Aftershave balm vs a barber's stone is not a fight with one winner: they do different jobs. A balm is a cream that puts moisture back into dry skin. Flint is one natural stone that tightens freshly shaved skin, calms the sting, reduces the look of redness and is antibacterial, then rinses off. If your skin is dry, you can use both: the stone first, a thin layer of balm after.
A balm is a cream or lotion. Most are a mix of water, oils or butters, and glycerin, which pulls water into the skin. Many add soothing plant extracts. Many also add fragrance. Some still contain alcohol, so it is worth reading the label.
The job of a balm is simple. Shaving scrapes off part of the outer skin and lets water escape. A balm puts some oil and water back and covers the skin with a soft film. That is why it feels good. It does not sting, and dry skin feels less tight.
Most men who use a balm came to it from alcohol aftershave. They wanted the burn to stop. For that, a good balm works. If you want to know why the splash burns, read Flint vs alcohol aftershave.
Flint is a solid stone of one natural mineral, in a clear hinged case. You wet it, run it over freshly shaved skin, wait about a minute, and rinse with cold water.
The stone leaves a thin layer of mineral salt on the surface. That layer tightens the outer skin. It is antibacterial. It calms the sting and reduces the look of redness. It leaves nothing greasy or shiny behind. It has no alcohol and no fragrance.
Barbers used a stone like this to finish every shave for about a century. Read why barbers finish with a stone for the story.
| Aftershave balm | Flint | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A cream: water, oils, glycerin and more | One natural mineral, nothing added |
| Main job | Adds moisture | Tightens and calms the surface |
| Dry skin | Helps | Can dry the skin a little; add a moisturiser after if needed |
| Germs | Most balms are not built for this | Antibacterial |
| Redness | Soothes the feel | Calms the sting and reduces the look of redness |
| Finish | Soft film, can look shiny | Clean and matte, nothing left on the skin after rinsing |
| Fragrance | Often added | None |
| Sting | None | A short sting only where the blade caught the skin |
| How long it lasts | One tube or bottle, then the next | Up to 2 years of daily shaves, about 700 shaves |
Balms get a bad name from men who expected them to fix bumps. That is not fair to the balm. It does its own job well.
A balm is built to moisturise. That leaves some gaps for men with an irritated neck.
That last point applies to Flint too. A stone calms and tightens the surface. It cannot stop a curly hair from growing back in. For bumps, your shaving technique matters most. Read how to get rid of razor bumps on your neck.
If you use a balm, a few minutes with the label saves your neck a lot of trouble.
For more on what to put on freshly shaved skin, read what to put on razor burn and alcohol free aftershave.
This is what I tell most men in my chair. In my shop in Ghent, the stone comes first, then a thin layer of something plain if the skin is dry. The two do not fight. They do different jobs in a set order.
Order matters. Use the stone on bare skin, right after shaving. If you put balm on first, the stone cannot reach the skin.
Get Flint. One natural stone in a clear case for the minute after shaving. It works on your neck, face, chest, armpits and groin. Keep it away from your eyes and from broken skin. If your neck is still red after 90 days, you get a full refund and you keep the stone.
For most men, an alcohol free balm is gentler than an alcohol splash, because it does not sting or dry the skin. But a balm only adds moisture. If you want the skin tightened and calmed as well, a stone does that job. Many men use a stone first and a thin balm after if their skin is dry.
Yes. Use the stone on bare skin right after shaving, wait about a minute, and rinse with cold water. Then press a thin layer of fragrance free balm or moisturiser into the skin if it feels dry. Do it in that order, because a balm put on first would block the stone from the skin.
No balm stops razor bumps on its own. Bumps form when cut hairs grow back into the skin, and a cream cannot change how hair grows. A balm can make the skin feel better. Shaving with the grain, a sharp blade, fewer passes and a trimmer for bad weeks do more against bumps.
It can, a little. The stone tightens the skin and does not add moisture. That is why you rinse it off after about a minute. If your skin feels dry afterwards, add a light moisturiser without fragrance. Men with oily skin often need nothing after.
Without. Fragrance mixes are one of the most common causes of skin allergy from cosmetics, and freshly shaved skin is more exposed than usual. If you want a scent, put cologne on your clothes or chest instead of your freshly shaved neck.