Thread: alum bar?? how and why?

i guess i need to be filled in on this alum bar face treatment, where do you purchase it and what does it do for your face??

Alum is a good product that I never heard about until I started coming to the forums. It has quite a few uses.

Closes pores

Helps stop bleeding of any weepers,

It gives you feedback on how well you did shaving (it will burn on the places you got a little too aggressive

you can rub some on your fingers to help your grip when stretching your skin

It really helps stop razor bumps for me. Its a very cheap product and works.
I use it for mosquito bites as well

Wiki to the rescue: Alum - Straight Razor Place Wiki

What I do with alum is take the bar and rub it on my face after the shave (when I've washed remaining lather off with warm water). The I let it sit there while I dry my razor, brush and cup. Then I wash it away with cold water (and apply balm).

Ursus is pretty right on to how I use it. I'd suggest picking up a soap dish or something with raised ridges to set it on to dry out afterwards. They have a tendency to crack or get brittle if left wet.
It's a very nice tight feeling you get after application.

Originally Posted by jimmyfingers

you can rub some on your fingers to help your grip when stretching your skin

I found that doing this caused problems with further passes due to it's astringent nature. The lather hates it too!

I do like alum for the other reasons you mention though.

I use it all the time. It won't stop bleeding like a septic stick will though. It's great for the skin and is a great test for your shaving abilities.Most sites selling shaving supplies sell them. The cheapest place to get it is a Turkish products site in NYC whose name alludes me right now but I'm sure someone with a better memory than mine will come along with it.

What everyone else has said fits how I use mine almost to a T. I use it after every shave. Rinse face with cold water, wet block, rub block all over where I have shaved, clean everything up (brush, dry razor, soap dish) cold rinse face, apply aftershave. Wow that's a lot of steps. It really seems to tighten up my skin closing the pores and such. Almost all the vendors listed on this site carry alum blocks.

Talumba would be the site to get them the cheapest.

Originally Posted by ursus

Wiki to the rescue: Alum - Straight Razor Place Wiki

What I do with alum is take the bar and rub it on my face after the shave (when I've washed remaining lather off with warm water). The I let it sit there while I dry my razor, brush and cup. Then I wash it away with cold water (and apply balm).

Thanks for the info and the wiki link. That pretty much does it for me. I'm gonna get a block. Since I'm a cut-throat newb, I get razor burn galore.

Welcome mate,

You're welcome. For newbie, it's quite useful item since it tells you where you need to improve your touch. However, it will sting if you are cutting too close, as the razor burn would suggest. But I'd imagine that will go away when you improve your technique (angle, pressure) and prep.

Alum is nice, but it's no miracle cure. Aftershave balms might be nicer if you are experiencing razor burn.