What should I do after shaving?
Many customers ask us: "What should I do after shaving?" We then say: "You don't have to do anything at all. You just have to do what feels good to you."
What we see with our customers is that half use a nourishing aftershave balm after shaving. If you have dry or sensitive skin, that is more pleasant and better for your skin. The balm absorbs into the skin and nourishes and soothes the skin.
The other half chooses an alcohol-based aftershave splash. The alcohol refreshes and invigorates your skin. Your skin gets "reset" for a moment. If you have normal to oily skin, an old-fashioned alcohol splash is super nice. After the aftershave treatment, you can of course apply a cologne or perfume. But which scent is my favorite? And which aftershave, cologne, or perfume should I choose now?
What is the difference between an aftershave, cologne, and perfume?
An aftershave, cologne and perfume contain alcohol and fragrance ingredients. Alcohol is widely used as a solvent for the fragrance oils. An aftershave has the lowest percentage of fragrance ingredients: 2% to 4%. It also contains nourishing and refreshing ingredients, such as glycerin, Aloe Vera extracts, and menthol. The alcohol evaporates quickly on the skin. This creates a slight tingling and refreshing sensation on the skin. The scent of an aftershave is less noticeable or even completely gone after a few minutes. After the aftershave, you can optionally use a nourishing balm.
A cologne contains more fragrance ingredients than an after shave: 5% to 10%. You can smell a cologne well for a few hours but it does not last all day. Many of our customers want a scent but do not want a robust or overpowering perfume. If you don't want to walk around like a "perfume cloud," we advise using a cologne.
An eau de parfum has the most fragrance. It contains the most concentrated amount of fragrance ingredients: 10% to 20%. It is usually more expensive than a cologne. A men's perfume lasts and lingers all day.
How do I use an aftershave, cologne, and eau de parfum?
Because an aftershave contains so few scent components, you can apply it directly on freshly shaved skin. After shaving, clean the face with cold water, put a little aftershave in the palm of your hand, and splash it on the skin.
Because cologne contains more scent components, it is less suitable for use on freshly shaved skin. A few sprays on the wrists or back of the neck is usually sufficient. You can also apply cologne on the body.
A few sprays or drops of perfume are more than enough. You also apply perfume on the wrists or the neck. Both a cologne and a perfume usually come in a bottle with a spray.
How do I choose my favorite scent?
Many scents can be categorized into a so-called scent family. In 1983, Michael Edwards (British scent taxonomist/consultant and author) developed a scent classification for the perfume industry: the scent wheel.
The wheel consists of 5 different main groups and 14 subgroups. On our website, we have categorized aftershaves, colognes, and men's perfumes based on the scent wheel:
- Floral notes - floral
- Oriental notes - oriental
- Woody notes - woody
- Fougère (center) - woody
- Fresh notes - fresh
The first 4 are the classic scents. The "Fresh notes" consist of modern, clear, and fresh scents of citrus and ocean. Each scent family consists of 3 subgroups. The Fougère scent family is placed in the center of the wheel. A Fougère scent consists of a combination of the different scent families on the side of the wheel.
The scent wheel is of course useful for clearly categorizing the different scents. You will find it often on various websites. Below are some handy tips to help you select your scent.
You should actually ask yourself: "what do I really like the smell of?" This naturally depends on your personal preference, interest, and situation.
| Your preference, interest, and situation | Scent classification |
Brand and scent and product line |
|
The scent of your favorite shaving soap or shaving cream |
Many shaving brands offer a matching aftershave/cologne/perfume in the same scent as the shaving product (here are some suggestions) |
Acca Kappa DR Harris Taylor of Old Bond Street Truefitt & Hill |
|
Part of my after shave treatment |
An aftershave can be applied directly to the freshly shaved skin. |
|
|
After shaving, a light scent and no heavy perfume. |
A cologne contains 5% to 10% fragrance components and does not remain strong all day. |
→ Cologne |
| A scent that lasts all day | A perfume contains 10% to 20% fragrance components and lasts all day. |
→ Perfume |
|
Personal |
Are you a real outdoorsman and like walking in the woods? Do you like walking by the sea and on the beach? Do you like gardening and often smell your Rose or Lavender bush? Do you like fruit and citrus |
→ Floral
|
|
Seasonal |
In summer, fresh scents with mint and citrus are popular In Autumn, wood scents are popular In Winter, more spicy and warm scents are attractive. |
→ Oriental |
