinaud hair gel in to keep it from sticking out in every direction. I typically don't get the Jeris with oil - I don't know how much it will slick down my hair, which I don't like. I like hair care products that keep my hair under control without making it look wet or greasy.
I can't speak to your tonic/AS question, but I would like to address another part of your post. First, you're correct in that Master Topaz is heavenly stuff. Very sweet and powdery. This stuff smells great on the skin. The Bay Rum is softer and subdued when compared to Pinaud so it's worth having for the differences. Also try the Lord and Master. A more pungent w/ powder scent that smells great too. Next, don't discount Stephan out of hand. Not sure which one you sniffed but their Island Lime and Lilac are both very nice splashes. They go on light and fragrant and smell exactly as labeled. They are not traditional AS's in the sense of soothing and moisturizing, but as a scented body splash they work great. They also offer a bit of burn when applied after the shave so the alcohol is present if you like that. I enjoy using both during the summer months.
The Stephan stuff was some kind of hair tonic - something to do with dandruff control. As for the Masters Bay Rum, I like it much more than the Pinaud. The Pinaud, to me, had far too much clove and cinnamon, and, oddly, smelled of black olives when I applied it. I didn't much care for it. I much prefer the Masters. In fact, to me, it smelled very similar to the TOBS Bay Rum, which is one of my favorite Bay Rums out there - that makes the Masters all the better, since it is something like a 15 oz. bottle for only $5.95! Great value. Maybe next time I'll pick up a bottle of the Topaz. They had a deal on Masters products - something like buy 3, get 1 free. If anybody is in the Columbus area, you should check out Columbus Barber and Beauty Supply. It is on North High Street, just north of East 1st Avenue. They don't have a ton of things, but they do have the Masters line of aftershaves, Jeris Hair Tonic, some Col. Conk soaps, an Omega boar brush, and periodically they have Merkur razors.
Howdy! I was a shoe shine jockey in a barbershop when I was about 12. On slow days during the summer I got to see everything the barber did during a haircut and shave. He used Jeris Hair Tonic (the green liquid) for after shave lotion. After a haircut he applied first Wildroot and then a splash or two of Jeris to the hair, massaged it in, then combed the customer's hair. I used Jeris and Jeris with Oil a few times growing up, but have not since then. I am trying out some of the Clubman products lately. Always, Gene
Most (splash) aftershaves are just alcohol with a bit of dye and scent. Hair tonics usually have either PEG, PPG, or glycerin as their active ingredient(that's about the only difference between a tonic without oil and an aftershave). A few aftershaves include glycerin, however, so it's not quite cut an dry. Basically, I wouldn't use any hair tonic with peg or ppg as an aftershave (they won't help, and aren't suggested for use on broken skin, and the whole point of an aftershave is to help heal broken skin) , or any aftershave without glycerin as a tonic, but the ones with glycerin should be fairly usable for both purposes, generally, regardless of what they are called on the label. That's why some guys use aqua velva as a hair tonic, for example.
