Osma Bloc - Alum Block 75g (Soothes Shaving Irritation)

This is great product. Like many here I had never used one of these until I purchased this from here recently. Actually I'd never heard of it before - and my friends haven't either! I happened to come across it while researching traditional wet shaving. Now I wouldn't be without it. My problem is sensitive skin and often have skin burn following shaving, my skin seems to hold heat for a while following shaving. But I also have a fairly quick bristle growth rate so have to shave regularly. I've tried various pre/during/post shaving products and methods to try and help and this has been one of the successes. The block arrived quickly in the nice box as pictured, the block is tough and cold, like a stone/mineral block, small in size but should last for ages. Following shaving I use it by wetting and wiping over my face and neck, 3 or 4 coatings. keep the block wet as it does dry quickly and is tough to use when it is drying. Leaves a very pleasant cool feeling, skin feels taut and smooth, seems to seal any nicks/cuts and leaves a nice sheen. Some prefer to wash their face once applied but I left it on because it feels really nice and protective on your skin. Seems to stop your skin becoming too oily as well; you feel clean and fresh. Very pleasant product. It's now a requirement in my shaving process, I can't recommend it highly enough. Natural products always win.

An excellent value alum block. Certain well known shops sell their own branded blocks for astronomical prices but what you get is exactly the same. I have in the past paid three times as much for a block from a certain Mayfair based shaving emporium but alum is alum and I can categorically state from a users experience that there is no difference whatsoever. There is no need to pay more. If you have not used alum before as part of your shaving ritual it is something you should definitely consider. Alum is a natural styptic and anti-septic and will seal and sterilise any small nicks in the skin. It will also help you to improve your technique and tell you when your razor is getting blunt. You can expect a little bit of stinging after applying the alum no matter what but if you are scraping the skin and causing lots of abrasion or your blade is blunt then you will really feel it. My technique is to finish shaving, wash face in warm water to remove soap, submerge face in cold water them make alum block wet with cold water and pass thoroughly over all shaved areas. Follow that with a skin tonic and a moisturiser and your face will feel smoother than it ever has. An extra benefit of using alum I find is that I hardly ever get collar burn if I shave in the morning and then wear a tie. It really settles the skin down again quickly after shaving. Tip: alum is a salt so it melts (slowly) in water. Make sure you dry it off thoroughly after use and store it somwhere dry. If you do then this small block will last a very long time - probably more than a year. Tip: Alum is an anti-septic and can be very helpful for acne even if you don't shave. I bought my teenage son one and he uses it to keep his spots under control. Tip: You can even use it as a deodorant because it closes pores and kills bacteria - you might want to get two blocks though if you are using one on your pits!

Alum blocks (Or hydrated potassium aluminium sulphate for the geeky) is a mineral block made of large crystals. The idea is you moisten your face and rub the wet block gently on your face the alum and cold water act to close pores, tighten skin, remove moisture and seal cuts and prevent/soothe razor burn. It's also used as an underarm deodorant, never tried that personally. It's an astringent (skin dryer/ pore closer), with some antiseptic properties (will reduce spot development post shave). Very very little of the alum actually dissolves and this block will last many hundreds of shaves (maybe a decade if you don't drop/lose it first). However it is small at about 12cc (thick large rubber/eraser). This brand Osma Bloc is fairly well known as alum blocks go and is a high end brand you can buy larger blocks at about half the price but it's so long lasting why bother? Still since it's rather expensive I dropped a star (while well worth it, in fact I might change it to 5 stars... mhmm). You can use this pre-shave with electrics to improve glide and post-shave instead of alcohol based aftershave. I like to use some on my fingers before I shave as it improves my grip on my skin. Overall I recommend the use of any alum block, especially this one. Especially if you have sensitive skin which alcohol doesn't help.

I purchased this back in May due to switching over to DE razors and a badger shaving brush at the start of the year. Anyone who has done the switch from commercial multi-blade razors with self adjusting heads to DE will tell you that you will get the inevitable odd nick here and there, as DE razors are great but don't naturally follow the contours of the face and are not forgiving to those that don't respect them, it takes a little practice before you master the correct angle for perfect shaving and even then there's always that time where you're in a rush and turn butcher from careful user. It's at this time that this product is a life saver, especially if you're wearing a white collared shirt! When you receive the alum block (mine turned up in perfect condition with no breaks) you are surprised at how small it is, it's like a very small bar of soap, but don't be fooled by it 's appearance, it really does pack a punch and a little goes a very long way. As I say, I've had mine since May and with frequent use it still looks exactly the same as when I received it. In Use: I simply run the block under the cold water tap then gently run it over my face where I have cut the skin. You get a slight sting when it finds the cut but this quickly disappears and the result is no more bleeding. You can get dressed and have no concerns about blood seeping onto your clothes or having to apply all those little bits of tissue paper - how much time did we all waste doing that?! then walking around advertising the fact that we had hacked our face to bits whilst trying to decide upon the best time to re-wet the tissue paper and remove it only to find that the blooming cut starts to bleed again! Thank you Alum, thank you.

