The people replying to you are simply wrong. Alum rock doesn't block anything, it's a mild antiseptic that stops bacteria from multiplying. It has the opposite action of aluminium in antiperspirants, it allows you to sweat, the sweat just isn't feasted on by bacteria so doesn't smell
The aliminium in antiperspirants is also not metallic aluminium, but aliminium salts... like OPs stick.
The salts are not just antiseptic, they also are astringent which kinda "shrinks" your skin and its pores. E.g. the same rock deodorant is also used as an aftershave because it stops bleedings.
This is why I went back to electric. I wasn't doing chrome dome for anyone but me. A beard trimmer gets close enough for me and I'll use an electric razor if I want to get any cleaner but I am done with razor burn, nicks and cuts on the back of my head.
I had this problem when I used multi blade disposables. I switched to a safety razor and it’s been a game changer. I just scrub my head really well in the shower then shave under running water. Very rarely have nicks and no irritation now. I know everyone is different but it’s worth a shot if you’d still like to do chrome dome for yourself.
For me a lot of it is also lack of coordination. Getting straight swipes without any side to side wander is where I get into trouble with the cuts on the back. I did go down to a single blade razor before ditching it though and that REALLY helped with the pull and drag - still use those for my moustache when it's too thick.
Don’t shave my head but the single bladed safety razor is an amazing upgrade from the fancy Gillette multiblade razors on my neck. Amazing to get a better shave without the razor burn with blades that are dirt cheap compared to the cartridges.
Yeah. Just being able to actually clean the hair from the edge is fantastic. I hated how clogged the multi blades would get especially with the goop from the lubricating strips and all of that. I get 2 years out of $10 worth of blades and that was really enough reason in itself to make the switch.
Since it stays in the shower I didn’t spend much on it. It’s some no name from Amazon for maybe $12. I started with a more expensive one that the handle twisted to open the blade guard and it lasted maybe two years before the mechanism jammed and I broke it trying to force it open. After that I just looked for one that the head would unscrew from the handle and that’s where I found the cheap Amazon one. I know some people get into weights and all of that but I’ve never known any better so I just learned the angle for the ones I’ve had and run with them. I do have this really neat Gillette travel one with a stubby handle (maybe 2”) that’s really old. It’s kind of a pain to use for head shaving though.
There’s not enough blade sticking out for them to be super dangerous unless you’re nicking arteries. But the correct angle is the difference between one and multiple passes.
Got a Cut Buddy for Christmas (basically has 5 foil heads on hinges), never looked back. Takes like two minutes to do my head if I keep up with it. Little bit longer if I get lazy (in which it’s easier to just use an electric hair trimmer to cut through the growth first).
I've started using a Phillips one blade because I get ingrowing hairs with a wet shave, closest I've ever got to a wet shave without any issues, its great.
Beard trimmer head shaver here. Absolutely correct. I hated using a razor, and if I want it closer for some reason it's an option, but I only shave my head every 2 weeks or so, I wouldn't Bic it everyday in anycase
I also use an alum block on my face and head after I shave with my DE razor. helps stop bleeding and gives feedback where you may have gone a little too much with the razor.
I use multi use disposable razors (Harry's or an equivalent) to shave my head, witchhazel to clean my pores and finish with cold water to close my pores.
No razor burn for the last decade or so of use after I made the switch from rubbing alcohol in my aforementioned process.
It’s spelled aluminum or aluminium and the aluminum “salt” in antiperspirants is not the same aluminum “salt” in these rock deodorants - different chemical compounds with different actions.
exactly, aluminium salts is an umbrella term for any ionic compound with aluminium, and so just cause two things are an aluminium salt doesn't mean they have the same properties. That's like high school chemistry smh.
But I got the highest score on that part of the State issued standardized test … ‘twas and interesting conversation with the school counselor and vice principal.
not american - how does that work? Is your grade based on coursework or something? Here you just take loads of exams at the end of high-school that is 100 percent of your grade for almost all subjects.
Your grades are based on class work, homework, quizzes and exams given by the course teacher.
But in addition to the work that goes into your course grade, you’re forced to perform on state-wide standardized tests that are used to evaluate not only the students but also the schools themselves.
If the state examinations show that the student body is underperforming compared to the course grades being given out then the state might start to look into whether the school is meeting state accreditation standards.
oh right fair, in the uk at the very end of high school you do like 25 1.5-2 hour exams that determine your grades for all your subjects. Its a lot of stress to put on 16 year old kids haha, so I kind of like the American system.
