Alum Block- am i doing it right?

Hi Everyone.

Just got an Alum block, and post shave wetting it with cold water and rinsing/rubbing my face with it! Is this right?

Also, how do you store yours? Mine is just on the shelf but wondering how the humid environment of the bathroom would affect it, if at all.

thanks

Moonraker5 said:

Hi Everyone.

Just got an Alum block, and post shave wetting it with cold water and rinsing/rubbing my face with it! Is this right?

Also, how do you store yours? Mine is just on the shelf but wondering how the humid environment of the bathroom would affect it, if at all.

thanks

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Sounds about right, but I also wet my face prior to alum application. I usually do this for a minute or so, till all the tingling goes away. Remember to rinse your face afterwards, since some ASB's do not mix well with any residual alum.

Also make sure to thoroughly dry your alum before you put it away, as any water will eat away at it. As far as storage goes, I tried using an old Altoids metal box, but somehow the alum reacted to it and disappeared really quickly. I switched over to a plastic travel soap dish (which is far from airtight) and all is well now.

After rubbing my face with the wet alum, I also hold it on the nicks with slight pressure to aid in stopping the bleeding. This seems to work quite well, and doesn't take much time at all.

So long as you're not eating it, there's really no wrong way to do it. Your face and/or the block do have to be wet, of course. You may want to rinse your face again after using, depending on whether you feel any salt build up on your skin.

As for storage, let it air dry and keep it dry until the next use. I haven't found humidity to be an issue, but standing or running water will be. Once dry, you could keep it in a zip-lock-type baggie or plastic soap dish. Others keep it on one of those fancy draining soap dishes. Just be sure to let it dry before enclosed storage; the drier the block, the longer it will last.

RichGem said:

So long as you're not eating it, there's really no wrong way to do it. Your face and/or the block do have to be wet, of course. You may want to rinse your face again after depending on whether you feel any salt build up on your skin.

As for storage, let it air dry and keep it dry until the next use. I haven't found humidity to be an issue, but standing or running water will be. Once dry, you could keep it in a zip-lock-type baggie or plastic soap dish. Others keep it on one of those fancy draining soap dishes. Just be sure to let it dry before enclosed storage; the drier the block, the longer it will last.

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I had a little drip into my mouth. It does not taste good. I would not recommend eating it, but YMMV.

Get your face wet before you use it. And dry it before you put it away. I keep mine in the plastic case it came in.

Big Kev said:

I had a little drip into my mouth. It does not taste good. I would not recommend eating it, but YMMV.

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I always thought it tasted a little like lime.

Wet your face with cold water after the shave and I also rinse the alum with cold water. I store mine in it's plastic case in the freezer for a cooler effect. Works Great

I use RazoRock Alum Block. It comes in its own plastic case.

The way I use mine is,

-rinse face with warm water to get rid of shave cream
-run alum under warm water
-apply to face
-let sit for 2-3 mins
-rinse with cold water
-pat face dry with towel
-apply aftershave
-dry alum with towel and store

jbake37 said:

Wet your face with cold water after the shave and I also rinse the alum with cold water. I store mine in it's plastic case in the freezer for a cooler effect. Works Great

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Ahh. Nothing better than a cool wet feeling. I may have to try this

Mine came in a plastic case also, so I just put the block back into the case and let it air dry for a few hours. No problems at all with the block, and I know that just using it this way will give me probably a couple of years use from that one block.

Mine came in a plastic case. You could also purchase an inexpensive travel soap dish. I wet my face after shaving and then, almost like i am shaving with the grain, pass the alum bar across my face one time.

later i splash on some witch hazel and later still some nice bay rum.

jgkeegan said:

Mine came in a plastic case. You could also purchase an inexpensive travel soap dish. I wet my face after shaving and then, almost like i am shaving with the grain, pass the alum bar across my face one time.

later i splash on some witch hazel and later still some nice bay rum.

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That is almost exactly what I do, bay rum and everything.

Thanks for all your reply's.

Looks like i am doing it right

Defo need a cheap soap dish though!