I got this because I have just started shaving with a safety razor and it was suggested as part of the post shave procedure. I have always cut myself with a mach 3 before and used to use a small styptic pencil to stem the bleeding. This alum block does exactly what the styptic pencil did but also acts as an astringent and closes the pores. It is also a natural antiseptic -its penicillin in a rock!!! It gives you a nice tingly feeling all over your face. All you do is have your shave, rinse your face in cold water and leave it wet. Wet the block and rub it over your entire face. It is a hard rectangular crystal like product and does not seem to wear at all. It is going to last for ages by the looks of it. Dry it off with a bit of tissue and put it somewhere safe where it won't get damp or knocked on the floor or in the bath as it will shatter. There are others blocks on AMAZON for cheaper prices and I am sure they will be just as good. I just decided to get this one because I liked the comments made by other users and the box looked quite nice. It was also free delivery. There are some blocks which are cheaper even with postage so you just need to make your choice. What I'm saying is that if you wet shave get an ALUM BLOCK. Make sure it is potassium alum -because it is a natural product. I can't see that there will be a big difference between performance but some will be smoother than others. This one is very flat and smooth - like Elgin Marble.

Check out "alum" on Wikipedia: this is a cool salt that actually has many uses. It's been used by people since the Egyptian times! Here are a few other little tips and facts that'll hopefully help you with this purchase: - You'll want to finalizing EVERY shave with this (even if you don't nick yourself). It is an antibacterial so helps keep away any rashes or spots. - After shaving you'll also find it's an AMAZING antiperspirant. Rub a little water into your armpits then rub this block around them. The antibacterial property of this block will kill the bacteria that cause odor and make it safe for use on your face the next time. - I think this 75g block in the cardboard box is better than the 100g one in the perspex box. It always needs damp skin to work on, but water will slowly dissolve it. The cardboard takes a little of the remaining water off the block and so extends its life. The only reason to go for the one in the perspex box would be if it needs to travel with you. - Even using multiple times a week, I expect this block to last a year. So it's really good value for money, you don't need to try and hunt down the cheapest offer on it. Buying a single 75g block at a time is fine. - Be a little mindful that this is a salt block. It's not amazingly fragile but a full drop to the floor will probably shatter it. Hope the above helps. And if you're putting together a double edge shaving kit as a present for someone, be sure to add this little guy as it's just too cool to skip over :-)

It is obviously a very good and traditional product, and having used it can clearly see it's benefits, and would give it a 5 (4.5 realistically) under different circumstances! The different circumstances being that it arrived in several pieces, this I believe is a problem a lot of people encounter with this product, two of the pieces I can use but the rest are just broken bits that have to be thrown away, yes the traditional packaging (cardboard wrapper) is very nice and gives that quality look, but as the Alum block is in fact a lump of crystals (salt) it is fragile a liable to fracture as mine did. I would recommend that the manufacturer either makes provision for this or that Amazon take more care when they deliver it. I notice that you can buy the same product (Alum) in a plastic container, I would suggest people buy that as it would offer some protection in the post.

Maybe its just me but I enjoy shaving, at least I do since I switched to traditional practices, using a double edge safety razor, brush and proper lather. I may even be a little obsessed with getting the perfect shave, that all over babies bottom smooth feeling without the razor burn and irritation of multi-blade cartyridge razors. So after reading advice from others that I really should be using one of these, i decided to go ahead and order one. I was a little surprised when it arrived, it's much smaller than i thought, but that night after using it I was hooked. You use it after your shave, I run it under cold water and then rub the block over my freshly shaved face and it goes to work, helping to seal minor nicks and tone the skin. It leaves your face tingling in a good way, not stinging. It's also an excellent guide to the quality of your shaving technique, the more it stings the harsher your shave so it's a great way to improve your technique. If you haven't got one get one, now! Well worth it.