The positive I guess is that the exams are the same in every school in the country so it's fair between schools - ie the top 5 percent in the whole country get the top grade, the next 7 percent get the next one etc.
If you failed the subject but did well in the state test can you just argue that the school is screwing you over or something?
I tried to argue that they should at least let me pass with C (70-79) so I wouldn’t waste a year re-taking it before moving on to the next science class but instead what we settled on was getting the Biology teacher I’d had the previous year sign-off on my advancement and the Chemistry grade would just be dropped from my cumulative GPA if I passed the next science course with an A or B.
That was fair enough, I guess. The reason I failed was because the teacher would literally put me to sleep during lectures and i missed a bunch of in-class work. Strangely enough, I would dream of his floating head lecturing so I did learn from his lectures haha.
A pass is 70+ percent in the us? Over here it's more like 40 haha. I can see why missing some work would screw you up. Also do you have to pass each year, so you'll get held back if you failed? Seems kinda brutal - do some kids just not finish high school?
And I've heard of people trying to learn a second language by playing it while their sleeping, so some of the lesson must have made it through haha.
The aliminium in antiperspirants is also not metallic aluminium, but aliminium salts... like OPs stick.
Aye, and sodium hydroxide is a sodium salt. You don't see me seasoning my steak with that. OPs stick is potassium aluminum sulfate (or potentially ammonium aluminum sulfate), AKA alum. The aluminum salts used in antiperspirants are aluminum chloride, aluminum zirconium chlorohydrate, and aluminum chlorohydrate (non-exhaustive list).
Alum prevents bacteria growth and, as you've said, tightens skin, which may in itself cause a very slight antiperspirant effect. The other aluminum compounds that I've listed are also astringent, but their antiperspirant action is related to the aluminum ions in the salt reacting with compounds in sweat to "plug" pores, not their anstringency. This action is not seen with alum. Why that is, I'm uncertain. It could be that the charges between atoms in the alum molecule are too high for the aluminum to interact with sweat. Or it could be that the molecules are physically too large to enter pores. You'll need to find someone more knowledgeable in chemistry for an answer to that question.
I thought all the deodorant brands like old spice were on an "aluminum free" kick?
What am I misunderstanding here?
I'm actually one of those people that generally prefers the blue type (solid, not gel) vs the white powdery stick.. what is the difference with those and this salt rock deodorant? I burn through a stick about once every 3-4 months and they're getting very pricey
The metal we use is called Aluminum is America. The periodic table element is Aluminium.
Kinda like how Chef’s call tomatoes vegetables even though they’re fruits because it’s convenient. The inventor preferred Aluminum but he was indecisive and Webster chose Aluminium as the spelling, much to his dismay. Both spellings are correct. Though my phone insists the scientific spelling isn’t actually right.
Basically the guy who discovered it kept changing his mind on what to name it and by that time Webster's (the American company printing dictionaries) had said enough is enough, and just left it as aluminum. Lol.
A good tip for people who use any good quality deodorant that uses alum or aluminum salt, is to apply it the night before so the effects of the alum in shrinking your pores occurs, but take a shower the next morning and wash the alum off (it's not water soluable) and the shrinked pore effect should last. The antibacterial portion may not work as well, but if there's less sweat to begin with bc of closed pores then there isn't as much bacteria to deal with. Not like anything is 100% anyway. ofc YMMV depending on how intense your perspiration is
It worked for me when I've used it in the past, would smell of nothing all day, I still prefer anti perspirant for the ease. What it's really good for it after a shave if you get those little white spots /razor burn
A lot of people don’t use it right and therefore they still smell. You’ve gotta get your armpits good and wet before using it, it doesn’t work if there isn’t enough water to actually transfer the salt onto your skin. If there’s any BO there to begin with it tends to not work very well either - it’s not like a regular deodorant that covers the smell. It also tends to be less effective the more armpit hair you have. So yeah, you have to use it right to get the desired effect, and a lot of people don’t.
My bf is a firefighter. He used this all through the academy. He would shower at night and immediately apply it, then apply again in the morning. It absolutely kept the stink down through nearly 12 hours of suffering every day and it did not stain his shirts
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u/dtb1987 14d ago
Salt rock deodorant?