styptic pencil just for show?

One of the first things I did when beginning to shave with a straight razor was purchase a styptic pencil from the local pharmacy. This took place approximately three months ago and I've used it from time to time... perhaps once every two weeks.

However, it seems like an exercise in futility. I'll get a nice little knick or gash and go digging in the cupboard for the pencil....moisten, apply, etc...... and -then just watch my face continue to bleed. No effect whatsoever except for a nice stinging feeling. Now I'm not talking about skin-splitting, scar-forming flesh wounds...just the odd cut here or there.

Anyone else have this problem?

i have a styptic as well and to be honest.. i have never used it.. i hardly cut myself i guess.. and when i do.. it's so small i don't really worry about it. don't boxers use them all the time with success?

Mine has always worked just fine for me...

If you don't already, try not only rubbing it over the cut, but holding it on the cut for a few seconds.

If it's a weeper, I usually skip the stypic altogether and just catch it with the alum block once I'm through shaving.

I have one but I have yet to take it out of the package. When I cut myself I just let it bleed until I'm done, then I rinse my face off. After that if my face is still bleeding I will finish getting ready and then come back and clean up the scabs. The only time that doesn't work is when I cut deep then I just hold pressure for a bit and continue on.

Adam

Shoot, I've never owned one and probably never will. Nicks every once-in-a-while are a natural part of the hobby but nothing that cold water has ever been able to stop. My philosophy on it, and take it for what it's worth, is that ya gotta man up to the mistake that caused the nick, splash some water on it and move on. In fact, one of the primary reasons for starting to shave with a straight was that I was in school to be a dental assistant despite having a SEVERE mental reaction to the sight of blood...I took care of that fear in the first two weeks of shaving. :)

I've got a styptic pencil and have mixed experience with it. Really, the only thing I use it for is to try to staunch the bleading from a darn mole I have at the corner of my jaw/neck line when I'm unlucky enough to slice it off. Sometimes the styptic stops the bleeding cold. Other times it does nothing. I guess in the end, I can neither explain nor advise, but only tell you my experience...

I don't get many cuts anymore,but it may benefit newer shavers to know that if you dip the styptic in hot water,then twirl it right on the cut,with the intent of getting some of the "white stuff" into the cut,it will work well and stop bleeding more quickly.

mine seems to work well, but I never wet it. Perhaps that is the problem? I wet it after to clean off the blood stain.

Mine always works fine for me. I get it wet with hot water and then rub it around the cut area. I then dab the area dry with toilet paper, and then re-apply the styptic if needed.

I did the same as most of us - I bought a styptic pencil prior to shaving with a SR for the first time, expecting some blood loss. Problem was I had a blood less first shave. And second. And third. I think that I've only used it once, maybe twice at the most, and it seemed to work. If I cut myself at all it is usually just a weeper or two, nothing that cold water won't take care of.

I've had similar results with my styptic; stinging and bleeding. The cold water mentioned by others works best for me. Truthfully the styptic pencil is the only thing I regret spending money on, even though it's so cheap. It hurts worse than the cut itself and does nothing for me. I stopped using it after the third time I cut myself. Interestingly though after I decided to stop using it I stopped getting nicks, maybe there was a psychosomatic thing going on.

My styptic pen just sat unused on the shelf. That was until one shave the razor found a zit or something and left me with a nasty cut. Good thing I had it because that cut bled like a sluice. Best Dollar Eighty I ever spent.

I have used a styptic pencil during my entire experience as a wet shaver, which is all of my adult life.

To be honest, I have needed it less using a straight razor than I did when using a multi-blade catridge or de razor.

I have one but haven't used it in years. As I recall in my early days when I needed it I was able to stop some major bleeders with it. You have to wet it with hot water first and then rub it over the wound.

Just make sure its not a alum stick.

Holy old thread resurrection!

I bought my styptic when moving to a straight a couple months ago. Have not taken it out of the container yet. I started the wet way to change the routine mainly. I would just spash my face and run the quattro against the grain real quick a few times a week. It is nice to slow it down and enjoy what used to be a 2 minute chore for me.

Its nice to know I am not the only person whose face is baby butt soft steel.

I just look at the styptic pencil as doing its job sitting there nearby. You know if you throw it away, you are going to start gauging your face. And if it is sitting there aparently doing nothing, you wont get a nick. So how can you say it dont work?

I have to agree with those who've said...the more skilled you become at shaving, the less you will need a styptic.

That said, if you are bleeding and any of these apply:

You're on blood thinners, you've recently taken aspirin, you're a decendent of the Bourbons....it takes a looong time for your blood to clot. It's probably NOT the fault of the styptic pencil.

I use my styptic all the time!for my dogs nails if they get cut too schort, cuts on my arms after pruining, after that dog fight i split up, oh and once I think on my face after i popped a really big zit.

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Originally Posted by HNSB

Mine always works fine for me. I get it wet with hot water and then rub it around the cut area. I then dab the area dry with toilet paper, and then re-apply the styptic if needed.

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I know some here have said cold water works best for them. I've notice for me that dipping the styptic pencil in hot water seems to make it more effective for me. The other day I had a small cut and used warm water instead of cold. Applying the styptic felt very different with the warm water; it almost felt as if the wound was sucked closed and it really felt that way. I had never experienced that before when using cold water.

I sprang for a tube of "My Nick Is Sealed," and find it works faster and more effectively than a styptic pencil. YMMV.

I think styptic pencils are magic.I have always been amazed at how well mine works.I always wet mine in anticipation before it even make up my lather.Never failed me.One of these days when i finally succeed in cutting my ear lobes off completely I will no longer need it,since that is the only area it ever gets used on. Cautionary note: styptic pencil+tile floor=alot of little shards which WILL hide and lodge in your bare foot on a 2 AM potty adventure...not cool

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!!!

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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!!!

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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.

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Originally Posted by celestino

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

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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]