Thread: styptic pencil just for show?

In my case the trick for an effective use of the styptic pencil is to apply pressure and keep it on the cut for a few seconds. That usually seals the cut pretty quickly.

Had my first straight shave just the other night. Ended up with 2 or 3 weepers on the left side of my neck. Used my shiny new styptic pencil and they closed up almost immediately. I'd normally get these when using my cartridge razor and they always ended up as ingrown hairs. Not sure if it was the straight, better lather, styptic pencil or a combination but I ended up with ZERO ingrown hairs or razor burn.

BigTerp,i have been shaving with a Mach III ever since i was 13 years old.I am now 31.I have fought painful ingrown hairs on my neck my whole shaving life.Never could cure them.I have straight shaving now for about two months and all that is behind me now.I cant give a scientific explanation why,but the straights cured it...at least for me.If I had known this years ago i would have gladly gave $1,000 bucks for a straight.Shaving is now something i have to discipline my self to refrain from until needed,not the painful,dreaded bloody chore it used to be.WOO HOO! ...except for the earlobes...still get nicking those little boogers.Oh well,STYPTIC TO THE RESCUE!!!

Originally Posted by shinyribs

BigTerp,i have been shaving with a Mach III ever since i was 13 years old.I am now 31.I have fought painful ingrown hairs on my neck my whole shaving life.Never could cure them.I have straight shaving now for about two months and all that is behind me now.I cant give a scientific explanation why,but the straights cured it...at least for me.If I had known this years ago i would have gladly gave $1,000 bucks for a straight.Shaving is now something i have to discipline my self to refrain from until needed,not the painful,dreaded bloody chore it used to be.WOO HOO! ...except for the earlobes...still get nicking those little boogers.Oh well,STYPTIC TO THE RESCUE!!!

I hear ya man. I'm 30 and have been using cartridges, and a short stint with an electric, ever since I was 15 or so. Didn't get horrible razor burn or ingrown hairs my any means, but bad enough that I haven't shaved on back to back days in years. My typical schedule was Monday, Wednesday, Friday mornings before work. It was extremelly refreshing to shave on a Tuesday night and wake up Wednesday morning with my face feeling better than it EVER has. Round 2 tonight........sure glad I have my styptic pencil!!!

Cold water and a natural alum block work very well without the harsh chemicals of a styptic.

Originally Posted by celestino

Cold water and a natural alum block work very well without the harsh chemicals of a styptic.

From Wikipedia.org:

Styptics
Styptic pencil
A styptic or hemostatic pencil (not to be confused with a caustic pencil) is a short stick of medication, usually anhydrous aluminum sulfate, potassium alum (both are types of alum) or titanium dioxide which is used for stanching blood by causing blood vessels to contract at the site of the wound. Before safety razors were invented, it was an essential part of a shaving kit and was used to seal cuts caused by improper shaving.[4] Some people continue to use styptic pencils for minor skin wounds from safety or electric razors.[4]