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Do alum blocks cause razor bumps/ingrowns?

I don't own or have ever owned, or used for that matter, an alum block. If I get a weeper, I use a roll-on product called a Nick Stick from Pacific Shaving Company. Just a quick roll over the nick and all done

I can't imagine that an alum block would case in-grown hairs or any bumps. If it did, it would be more widely known.

You could always try switching to a liquid astringent like a witch hazel product.
 
I use a styptic pencil on anything that won't stop bleeding within a minute or so, which is very rare.

I also apply salicylic acid (Stridex) in the evening, just to head off any blemishes. I've never had more than an occasional ingrown, maybe a few in a year.
 
I've tried the other common products like witch hazel over the years but an alum bloc is something special. It's been part of my daily shave for so long, I can't imagine not using it. Those who know, know. :)
 

Iridian

Cool and slimy
Ingrown hairs are caused by hair growing into the skin, usually caused by really close shaving, ironically. Alum doesn't help. It can stop bleeding and clump the site of a cut. For disinfection, it's just astringent, a double sulphate salt, not a disinfectant.

There is no use rubbing the face with it unless you are bleeding. And then just the spot is enough.
 

Iridian

Cool and slimy

"While alum has some antimicrobial and anti fungal properties, it has not been shown to be an effective alternative for sanitizer or disinfectants."

Aftershave or balms do that better.
 
I use mine only when I nick or cut myself and I want it to stop bleeding as fast as possible, because I'm going to meet other people and I don't want to look like I just came from a warzone. That rarely happens though.

So to answer your question - I'm no expert to this subject and I really have no idea, since I rarely had any ingrown hairs in years and the one time I had a lot was when I started DE shaving and I guess my beard at the time was more keen with cartridges than DE and after a while I rarely had such issues.

One thing that comes to mind is that ever since I started using DE blades no more than 3 times, I haven't gotten any ingrowns at all, but maybe using fresh blades more often has nothing to do with it, who knows?
 
There is no way to persuade someone that a thing that does nothing is not doing something. Especially shavers, who are a particularly superstitious bunch. Alum, pre-shave oil, cold water shaving, you name it.

Anyway, the most effective treatment for ingrown hairs is acupuncture.

Thank you for the literal lol.
 
Many traditional wet shavers suffer from varying degrees of cognitive dissonance. The utility of alum is just one example.
 
Whatever it may be, I use it daily. Just cover my neck & chin with it, hold it for around 15-20 secs, and wash it out. That's a minute of shaving routine that helps me (to close any minor red dots, e.g) IMHO 🤷‍♂️
 
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