Why use Alum

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! :)

Alum and styptic are different. The Styptic stick is alum based but it contains chemicals to stop bleeding. Personally, I have never had even a most minor nick sealed with alum. The main reason folks use alum is as a post shave toner. It firms up the skin.

Cool! Guess I'll pick some up and give it a shot (I am getting addicted to buying shaving stuff LOL)

Ps, thank you for moving this to the correct forum, (Still learning my way around :) )

alum is antiseptic and will help prevent any nicks or tiny abrasions from getting infected. this is really important if you sometimes have some irritation and bumpiness after shaving, because if you don't use a good antiseptic then those can easily turn to whiteheads. my experience since starting to use alum is that, when i DO get any irritation or bumps, it's milder and less often reminiscent of acne.

as for sealing nicks with an alum block, just rub it over the nick for a lot longer than you think you should have to, like 10-15 seconds. it has helped with small nicks for me when i've really rubbed it on them a lot.

It helps to close the pores :) I use it after every shave...love it!

It will also help of you find a razor particularly slippery. Just wet your fingers and rub the alum on them. It helps holding on to things when your hands might get moist.

You can also use it as a deodorant.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Catrentshaving

It helps to close the pores :) I use it after every shave...love it!

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Pores doesn't close or open, it just feel like like that... :)

I use it for traction when shaving and as an astringent after, love it.

Last but not least it's a mighty fine shave test. If you are clumsy with a razor you face will burn. Little burn or none means you didn't abuse your skin.

By the way make sure you don't get ammonium alum that's for under arm perspiration. Potassium alum is for the face.

:) Thanks
I stopped in on the way home from work to AOS and got one of their Alum blocks, came in a nice plastic carrier... Used it this morning with almost no sting :)

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.

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Any ideas how long they last?

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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.

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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?

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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.

Quote:

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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! :)

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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:

http://i446.photobucket.com/albums/q...drazors002.jpg

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

Use the search Luke, let it guide your actions LOL LOL LOL~!!

(Sorry couldn't resist :) )

Maybe this would help?

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthr...e-City-Shaving

Thanks for the link, I didn't see any listings for alum but I now have a long list of stores to check out. I've been to the tinderbox a time or two for cigars but that was years ago.

I've been using alum and again I agree it gives you a good feedback on your shave and also use it to gain trackion when stretching the skin. I rinse and dry it after I've finished as I understand that it will dissolve away if left wet. If I remember correctly from history Lord Carnarvon from King Tuts tomb fame died from blood poisoning received from a razor cut. If he had used an Alum Block it may have been a better outcome !:gl:

I'm finding that the alum block really helps with skin stretching, Dab my fingers on it and I can REALLY get a grip on the skin no matter what

I use it. It's cool and refreshing, helps to reduce irritation and it's antiseptic. I just make it part of my routine. Warm water to rinse off the lather, cold water splash then alum block, aftershave splash and I'll rub in a little Feather Kanwa or Kiehl's moisturizer. Most days I can go about my life and not think about my face at all after this. YMMV.