Alum block blues

[Flintstone65]

Add me to the “slippery fingers” list. It’s a Gentleman Jon and was in pristine condition until it dropped from my fingers, bounced off the sink and hit the floor. Still have some good size pieces, but they ain’t pretty. Before I used it as a juggling-implement, I had always towel dried it and put it back in its case....I still do that with the piece I use. No crumbling prior to the fall.

 

[Your Majesty]

I've been using omega for 2 years. They don't last that long and they always fall out of the holder and crumble.

 

[Omarz]

I tend to drop mine before it gets used up. They do last a long time if you can avoid dropping it but at some point in a given year it's probably just going to slip out of my fingers at least once. My last couple "alum blocks" have been Crystal deodorant which you can probably find somewhere locally. I found one at Walgreens in the deodorant section a few weeks ago. It's a huge piece of alum in a container that makes it easier to hold onto and only cost about $6.

I do the exact same thing iv had mine for 6 months I shave every third day mine hasn’t gotten smaller at all my wife uses it on her legs as well and it’s held up i think the issue is that as with the little alum sticks they are a concentrated vertion and they tend to be a lot more brittle the stick I have for shaving cuts iv had it a few months and it now a spear point even tho it’s been used a hand full of times

 

[NPK]

I have had great success with this

Shave Nation WIDE STICK Alum Block & Deodorant 70g

Shave Nation Wide Alum Stick made from naturally occurring alum mineral deposits. For all skin-types. Post-shave Healer, Facial Skin Toner, Natural Deodorant and Antiseptic. Get one for the face and one for the underarms! Tightens the skin post shave. Twist Up Container.

shavenation.com

Tell Geo Fatboy I sent ya

I use a similar set up with a deodorant style dispenser. Easy to grip and store. I never worry about dropping it because it would take conscious effort to do so.

 

[ackvil]

I have used my RR alum block (the one in the plastic case) for a year now. It has shrunken but not crumbled. What I do after I use it is to dry it on a paper towel and then store it. In the past few years, I have gone through Osma, Gentleman Jon, and the RR alum blocks without any crumbling or other issues.

 

[AshleyC]

Folks...everything in your bathroom is hard and uncompromising. The only exception, until 10 years ago, was my parent's bathroom.

Which was carpeted. Carpeted! Like it was the 1980s and Alf was still dropping his alien wisecracks. Max Headroom was doing...whatever it was Max Headroom used to do.

Apply your alum in the nearest carpeted, non-bathroom area.

Will you? Probably not. Because I don't either.

 

[Chesty]

Have used Osma alum blocks for five years. I do a cold compress with a face cloth after shaving. Wet the alum block on the face cloth and apply to face and neck. Shower and put the block back in the box when I am done. My experience has been that I can use them until they are very thin. As thin blocks are hard to handle, I find that I drop them, they shatter, and I start with a new block. I keep the pieces for occasional use. I block will last for more than a year in my experience.

 

[Fen]

My favorite is the Proraso Alum Block, unlike many others it doesn't seem to be pressed together pieces but rather a solid hunk of alum. Of several I've tried that were cheap and seemed to be comprised of hundreds of pieces pressed together this one has outlasted ALL of them.

Sent from my Pixel 3a XL using Tapatalk

+1 on the Proraso. It is my first alum block too. Had it for 6 months now, after I started with traditional wet shaving. Just wipe mine with a towel and let it dry inside it's original box without the cover. No sign of giving up on me yet.