Most men learned aftershave from a father slapping something green on his face and wincing. The wince was the alcohol. The green was a choice. Neither is the point of aftershave, and the stuff we finish a hot towel shave with does not sting at all.
Aftershave does three jobs: it cleans the skin a blade just scraped, it calms the irritation the blade caused, and it puts moisture back into skin that lather and hot water stripped. A splash does the first job with alcohol and makes the second two worse. A balm does all three without the burn, which is why every hot towel shave at Deja Vu ends with an aftershave balm and not a splash.
What aftershave actually does
A shave is a controlled injury. The blade removes hair and, with it, a thin layer of the skin’s surface, leaving thousands of tiny abrasions and open follicles. Aftershave is the first aid for that: it cleans the surface, soothes the irritation, and replaces the moisture the shave took.
Traditional aftershave is an antiseptic. The alcohol kills bacteria on the surface so nicks and open follicles do not get infected. That was a good idea in a barbershop in 1920 and it is still a fine idea in principle. The problem is that alcohol also dries and irritates the skin, so the product that stops infection also prolongs the redness. Modern balms keep the cleaning and soothing and drop the alcohol, using ingredients like witch hazel, aloe and glycerin instead.
There is a fourth job people assume and that aftershave does not really do: close the pores. Pores do not open and close like doors. A cool rinse tightens the skin’s surface briefly and an astringent makes it feel tight, but the lasting benefit of aftershave is the moisture, not the tightening.
The timing matters as much as the product. The skin is most open and most vulnerable in the first two or three minutes after the last pass. Aftershave applied then does its work; aftershave applied after you have dressed, found your keys and checked the weather is a moisturizer on skin that has already started to dry and redden. Rinse, pat, apply. Then do everything else.
The four types of aftershave
Splash, lotion, balm and gel. They sit on a spectrum from most alcohol and least moisture to least alcohol and most moisture. The table says which to use when.
| Type | Alcohol | Feel | Best for | Avoid if |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Splash | High | Thin, stings, dries fast | Oily skin, humid weather, men who like the burn | Dry or sensitive skin, razor burn |
| Lotion | Moderate | Light, slight sting | Normal skin, a middle ground | Skin that reddens easily |
| Balm | Low or none | Cream, absorbs in a minute | Dry, sensitive or razor bump prone skin; most men over 30 | Very oily skin in summer, use less |
| Gel | Low or none | Cooling, lighter than balm | Oily skin that still wants moisture | Very dry skin, which wants a balm |
The quick rule: if your skin is red for an hour after shaving, you are using too much alcohol, and the fix is one row down the table. If your skin is oily and the balm feels heavy, go one row up. Most of the office clients we shave land on balm, and it is what the shave ends with here.
Why aftershave burns, and whether it should
It burns because of alcohol on broken skin. The shave left thousands of small abrasions; the alcohol hits every one. That is the whole explanation, and it is not a sign the product is working. It is a sign the product is irritating skin that was already irritated.
The sting became a ritual because the old splashes were the only option, and a generation of men decided the burn was the feeling of being clean. It is not. Witch hazel cleans without it. Aloe soothes without it. A balm with those and no alcohol leaves the skin as clean and far less red. If you miss the sensation, a menthol balm gives a cool tingle with none of the drying. If your skin is very oily and you like a splash in August, use one; just know the burn is a cost, not a benefit.
Balm vs a regular moisturizer
They overlap, and a good balm is a moisturizer built for freshly shaved skin. The difference is what is left out and what is added. It is not a beard balm either, which our guide on beard balm vs beard oil covers.
A post shave balm leaves out fragrance, or keeps it light, because fragrance on open follicles stings and sometimes causes a rash. It adds soothing ingredients a daily moisturizer does not bother with: witch hazel to clean and calm, aloe for redness, sometimes allantoin or chamomile. And it is usually lighter than a night cream, so it absorbs in a minute and does not shine under office lights. A plain fragrance free moisturizer is an acceptable substitute if you have nothing else. A heavy face cream with perfume is not, and a body lotion is worse.
Ingredients to look for, and to avoid
Read the first five ingredients. That is where the product is. Everything after that is a trace.
Look for
- Witch hazel: a mild natural astringent that cleans and calms without alcohol’s burn.
- Aloe vera: the standard soothing ingredient for redness and heat.
- Glycerin: pulls moisture into the skin and holds it there.
- Shea butter or jojoba oil: replaces the oils the lather stripped; good for dry skin.
- Allantoin or chamomile: calming, common in sensitive skin formulas.
Avoid, or go light on
- Alcohol denat high on the list: that is a splash, whatever the label says.
- Heavy fragrance: the main cause of post shave rash in men who think they have sensitive skin.
- Menthol in large amounts if your skin is already red; a little cools, a lot irritates.
If you get razor bumps, which are ingrown hairs rather than irritation, the aftershave is only half the fix; the other half is the shave itself. Our guide to getting rid of razor bumps overnight covers both halves.
How to apply aftershave
Cool rinse, pat dry, a small amount, pressed in rather than rubbed. Five steps, one minute, and the skin looks shaved rather than attacked by lunchtime.
