Talc after the shave?I have always had a really bad problem with post shave irritation on my neck area but it is not irritation as a result not shaving itself as much as it is almost a heat rash from my shaved skin rubbing. I do manual labor for work and play drums for fun so I'm always sweaty and active but I even have this issue in the winter when it's cool out. The problem was made much worse when I moved to Florida a few years ago where it is very hot very often.
Alum has pretty much solved this for me and I've been faithful to the alum ever since. A few years have passed and I would like to stop using alum. I don't have a fear of it like many people do, it's not terribly expensive, and it only adds a an extra couple mins onto my routine. I moreso am constantly trying to minimize my den and routine as well as have grown very tired of how badly alum dries my skin out.
I've seen suggestions for balms but none I have tried have worked out for me as I usually have very oily skin and they take the one extreme of dryness from the alum to the other extreme of feeling heavy and greasy. When I rinse the alum off it does very little for me and if I use no alum I can feel the irritation slowly grow the next day.
I've tried splashes containing alum but my wife is very scent sensitive and my skin is very ingredient sensitive so my choice in aftershaves are very very limited.
I'd really like to stop using alum to simplify my den/routine, have less to carry and worry about, and have less to keep inventory of. I just kinda have to use alum and am open to other suggestions from here.
I want to stop using alum but I can't
- Thread starter slybrewguy
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- #22
Yea I tried, it did work for what I used it for but was messy, required frequent reapplication, and everyone's comments got annoying.
As far as everyone else's responses, I appreciate the feedback and I'll keep playing with different combos.
Basically, if I could simply dissolve alum in my skin bracer then I would be good to go. Or, if I could find an aftershave that contained alum but wasn't insanely expensive (Dr Jon's being the cheapest and still far beyondy preferred price range) and had a scent that agreed with my wife then I would be good to go.
I also have to say that I am surprised that not one person yet has said something along the lines of, "skin bracer is cheap grocery store aftershave. That's why your skin is drying out!!" And I can confidently say that the dry skin issue has improved greatly when I switched to this splash.
I dissolved about 1/8 tsp of alum powder, which I scraped off the end of my block, into a skin bracer / brut splash-on mixture (5oz) along with some added glycerin and menthol. The effect does not feel like rubbing the block on my face, but it does help a bit. It fully dissolved after a couple weeks. I also did this in some Myrsol Agua Balsamica.
I agree that you won't find a way around alum if its the alum that really is doing what you need (and I bet it is). Feel fortunate that you have such a cheap and easy solution for your irritation problem. 
Regarding your skin drying out, have you looked into Stirling's Witch Hazel & Aloe products? They contain hydrovance, which is quite good for skin moisture, but it doesn't leave a residue that will run on you. It's about twice the price of Skin Bracer $10 for 7 ounces), but I'd be willing to bet that you could get by pretty well without using it every day and still see some results. There's an unscented version if you would like to keep using your Skin Bracer every day, but they also have some very nice scents.
Shea butter also is something that can help keep your skin moist, and it's also something you probably can get by on without using it every day.
Regarding your skin drying out, have you looked into Stirling's Witch Hazel & Aloe products? They contain hydrovance, which is quite good for skin moisture, but it doesn't leave a residue that will run on you. It's about twice the price of Skin Bracer $10 for 7 ounces), but I'd be willing to bet that you could get by pretty well without using it every day and still see some results. There's an unscented version if you would like to keep using your Skin Bracer every day, but they also have some very nice scents.
Shea butter also is something that can help keep your skin moist, and it's also something you probably can get by on without using it every day.
I agree that SB is a spectacular splash. Probably my favorite drugstore splash and better skin feeling than many artisan splashes.
Have you ever tried La Toja soap and La Toja AS together? The soap as alum, which helps seal nicks and calm irritation while you are actually shaving. La Toja AS which has alum also, should be an excellent finish for you.
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
Haven't used either. I'll look into them. Thanks.
I think the OP may be even more interested though. He's having irritation issues. I am not.
Interesting they put alum in the soap.
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- #28
I have tried the soap, though it was a great performer during the shave it did add to the dryness and didn't help in the way alum does. I'll have to revisit the splash, that actually has been on my mind.
They don't actually put alum in the soap, they use an ingredient generically labeled as "mineral salts" which are harvested from the ocean or a spring or something like that. They are in their local water basically. All of the la toja products I've ever seen include this. Some say these mineral salts act in a similar fashion to the way alum does in terms of it's healing benefits.
I haven’t been at this for long but I like using alum but always found it left my face dry.
I’d leave it on a few mins then rinse but it became clear that the rinse was leaving plenty of alum behind and making my face go dry.
I’m sure you’ve already tried this but I now leave it on for a couple of mins then rinse then then rub a cold wet face cloth all over my face until I’ve washed all the alum off. I always get a white film of dried soap on my razor after shaving and I suspect on my face too. The wet towel gets rid of this too.
This way I get all the great effects of alum without the dryness. Then a light splash of AS.
If it’s not good for you to wash it off you could try leaving it on for longer periods before using the wet face cloth. Helps me anyway.
I’d leave it on a few mins then rinse but it became clear that the rinse was leaving plenty of alum behind and making my face go dry.
I’m sure you’ve already tried this but I now leave it on for a couple of mins then rinse then then rub a cold wet face cloth all over my face until I’ve washed all the alum off. I always get a white film of dried soap on my razor after shaving and I suspect on my face too. The wet towel gets rid of this too.
This way I get all the great effects of alum without the dryness. Then a light splash of AS.
If it’s not good for you to wash it off you could try leaving it on for longer periods before using the wet face cloth. Helps me anyway.
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- #32
Interesting, I will check it out!
Try using any Organic Aloe Vera Gel once, it would moisturize but would not be greasy, and would not give any burns, instead it is suppose to protect against any burns
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- #34
Thanks, I may give that a shot. My wife recently started using pure aloe gel on her face so we've got it around already.
I'm playing with the la toja splash and no alum right now. So far the result has been much closer to what I'm looking for but I haven't had any really hot days to fully test it out. I'll stick with it for a week or so and see.
My post shave skin got better after I stopped using alum and witch hazel...just food for thought.
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- #36
I can completely agree on the witch hazel, I noticed an improvement quickly when I stopped using it. What I thought it was helping was actually fixed by constant technique improvement and after time I found the witch hazel to do more harm then good. I do still keep some around as it's good for bug bites and we use it to clean around my dog's nose crease and ears.
As far as alum, it hasn't been long enough for me to say for sure. I'm sticking with not using it while trying out the la toja splash for a solid week or two.
I honestly just use shave soap now. With all of the high butter soaps, aftershave care isn't needed. I'll use splashes mostly for the scent or if I'm not sure how smooth the edge I put on my straight is. The alcohol splashes tell you right away if your edge was too harsh.
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