Thread: Alum block

SRD alum blocs...no residue. Love my alum ! I'm fairly certain that alum bloc is not toxic in the form it's in,but I cannot remember where I read that ??

Originally Posted by flyman

Are there any health issues regarding the alum block? Isn't it made out of an aluminum compound? I've read several article about the toxicity of aluminum based deodorants and links to Alzheimers.

Different compounds, there´s no alluminium in Alum.

Alum - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I had no idea you could use it for so many things.

It is also an excellent deodorant (not to be confused with antiperspirant ).

Originally Posted by flyman

Are there any health issues regarding the alum block? Isn't it made out of an aluminum compound? I've read several article about the toxicity of aluminum based deodorants and links to Alzheimers.

Family history may have more to do with Alzheimers than anything
but if you are worried skip it.

Potassium alum is an astringent/styptic and antiseptic and a lot
of folk apply the block after shaving then rinse it off. I like mine and
it does promote healing when I push a razor's edge a shave too far. I do
not use it every day but it does work well and for me is less irritating
than alcohol based after shaves.


Aluminum from cooking acid rich food in unlined aluminum pans
and aluminum foil is a bigger source of aluminum IMO. I never
cover lasagna or tomato sauce with foil and put it in the frig.
Like mercury the chemical state of the ions involved has a LOT
to do with the ability of the body to 'see' the metal. It should be
noted that Al is the most abundant metal in the earth's crust.

Clearly a topic for informed personal choice.

Originally Posted by flyman

Are there any health issues regarding the alum block? Isn't it made out of an aluminum compound? I've read several article about the toxicity of aluminum based deodorants and links to Alzheimers.

Alzheimers? Balderdash! I've used an alum block for years without any adverse affects. I am going to try honing my cat with a Naniwa 5K, she thought the coticle was Friskie's kibble.

Originally Posted by flyman

Are there any health issues regarding the alum block? Isn't it made out of an aluminum compound? I've read several article about the toxicity of aluminum based deodorants and links to Alzheimers.

Hi Flyman,

I sell 3 types of Potassium Alum products (RazoRock, OSMA and Shavex) and I get this question often.

Potassium Alum is a natural mineral and does contain the element Aluminum but it is not in a form that is absorbent to the human body. The chemical aluminum compounds found in most commercial products are in the form that allows the aluminum to become free as a positively charged particle. Potassium alum molecules have a negative ionic charge, making it unable to pass through the cell wall, so they are not absorbed. Alum and Aluminum are two different substances, with distinct chemical signatures. They possess different chemical properties which create different chemical attributes.

There has been all kinds of studied as to what causes Alzheimer. I have even read studies that drinking from a soda can, is a cause. The problem is, 75% of people drink from soda cans but only a very small percentage get the disease. I'm not sure the doctors and scientists really know what causes this disease yet.

The biggest problem with commercial aluminum deodorants is they clog your pores and block your body from sweating. This forces the sweat and toxins to stay in your body, which isn't a natural process. If you try Alum as a deodorant, you will quickly see that it doesn't stop you from sweating. What is does it kill the bacteria on the skins surface that causes the fool odor.


Here is a good article written by Lafe Larson...

Naturally Occuring Alum

By Lafe | February 22, 2010

What is Naturally Occurring Alum,

and How is it Different from Aluminum?

Many people confuse naturally occurring alum with synthetic aluminum chemicals such as aluminum chlorhydrate or aluminum zicarnium, the two most common active ingredients in conventional deodorants.
There is a significant difference between naturally occurring alum and synthetic aluminum compounds. Naturally occurring alum is a large molecule which kills bacteria that is on the surface of the skin. Due to its size, it is generally not absorbed through the skin. It works by killing the bacteria which are the cause of body odor, not by blocking the pores as conventional antiperspirants do. Therefore one will continue to perspire, a healthy process since it is eliminating toxins in the body, but there will be no body odor.
Naturally occurring alum has been used for thousands of years in Southeast Asia and those societies do not experience Alzheimer’s and other illnesses common in our society today. In Southeast Asia, naturally occurring alum has a long and colorful history of use. Alum has been used for centuries as a crude form of water purification in remote villages, where there was no other way of purifying drinking water. At one time the United Nations recommended putting an “alum rock” in remote village water systems to eliminate common bacteria. The literature also suggests that naturally occurring alum was used as an anti-bacterial for minor cuts and scrapes because of its prevalence. With sixty-five percent of the Earth’s crust is made up of naturally occurring alum it was readily available for common everyday use.
The synthetic aluminum chemicals–aluminum chlorhydrate and aluminum zicarnium– are generally marketed as antiperspirants and designed to block the pores from breathing. The danger is that the toxins have no place to go since the pores in the skin are blocked. Buildup of toxins caused by long-term use of antiperspirants may be, many believe, one cause of the rising rates of breast cancer in women today. No one is making claims that antiperspirants cause breast cancer, but there is a large and growing body of evidence that makes logical associations between toxin buildup, cancer, and other common diseases of our Western society.
Toxicologists we’ve spoken with believe that anything considered large on a molecular level is not absorbed into the skin because of its size. Naturally occurring alum is a large molecule and simply not very easily absorbed into the body. Toxicologists suggest that aluminum buildup has more to do with what is taken internally, such as from the foods we eat and cooking utensils used. Most common kitchen cookware is made with aluminum; many products consumed on a daily basis, such as baking soda, pickles and most antacids, contain aluminum.

We believe there is a significant difference between alum in its natural state and synthetic aluminum chlorhydrate and other synthetic compounds. Please, share this information.

Did anyone notice in the wiki article that it may be used in "loose vaginal tightening cream."

Originally Posted by jcsixx

Did anyone notice in the wiki article that it may be used in "loose vaginal tightening cream."

I have so many comments I'd like to make, but I won't.

For another obscure use of alum, about two months ago, my girl and I were hiking and we got bit up by some crazy bugs. Not sure what they were, but we think they were chiggers. Two months later, the bites are still there. I have been rubbing alum on them for the past two weeks to reduce the itching and it has worked wonders!!!

For any of you that have seen the Frank's Red Hot Sauce commercials...I say to you.....

"Alum, I put that sh$% on everything!"

Originally Posted by jcsixx

Did anyone notice in the wiki article that it may be used in "loose vaginal tightening cream."

That was the clencher for me.