Thread: Alum Blocks

You did say as he was selling his little face clothes right? It's all personal, and alum has never given me a moments trouble with blade sticking, or any damage to a blade, been using it post shave, and on my fingers for stretching. It rinses off with just a splash.

I have used a facecloth, it works, but the alum is very easy. I can't see how you would have so much built up to make your razor catch. They even have shaving soap with alum in it.

Can't say what's happening, but if your you want faceclothes, their cheaper at Walmart. Tc

I only use alum post shave before the after shave. I leave it on for a couple of minutes, rinse off with water and towel my face dry. So I have no problems while shaving.

I dry my hands between passes so do not have a problem using my fingers to stretch my face when needed. I could see you having a problem with the alum if you go over the area you used alum on after with another stroke if you did not rinse it off first. Same would apply, possibly, if you do not rinse your face between passes.

Bob

Have you tried stretching without alum? I've heard of people using it for stretching but it's never been an issue for me. I rinse and dry my hands between passes and have no issues stretching my skin.

Problem Solved.

I was not rinsing high on my cheek bone between passes, which is where I stretch my skin from... Now I'm rinsing properly its all good.. thx

Alum after the shave not in between passes, how is the blade has it rusted up quickly shaving over alum coating on your face?

Alum is used for its antiseptic and clotting abilities. As such, it's used after you finish your shave and the soap is rinsed off. The Alum Block is rubbed over your damp face and neck, Then rinsed off completely. The shave is then finished with an Aftershave, which is left on, and Aftershave lotion.


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In the thread above, there seems to be some confusion as to the two uses of alum.

The most common use for an alum block is to apply it to your face after the shave as an antiseptic and astringent. That use has few drawbacks as long as you rinse the alum off your skin after a few minutes. Aluminum ions are considered to be a neurotoxin and may be linked to the progression of Alzheimer's disease; you do not want to leave the alum on your skin or hands.

The second use (and the one with which Dr Matt disagrees) is using alum on the fingertips while shaving to stretch the skin. Although the alum does make the fingertips stick to the skin to aid in stretching, it can leave behind a residue that can make the razor pull on the next pass. Furthermore, alum is a salt that can corrode the edge of your razor is not thoroughly removed. Thus, it is best to avoid avoid alum use during the shave.

If you do choose to use alum on your fingertips, insure that all traces of the alum are removed from your face and hands between passes. The scientific standard for removing traces of chemicals is called triple-rinsing. Simply splashing a little water on your face will not remove all the alum.
While a quick rinse may remove enough alum so your face is no longer sticky, the remaining traces of alum are not good for the microscopic edge of your razor. So unless you are willing to triple rinse you face, it is best to avoid alum during the shave.

Dr. Matt is selling small shave cloths that are simply pieces of cloth that his daughter has seamed around the edge to prevent unraveling. The small cloths are supposed to give a better grip on the skin. I suspect that he is selling the cloths primarily to help other shavers; any profit he and his daughter make from the venture will be meager. I have no association with Dr. Matt other than having watched a few of his videos.

You can certainly make your own shave cloths from a piece of microfibre cleaning cloth, thin cotton dish cloth, barber's towel, etc. A terry face cloth is too thick, unless it is old and well worn. You can use the cloth at full size, but you may find a smaller size to be more convenient. The advantage of the small cloth is that if it becomes wet or soapy, set it aside and grab another one and continue your shave without filling up your clothes hamper. If you have a sewing machine or have a willing friend who does, you can cut a dish cloth into four pieces and hem around the edges. You could make quite a few shave cloths out of a barber's towel.