Thread: What's the difference between an alum block and a styptic pencil?

What's the difference between an alum block and a styptic pencil? I know that they are made from different materials but their purposes seems to be the same.

Is there something I am missing? Is there a reason why one would be preferred over the other?

Thank you for your insights.

Thanks for asking this. I will be watching too. From what I gather the alum is used on the skin after each shave and the other difference is about 17 bucks ?

I believe that Alum is good for small nicks and weepers. Also a good antiseptic that closes the pores after a shave. Some folks use the block all over the face after a shave, let it sit while cleaning up brush, etc then rinse and put on after shave. Styptic is for nicks and cuts and not some thing you would put all over your face.

Originally Posted by sbonder

Also a good antiseptic that closes the pores after a shave.

Although many people think that they do, the pores of the skin can neither close nor open.

The Welsh wizard strikes. With the help of the internet I will expand a bit further on the pore issue.

There’s no magical process or product that will cause your pores to "open" and allow impurities to rise to the skin’s surface. By the same token, splashing cold water on your face - or doing anything else for that matter - won’t cause the gates to slam shut on your pores. Simply put, "pores are pretty stationary," says Susan C. Taylor, M.D., a dermatologist in Philadelphia...What you’re doing when you steam your face is causing the blood vessels to dilate and the skin to swell slightly. Similarly, "astringents and toners slightly irritate the walls of the pores and make them swell, causing the pores to look smaller," Baumann explains. But they haven’t actually changed in size.

So I guess that nice smooth feeling I get a few minutes after rubbing the alum block across my moist face is just chemically induced swelling. Either way it feels smooth.

And you definitely only need to buy the cheapest alum blocks and styptic sticks you can find. It is all the same (even if blocks and sticks are different).

Of course the pores of the skin open and close. Just go outside on a hot , humid day and look at your skin with a magnifier and compare that with the way they look when you go outside on a cold day.

Whether these preparations do that I don't know.

Alum doesn't have to cost much money. if it's sold by some fancy outfit they charge alot but you can by from an outfit like Tolumba (spelling) for very little and it's the same stuff.

My own personal use of alum block is to rub it all over the still moist face after a shave. It does close minor weepers and small cuts. The styptic stick is more for hard core repair, the larger cuts. BTW don't pay more than US$7-8 for one. Someone said you can get them for a couple of bucks at Indian stores, but I haven't looked.

One alum block will last forever - or until you drop it in the sink and it shatters - whichever comes first. If you put it in a sealed container or a zip lock bag I have heard that it will melt.

Alum - Straight Razor Place Wiki

It's my understanding a stypic pencil is for closing cuts that are bleeding. The alum block is for sealing micro cuts with no blood, more like an stringent to tighten the skin and prevent bacteria in micro cuts.

I may be wrong but that's what I use them for. You can pick up a block pretty cheap...from $3-$10. They sell more expensive ones but I haven't seen a benefit from them.

Are they different materials? I thought the styptic was the same except it is more porous so it dissolves product onto the area more readily?

Alum is pure aluminum sulfate according to my resources. Where as styptic is ~56% aluminum sulfate (alum) with the remainder being titanium dioxide and alcohol.

The styptic uses these other ingredients to make the skin look more natural (not to aid clotting) so that the product can be left on.

There is your primary difference. Styptic is intended for bigger cuts and to be *left on*. For if washed off, the cut may begin bleeding again. By contrast alum is a temporary treatment that is intended to be washed off the face prior to leaving the shavatorium.

+1 to unit there. Styptic is for actual cuts and is left on.