Guys use aftershave following shaving to soothe their skin but does aftershave prevent razor burn?
We already talked in detail about razor burn but in a nutshell, it’s the irritation you get on your skin following shaving. Razor burn occurs for a number of reasons mostly related to shaving mistakes ie. not replacing your razor soon enough, pressing too hard on your razor, shaving the same area repeatedly, dry shaving without shaving cream, etc.
So if razor burn happens after you shave (which it does), can aftershave prevent it from setting in or is it too late at that point?
How Aftershave Works
Don’t confuse aftershave with cologne which serves a different purpose. Aftershave has a high alcohol content often as high as 60%-75% for aftershave lotions – which helps to kill germs on your face that could get infected after shaving especially if you cut yourself.
Modern aftershaves additionally often act as both an antiseptic to further kill germs and as an astringent to tighten pores, respectively. The high alcohol content is why you feel the stinging feeling the moment you splash the aftershave on your face.
The issue is that alcohol has a drying affect on your skin. So you’ve already shaved and possibly irritated your skin and now put an alcohol-based liquid on the same skin. This can lead to your skin drying out.
In that regard, your best bet these days if you want to use an aftershave is to ditch the old school aftershaves and try a aftershave lotion or balm with little to no alcohol that soothes and moisturizes the skin rather than drying it out.
Do you even need aftershave? I haven’t used aftershave in years, decades actually. For years in fact, I’ve often sprayed eau de toilette on my neck within minutes of shaving and have never experienced skin irritation or dry skin. Your experience might be different.
So Does Aftershave Prevent Razor Burn?
Think of it like this: Can you prevent sunburn by applying some sort of soothing lotion after you’ve already spent the day in the sun without sunblock?
No, you can’t.
At that point, the damage is done. What you can do is deal with the sunburn that you’re already starting to feel the effects of.
Same with razor burn. Since razor burn occurs during the shaving process, anything you apply to your skin following shaving may at best reduce the skin irritation and time it will take to heal.
In order to prevent razor burn, you need to correct common shaving mistakes. Then you can use aftershave lotion or some other moisturizer to rehydrate and protect the skin.
What aftershave can do – particularly one that has no alcohol and instead has aloe vera or some other essential oil or soothing ingredient – is help to heal your irritated skin sooner.
Conclusion
- Razor burn is skin irritation caused by shaving. Many reasons for razor burn have to do with shaving mistakes and things that can be corrected.
- In that regard, aftershave can’t prevent razor burn since razor burn occurs while shaving. It can help to soothe the skin post-shave assuming you pick the right product for your skin.
- Aftershaves traditionally have a high alcohol content which helps to protect against infection of shaving cuts. Alcohol has a drying effect on skin though, which is a negative.
- An aftershave lotion with moisturizer and little to no alcohol is a better choice for most guys especially if you’re susceptible to dry skin.
- You might not even need to use an aftershave. You may be better off with a nice moisturizing lotion post-shave.
Do you use aftershave after shaving? Let us know which brand in the comments below!