- Rinse the face with cool water after the last pass to remove lather and take the heat down. Not cold, cool.
- Pat dry with a clean towel. Do not rub; rubbing a freshly shaved face is a second shave.
- Put a dime to a nickel sized amount of balm in your palm and warm it between your hands for a few seconds.
- Press it into the shaved areas, cheeks, lip, chin, neck, with the flat of the fingers. Pressing avoids dragging the skin.
- Wait a minute before anything else goes on the face. Sunscreen or moisturizer after, if you use them. Cologne goes on the neck or wrist, never on the shaved skin.
If you use a splash by choice, the same steps apply, but use less and keep it off the neck, where the skin is thinnest and the grain is most likely to have caused irritation. If the splash burns for more than a few seconds, the skin is telling you something.
A four step morning routine
For a man shaving at home before a Midtown commute, the whole post shave routine fits in two minutes and four steps. One, cool rinse and pat dry. Two, balm, pressed in, a nickel sized amount. Three, sixty seconds for it to absorb, which is about the time it takes to put a shirt on. Four, sunscreen if you wear it, applied over the balm, not instead of it. Cologne, if any, on the collar or the wrist. That is the entire routine, and it is the same four steps the barber follows at the end of a hot towel shave, minus the cool towel, which is the one thing a bathroom sink cannot do as well as a chair. What comes before the blade is in our guide on whether to shave before or after the shower.
Is aftershave necessary, and can you use it without shaving?
Necessary is a strong word, but skipping it is a bad trade. Without it, the skin stays tight and dry for a few hours, the redness lasts longer, and small nicks and open follicles are left to whatever is on the towel. A balm costs seconds and solves all three. Men with oily skin who shave every day and never get irritated can skip it on an ordinary day; nobody else should.
Can you use it without shaving? A balm, yes, as a light moisturizer on days you do not shave. A splash, no; there is no reason to put alcohol on skin that has not been shaved, and it will only dry it. Some men use witch hazel based balms on a trimmed beard line to calm the edge after a line up, which is sensible, since a $18 line up and edge up uses a razor on exactly the skin aftershave was made for.
Aftershave for acne prone skin
Shaving over active breakouts is a bad idea in the first place, because the blade opens them, but for men who break out around the jaw and neck the aftershave choice makes a difference. Skip the heavy balm with shea butter, which can sit in the pores, and skip the high alcohol splash, which dries the surface and makes the skin produce more oil to compensate. A light gel or a thin balm with witch hazel and aloe, fragrance free, is the middle ground. Some men do well with a balm that lists salicylic acid, which keeps the follicles clear; if your skin is sensitive, published guidance suggests introducing it slowly and asking a dermatologist if the breakouts persist. And shave with the grain only, which lowers the chance the follicle gets inflamed to begin with.
Why the hot towel shave ends with balm
Because the shave before it was built to calm the skin, and a splash of alcohol at the end would undo the work. The hot towel shave at Deja Vu is about 30 minutes: warm towels to soften the hair and open the surface, brushed lather, a straight razor with the grain, and then a cool towel and an aftershave balm pressed in. The balm is the step that lets a man walk back to a desk on Park Avenue with no redness, which matters more at 1pm on a Tuesday than it does on a Sunday.
The Royal Shave, $50 and about 45 minutes, adds extended hot towel steps on either side of the razor, and ends the same way. Both are on our hot towel shaves page with what is included. If you want to know what the blade is doing before the balm goes on, our post on how to shave with a straight razor walks through the barber’s side of the chair.
Get a shave that ends right at Deja Vu Barbershop
Deja Vu Barbershop is at 101 E 34th St between Park and Lexington in Murray Hill, two minutes from the 6 train at 33rd Street and about eight from Grand Central. Every barber is New York State licensed, every razor and workstation is sanitized between clients, and every hot towel shave, $35, ends with a cool towel and an aftershave balm rather than a burn. The Royal Shave is $50, and the Royal Treatment adds a beard trim for $60.
Hours are Monday to Friday 8am to 7pm and Sunday 10am to 5pm, closed Saturday. Walk ins are always welcome, or book online. Call (212) 576-1062 if you have a question before you come in.
Questions readers ask
Should aftershave sting?
No. The sting is alcohol on freshly shaved skin, and it dries and irritates rather than helps. A balm with witch hazel and aloe cleans and calms without it.
What is the difference between aftershave balm and lotion?
Alcohol and weight. A lotion has some alcohol and a light feel with a slight sting; a balm has little or none and a cream texture that rehydrates. Dry or sensitive skin wants the balm.
Can I use moisturizer instead of aftershave?
A fragrance free face moisturizer works in a pinch. A perfumed cream or a body lotion does not; fragrance on open follicles stings and can cause a rash.
What aftershave do barbers use after a hot towel shave?
An alcohol free balm, applied after a cool towel. At Deja Vu that is the last step of the $35 hot towel shave and the $50 Royal Shave, so the skin is calm when you leave the chair.