It's a slightly pricey option, but the CO Bigelow Rose Water Tonic might be something to look into. It has witch hazel in it, but smells really nice and feels amazing after a shave. Dissolving some alum into it might give you the properties you're looking for without the witch hazel smell. Like I said though, it's a little on the pricey side.
I use my alum block onlay if there are cuts, which happens from time to time, since I am using my DE razor for only 3 weeks now. BTW, I am Oliver, 34 years old and living in Germany. Nice to meet all of you!
Excellent point on the shoe spray. Once I saw the alum, I put it back, thinking I can make my own alum concoction for shoes. Have you given the Thayer's WH a sniff? It's spendy, compared to store brand, but much cheaper than other splashes. I have the Lavender alcohol free and the lemon scents. I like the lemon best. WH scent isn't for everyone, but it fades in minutes. My cedar mixture is a great woodsy scent with no hint of WH in the long run. One more caution: for me, anyway, cedar EO can be stingy, so use it sparingly. As I added WH to dissolve all the alum, I did not add any cedar since the intial mix was a bit irritating. When I was done, I'de added about 4x the WH I indented at the beginning and the cedar settled down nicely.
TJ, I liked to know more about how you did this. Did you break up the alum bar into pieces and then dump them into the WH? How long does it take to dissolve? Going to give this a shot and also use it for my shoes!
At first, I poured the WH into the plastic chest the block came in and let it sit. After several days, I broke up the alum into small gravel size, put the liquid and alum in a 2 liter bottle. Then I added more WH and shook it up for 10-15 minutes. The block had become more porous as it dissolved, but with the small amount of WH, it reached saturation long before it has completely dissolved. I pour off some from the 2l bottle into a 8 oz I keep on the counter. Even now, there is still a bit of undissolved alum on the bottom. When there is room, I add WH and shake it for few minutes. If I were to do it over, I'd grind the alum into a course powder grain, like sand or sugar, using a mortal and pistil, or something. I'd dissolve that, adding a bit at a time untill it reached saturation, into a single bottle of WH, probably Thayer's Lemon. I wouldn't use a whole block.
I'll add that the solubility of alum isn't very high, so you'll need less alum than you likely expect. It will be plenty effective, just not a really high concentration.
go for it mate, it is one of the best purchases i ever made. I have forgotten it while travelling & its a bummer, for me, knowing that i dont have it. Enjoy.
I checked out the shoe spray again. It called Naturally Fresh. It costs $3.99 for 4 oz. It contains Potassium alum, water, and aloe leaf juice. A bit expensive, but probably safe for skin.
I was thinking the same thing. Who has a good price on Bloc Osma right now? *eta. Scratch that... I ordered a block from TSD store.
I've used an Alum block, but much to my dismay I have dry skin. If your sking type is like mine then look into other alternatives
I'll probably try that at some point as well, but most of the stuff I can find locally is Dickinson's original (the smell of which I've never particularly cared for). Perhaps I'll track down some Thayer's at some point.
I see you live in Austin. I had to track Thayers down myself and found it at a place called Vitamin Shoppe.
I think we have a location here. Actually, seeing as Thayer's is 'all natural', I imagine there will be one or two hippie stores around here that should carry it as well. It's just the matter of getting the time and gumption to go searching.
