That's what I used in my previous safety razor shaving life. This time around, I might go with something more elegant. Though, there's a lot to like about the toilet paper process. First, you need to get proficient in forming a piece just the right size. And, you need to do it in a timely manner, as the longer it takes, the bigger the piece of paper you'll need. And, there's placement. Crooked looks awful, but a nicely aligned square isn't so bad. And, finally, the toilet paper says, "The razor drew first blood, not me!".
It's not important in the grand scheme of things, but the 14% alcohol in most witch hazel bottles is a byproduct of the distillation process and is not added later. 100% pure alcohol free witch hazel is extracted using a different method and tends to leave a slightly sticky or tacky residue on the face. Both varieties can say on the label "pure witch hazel extract" or "100% pure witch hazel", but only the one that says "alcohol free" really is alcohol free.
Usually I just let it go until I'm finished shaving and then take care of it using mostly little TP squares. If its significant, I'll use a big sized styptic pencil to curtail most of the bleeding and then rush over to the freezer to get an ice cube and apply moderate pressure to the nick or cut. If its really bad, I have in one instance used "Liquid Bandaid" by Johnson & Johnson. I would not be adverse to using super glue in desperation because I was told that the original purpose of it was that of an emergency suture for soldiers of WW II. If I'm wrong about that, I respectfully invite someone to correct me as I don't intentionally want to spread any misinformation. PS: After you have stopped your bleeding and feel if you may have a scar as a result, go to a drugstore or Dollar General/Family Dollar store and buy a small tube of scar gel, it worked for me when I received a 1 inch gash on the left side of my face with a Magic Shavette, although it may take a few months for it to completely disappear.
Another product that is coming up are styptic matches which are easy to store, use and disposable. http://finercut.com/shaving/styptic-matches/
Great article, having a styptic pencil on hand is a must....at least for me. After a good shave, especially a 3-4 pass shave I rinse with cold water, rub an alum block over my face and if there is still any weepers I use my styptic pencil. Very informative and easy to comprehend.
I have VERY hard water in my area. I often shave in the tub just because it's so much more relaxing (I actually bathe in the shower). Anyway, I discovered years ago that soaking up to my nose after shaving will stop any and all bleeding and weepage so well that I cannot tell where I was nicked. I've attributed this blood stoppage to the high mineral content herebouts but perhaps softer water will do as well...I dunno. Anyway, if you ever nick yourself in the tub it won't hurt to try it for yourself.
Excellent article GDCarrington. I was wondering about this. No one ever taught me about stopping bleeding, where I come from you just keep working until the bleeding stops.............. or you do.
Hey, I'm up for it. I'll try anything some things. I know that yesterdays remedies were the best they had at the time so I'm sure it does work. Maybe we now have stuff that does it better or quicker, but these things probably came from the use of pepper to stop bleeding. Pepper in your car radiator can stop a leak in an emergency ........ and your skin is kinda like your bodies radiator..... so.............. drink antifreeze to thicken up the blood to slow the bleeding as well??? No?? Didn't think so either. Right I'm off to slash myself and see if this works !!! If you don't hear back from me, I slashed too much and didn't try enough pepper
Interesting. I just tried a Magic shavette for the first time yesterday and got myself a nice cut. I did the cold water, witch hazel, and a styptic pencil. All of that and some pressure and it finally stopped. I guess shavette/straights are not for me.
Last week, I used a newly-honed straight—and was rewarded with an extremely close, smooth 2-pass shave. I then grabbed the R41 for some minor touch up and the DE razor bit me not once, but twice! Some real good weepers! Cold water, a firm alum block rub & an application with the styptic pencil stemmed the flow.