Alum destroys lather. Don't let it excape your post shave.

[aimsport]

Alum must stay away from all pre-shave and shave software and hardware except perhaps a slippery razor handle. I was troubleshooting someone's lather and the setup should have been foolproof, yet the lather was collapsing as it was forming. I discovered they had recently started rinsing their face with a soaking wet brush AFTER alum block was applied. I have no idea if that brush will ever recover.

To see the effect, touch a wet alum block to some leftover lather.

You have been warned.

 

[deruitem]

Good call! I would never have thought of such a thing

 

[Mandina]

Absolutely correct. A couple of times I did my head shave first, rinsed, and applied alum block to my scalp, and then tried to face shave. The inadvertent mixing of alum with my brush and soap destroyed the lather for my face shave. I now apply alum to scalp and face only after I've completed shaving both.

 

[Augustiner]

Yes it does. I applied alum as a pre-shave a couple times just to see how it performed. I absolutely couldn't build lather on my face. I sometimes see alum recommended for pre-shave use (Shavex alum block website) but I would recommend it only as a post-shave treatment. I use alum everyday after my shave and it works great.

 

[Heron]

Osma sells a shave soap with alum in it. I wonder how it lathers.

 

[infotech]

Personally, I keep alum as far away from my shave as possible - pre or post. As you state, it's only good for a slippery razor which is pretty much non-existent (including my Chrome Futur).

 

[mikey]

I have wondered about this as well.

Thanks,
Mike

Osma sells a shave soap with alum in it. I wonder how it lathers.

 

[gborba]

Been applying alum on my face before lather to reduce irritation and make for a better shave. I do have to use more shaving cream and may have to add a little more between shaves due to the alum attacking the lather. Also found the brush can be a problem if not cleaned with liquid soap after shaving. Once in a while I will not use alum and the brush lathers up with no problem.

For me, I found the benefits of using alum pre-lather outweigh the disadvantages. YMMV.

Gary

 

[Lakebound]

Never had a problem myself. I use alum every time I shave on my fingertips for support hand stretches for straight razor shaving. And I guarantee that alum has been on my wet face and has been lathered into the soap as it would be difficult to prevent.

Another YMMV issue I guess because I've never had an issue.

Frank

 

[dosboss57]

Personally, I keep alum as far away from my shave as possible - pre or post. As you state, it's only good for a slippery razor which is pretty much non-existent (including my Chrome Futur).

And there's this new invention for that...it's called a towel....keeps your hands dry too...Win win!!!

 

[Effy]

Interesting point about the alum. It is not likely be a direct meeting, but my block lives near my brushes so I might check that out and maybe move it elsewhere.

And +1 to the above - I dry my hands on a towel not an alum block

 

[Eeyore]

Alum must stay away from all pre-shave and shave software and hardware except perhaps a slippery razor handle. I was troubleshooting someone's lather and the setup should have been foolproof, yet the lather was collapsing as it was forming. I discovered they had recently started rinsing their face with a soaking wet brush AFTER alum block was applied. I have no idea if that brush will ever recover.

I have seen that advice been given here on B&B indeed, and warned against it some time ago. Good that you spotted the cause of the problem!

 

[tejolot3]

Of course alum destroys soap lather. That's precisely why I use it during my shave: to give my fingers a grip on my soapy skin when I need to pull it a little bit. If alum didn't cut through the lather, that would never work. And drying my hands on a towel would not help, as my wet, soapy face or neck is the enemy in that moment, not a slippery finger or razor.

But I rinse my face well between passes, which means I rinse any residual alum off my skin before re-lathering. I can't imagine thinking it would work OK to build a lather on top of alum. I wouldn't even have high hopes for applying lather on top of alum-treated skin, although I can see that working better than face-lathering.

 

[Eeyore]

No, the thread did not recommend lathering on top of alum, but did suggest rinsing the alum off your face, post shave, using the brush. I don't (and did not) recommend that.

 

[TXFIVEO]

Interseting. I've never been impressed with alum blocks. Just my experience.

 

[Eeyore]

Interseting. I've never been impressed with alum blocks. Just my experience.

Alum is very useful as a desinfectans and astringent, but should never get into your brush.

 

[tejolot3]

No, the thread did not recommend lathering on top of alum, but did suggest rinsing the alum off your face, post shave, using the brush. I don't (and did not) recommend that.

The OP did not recommend lathering on top of alum. But the thread has more than one post in it that specifically mention applying alum before lathering.

Sorry if I was unclear: I was not directly replying to the OP.

 

[Eeyore]

The OP did not recommend lathering on top of alum. But the thread has more than one post in it that specifically mention applying alum before lathering.

Sorry if I was unclear: I was not directly replying to the OP.

Thanks for explaining ... I must admit that I did not read all posts in the thread