After you mow over your facial hair with a bare blade or six, you need to calm things down. That’s where the best aftershaves comes in. Its job is to soothe skin, restore moisture, neutralize bacteria, and keep pores clear, thus helping prevent bumps, ingrown hairs, and razor burns. It does so with a slew of common skin care ingredients, such as aloe vera, witch hazel, tea tree oil, and salicylic acid.
While I certainly hope you still use a pre-shave oil, an editor-approved shave cream, and, of course, a sharp, fresh razor, above all, I believe that you should use a post-shave product. That product gets bonus points if it has soothing, hydrating ingredients—and steers clear of skin-drying ones like alcohol.
The Best Men’s Aftershaves, According to GQ
Looking for Something Specific?
However, because post-shave products meet many needs these days, it’s important to ensure that you’re matching your skin’s needs with the ingredients in a given bottle to get the best results. To help you decipher the dizzying variety of aftershave grooming products out there, we’ve tested and tried loads. Following are the best of the best.
Best Aftershave for Men Overall: Lab Series Grooming Razor Burn Balm
Why it’s great: Of all the products on the list, this balmy lotion will benefit most skin types. It has soothing superpowers for the most sensitive folks and is light enough to satisfy the oiliest complexions. I dab it on following an electric shave since it only requires a light layer.
On skin, it’s not overly astringent and drying, which might put off those prone to egregious breakouts. For everyone else who simply needs an aftershave to be a punctuation on their shave regimen—this one layers perfectly beneath your standard moisturizing agent (while providing nourishing benefits of its own). You’ll likely also be tickled pink with the balancing and cooling agents.
Best Aftershave for Sensitive Skin: Proraso Aftershave Balm – Sensitive Skin
Why it’s great: This timeless barbershop favorite comes to mind first any time I recommend shaving products for sensitive skin. While the brand has four formulas addressing different needs, its products for the most sensitive skin types may be its finest. This lotion, in particular, has a glycerin-rich base that floods dry and vulnerable skin with moisture and also contains a dash of sweet almond oil, which is rich in skin-shielding antioxidants like vitamin E.
A caveat: This formula has a pinch of artificial fragrance, so if that puts you off, take note. However, that same scent gives my mind so much peace. For some reason, it feels like a mother’s embrace, which makes this product doubly soothing.
Best Aftershave for Bumps and Ingrown Hair Prevention: Bevel Bump Control
Why it’s great: This product is as much a regular exfoliant and toner as a post-shave, which helps ensure that your hair follicles are always unencumbered. For bump-prone skin, I suggest using it as your go-to exfoliant a few times a week to prevent pore clogging and ensure oil balancing.
Its potent combination of astringent witch hazel and exfoliating glycolic acid helps you from buying a standalone post-shave product (ahem: budget-minded guys or minimalists). It’s also among the easiest to layer beneath your moisturizer, not to mention one of the best bargains on this list.
I do think it could smell a little cuter. Not that it stinks, but it’s not exactly menthol or lavender. Still, it’s great that this one lacks any artificial fragrance.
Best Aftershave for Razor Burn Prevention: Bevel Post-Shave Balm
Why it’s great: Bevel might possibly have the best range of beard and shave products in the whole industry, which explains why they’ve got two on my list here and another pair on my list of the best shave creams.
This post-shave cream has all the heavy-hitting ingredients that are sure to thwart any potential redness and bumps from forming—and reduce existing inflammation, too. I’d soon use this as an everyday moisturizer, too, especially in winter (as it does wear a bit heavier than others on this list).
Best Aftershave That’s Also a Great Moisturizer: Aesop Neroli Post-Shave Lotion
Why it’s great: Aesop’s full range of shaving products is great, but it wouldn’t be complete without the excellent Neroli Post-Shave lotion. It’s lightweight, great for those with oily skin, but it’s still hydrating enough for those with dry skin thanks to the addition of several nourishing oils. We especially love the woodsy smell, and even if you haven’t shaved today, the lotion makes a great daily moisturizer that absorbs super quickly into the skin.
Best Aftershave for Everywhere: Anthony After Shave Balm
Why it’s great: Heads, shoulders, knees, and toes—wherever you just shaved would be a great place to apply some of Anthony’s After Shave Balm. This use-everywhere lotion has vitamins A, C, and E, which work in tandem to hydrate and restore the skin’s natural barrier after you just dragged a sharp-ass razor over it. This aftershave is especially hydrating, so it’s great for those with dry skin or to use during the winter when the face (or other freshly shaved areas) take a beating from the brutal cold.
Best Aftershave Splash: Supply Healing Post-Shave
Why it’s great: This is like breaking open a fresh aloe pod and rubbing the gel right on your skin—plus, it’s got the toning and purifying powers of witch hazel to top things off. You can even use it as a quick cleansing and healing agent for shave cuts.
Personally, I’m a fan of this head-clearing white birch and sage scent (it smells like fresh laundry), but the brand offers a fragrance-free option, too, if you want to spray on something totally neutral. (I’d even use that one as a recovery for minor burns or sun-scorched skin, too.)
Best Aftershave Lotion: Marlowe Post Shave Lotion
Why it’s great: A go-to for my bald-headed brother, who likes to lather his dome with Marlowe after a full head shave. He’ll even use it as a routine lightweight, breathable moisturizer in the days after a shave. Given the large amount of real estate up top, he can’t be too careful in terms of keeping things balanced 24/7, especially in the day post-shave. Marlowe remains his ol’ reliable and has long topped this aftershave list in the same “best post-shave lotion” category.
Best Aftershave Cream: SheaMoisture Post Shave Restoring Cream
Why it’s great: SheaMoisture’s formula is for all hair types and will be especially remedial for ingrown-prone curly-haired guys. The aforementioned trio of hero ingredients works overtime to keep skin calm, cool, and collected—ensuring it stays nourished and bump-free with each shave. This one doubles as a daily redness- and acne-mitigating booster, applied ahead of a go-to night moisturizer. I like it as a same-day soothing agent in the hours leading up to a shave; it will soften hair, cushion skin, and reduce the risk of bumps and redness after the fact.
How to Pick the Best Aftershave for You
For insight on choosing the best aftershave and active ingredients, we spoke with Alex Hughes and Alyssa Bachowski, who are both senior barbers at Fellow Barber in NYC.
Balms, Lotions, Splashes… Which Aftershave Is Best for You?
It’s too easy to confuse the different types of post-shave products out there and to determine which of them—balm, lotion, cream, splash—is best for your skin type. Truth be told, it’s often dependent on the formula itself since not all products labeled “balm” are going to be dense and heavy (as you might otherwise expect).
