OK, we all know aftershave is to act as astringent and to clean pores of bacteria. Some may also apply it to soother the skin or help in healing. I assume there are many to nearly all aftershaves that fulfill these basic requirements. That said, Do you have a single aftershave that you always use or do you have several? Why do you use the one/several? Do you just pick the cheapest or is it a status thing? O you have problem skin and selected the one that helps you the best? Do you find only one to work well or do you have several brands that help[ you? Is the scent the primary motivator? If it is, for how long after applied can you still smell it? do you supplement with a cologne? Any other reason you chose the one/s you use are appreciated. thanks
I don't typically wear cologne, so I wear a little aftershave for a light scent. Usually just enough so that you have to be close to me to smell it, so normally only my wife and kids really know I am wearing it. I usually detect the scent for several hours after I apply it. I have several I wear, more than I should really admit. My favorites offer have a little glycerin or similar to help provide some moisture as well.
When I was a little boy, and that was a long, long time ago; Gaetano the italian barber always gave me a bazooka bubblegum for holding still. I was getting a haircut in my early teens and he suddenly applied hot shaving cream to my sideburns, around my ears and nape of neck. I felt the straight razor clean up new whiskers and fine hair in unwanted places soon to replace hair in wanted. Then he applied aftershave, leaned over and said ' no more bubblegum for you SIR ( replacing young man.) I walked out vaguely conscious of a right of passage somewhere between my first kiss, drivers license and getting drunk for the first time on a bottle of gin I cut with water to refill and hide my sin. I walked around for 30 minutes wondering how many smelled the aftershave and took me for a peer.
Postscript: real men use scent. The olfactory system is a sense sensible people of refinement use to measure each other, what is cooking and a change in the weather. I buy what I like with the only consideration not to overwhelm the scent of a woman. Did I mention I tango?
Morticia inspired that first mysterious striring in my loins. An argentine nieghbor and a stack of old Carlos Gardel records later and Valentino had nothing on me.
I like Old Spice because my dad used it and it reminds me of being a kid again. I like Lather & Wood aftershave balm due to mainly the smell. I love the outdoors and this seems more natural to me than the Caffeine balm I use from time to time that smells like double mint gum. Sent from my VS990 using Tapatalk
I use perfume/cologne as a scent and AS for skin care, after shave care. My preferred aftershaves are Lucky Tiger and Speick for their effect on my skin and that the will not interfere with the scent I choose for the day.
For decades of shaving with a cart I never owned an aftershave. Since learning to use a shavette, a straight razor, enjoying many vintage Gillette DE's and Schick injectors I've allowed my peers to influence me. Canoe aftershave I save for when a certain Lady friend visits. It was a gift from her. The only AS for which I also have a matching EDT. Pinaud products; Lilac Vegetol, Clubman, & Special Reserve are great for an alcohol splash and a long lasting scent. Osage Rub for a chilling menthol. Large bottles are inexpensive and available locally. Hoping to entice a vendor to stock Citrus Musk & Lime Sec. Vintage Avon AS provides some classic smell alike scents from days gone by at flea market prices; Wild Country, Leather, Oland, Bravo. Old Spice, both vintage Shulton and new P&G are classics. I'm watching for the vintage lime at a good price. Murray & Lanman's Florida Water is a historic product. Recently purchased Proraso Refresh Lotion - it's a light scent & leaves a great moisturizing face feel. I'm fortunate to suffer from no allergies or reactions from the many I enjoy. I've tried to use an AS that compliments the scent of the soap I used that shave.
I use an aftershave because my wife likes it. I don't do colognes because they last too long. It is just a nice way to end a shave.
Like others, AS is all I use. Until I got into questo cosa nostra all I used was Aramis. Now I've got several. I like 'em all.
...or NO stink. I regularly use Fine's aftershave tonic, Snake Bite, as it is scent-less yet packs a refreshing wallop of alcohol and menthol ("chill & burn"). The post-shave balms I tend to gravitate towards usually match the scent of the shave soap (Route 66, Soap Commander, Crowne & Crane) and some are mentholated.
I tend to pinaud clubman or old spice in the morning, as it just makes me feel manly. In the afternoon when I actually shave, I wear something my fiancee likes. It's a nice compromise, because she doesn't care for Pinaud or the Spice's "Old man smell."
First and foremost reason is I like the alcohol burn. That said, on occasion especially in Winter, I'll use a post shave balm. I rotate through Pinaud Clubman, VIBR, Special Reserve (not much burn though), Ogallala Bay Rum, Mennen Skin Bracer (used that every day for over 35 years), Barbasol Brisk, Proraso Green splash, Aqua Velva Ice Blue, Aqua Velva Musk.