I recently started shaving with a straight again, and even after getting a sharp razor and developing a decent technique I was having terrible trouble with ingrown hairs, especially in the area right below my lower lip. A few hours after shaving my chin would be a mass of white bumps, and some would get infected and painful. They're even worse when I use a conventional razor or an electric, which is part of what drove me to try a straight. I saw a few suggestions for ingrown hair sufferers to try an alum block and all I can saw is WOW! This thing stopped them dead! I've shaved three times now using the block as a pre and post-shave with exactly one tiny little white bump. That includes the upper chin area that I previously couldn't even shave, instead I'd just hit with a beard trimmer. I even shaved two days in a row, which has made the problem twice as bad every other time I've tried it. It's really like night and day. If anyone else is having similar trouble, an alum block is worth it's weight in gold. I got mine from Mama Bear soaps (she makes some awesome soap as well, I love the sandalwood). Now I can finally look forward to shaving instead of dreading it.