Thread: Why use Alum

I just ordered an Osma Block yesterday and it was shipped out in the afternoon, should have it by Friday. Here's to hoping I like it.

I just started using it recently. I use it to give my fingers traction in stretching skin and then after my last pass I splash my face with hot water to open it up good and rub it on. I like how it tells me the parts of my face I did well on or not and think it is a great metric for quality of shave. I let it soak in while I brush my teeth and put on anti-perspirant (which I have yet to try using it for also) then I do a cold water splash to rinse it off and close things up. Pat my face dry and put on some thayers witch hazel with a cotton pad and then follow with a balm. Winter now and the humidity drops to under 40% in my apartment so the balm is crucial to preventing my face from drying up and cracking. I think the extended shave ritual of the wet-shaver has helped remove dead skin anyway but I need something moisturizing during the winter like a balm to prevent trouble. In the summer I would use a more traditional aftershave like proraso splash instead of the with hazel and balm.

For me the Alum is a great addition and this Osma Block seems like it might last forever. Any ideas how long they last?

I received mine on Thursday so I've gotten 3 uses out of it now. I like it alot! It doesn't burn like I thought it would and that coupled with the Witch Hazel and balm my face feels great.

Any ideas how long they last?

several lifetimes, I would guess. DON'T LEAVE IT IN WATER OR IT WILL EVAPORATE! store in a cool dry cupboard or something because mine hasn't chnaged size or shape since I started shaving 18 months ago... apart from that one time when it mistakingly got put in the soap dish by one of my siblings and is now the alum block equivalent of two face

I have been using it for a few days now, I like it, it has a nice feeling when I rub it over my face after shaving before I cold water and witch hazel/asb... Well worth the 15 bucks for the block and it will likely last me years so it's cheap all things considered

Are there are benefits or differences to alum block vs. Witch Hazel (Thayer's or otherwise?). Or is this just personal preference?

It has many uses:

After a shave it can measure the shave quality
i.e. if it stings or burns the shave was harsh
because the edge was dull or the angle wrong
or shave prep less than it might be.

It is a modest antiseptic and can keep a harsh
shave from getting infected or angry to the point
that tomorrows shave is doomed.

It is a modest styptic and will staunch small weepers.
A styptic pencil lets you apply precise pressure that
is important for small cuts and nicks.

It is a modest face antiperspirant.

Some love it some hate it.

It does not go bad and lasts a long time.

For me it is seasonal. I like it for hot
August days...

Do rinse it off before you leave the
house or before your gal gives ya
a kiss.

Originally Posted by conroygc

Are there are benefits or differences to alum block vs. Witch Hazel (Thayer's or otherwise?). Or is this just personal preference?

i use both. alum was cheap and will last forever. it's useful for all the reasons that niftyshaving posted, ESPECIALLY measuring shave quality, which is very important for me having only started wetshaving 6 months ago. witch hazel softens my skin nicely though, which alum does not do. after a shave i rub the alum block over my beard, take note of the areas where i irritated my face (where it stings the most) and contemplate them for future improvement of technique, then rub witch hazel all over and give it a minute to dry before applying after shave balm. the witch hazel makes the after shave balm sting a little bit, which never happened before i started using it, but it's very mild and goes away quickly.

Originally Posted by mcgyver74

Hey everyone, not sure if this is the correct subforum for this so if I misplaced I apologize in advance.

Anyway,
As I read more and more I find more references to people using Alum blocks during a post shave routine, from what I understand alum is pretty much a less aggressive form of styptic which would be used to seal up cuts and nicks, yet some people seem to rub alum on after every shave...

Is there another reason people like to do this or are people just carving themselves up that much?

Thanks in advance!

I use an alum block whether I've nicked myself or not. It seems to tighten up the pores and I feel like it makes any razor burn fade more quickly.

By the way, I found a perfect little dish to store your alum block...it's a small rectangular dish that is used soy sauce at sushi restaurants. I picked up the white ceramic one in the picture below in Little Tokyo for $1:

Where would be a place locally (utah) to pick up some alum?