Category — After shave / cologne

One of the oldest and most natural shaving or skin products around is the humble alum block.

First used by the Egyptians, alum acts as an astringent (closing the pores and tightening the skin, much like witch hazel) and is a great antibacterial agent.

Rubbed over a wet, freshly-shaven face, the alum block makes a wonderful after shave. You get the same tingle you would from an alcohol-based after shave. You also get the same sting from nicks or irritated areas, so you’ll know how well your technique is progressing. The plus side is, the alum will tend to close up the smaller nicks, stopping bleeding.

Alum’s antibacterial properties mean it can be used as a natural deodorant. In fact, it’s believed that’s how it was first used. You’ll see alum deodorant marketed as ‘Crystal’ something or other. Because it’s pretty drying, commercial alum deodorant often has some aloe mixed in. Simply wet the block and rub briskly over your wet armpit. You will get great odor protection and it won’t stain clothes.

Alum shaving blocks can be found in Indian shops where it’s called ‘phatkari’. Due to Americans getting hip to a thousands-of-years-old practice, you can find ‘crystal’ alum deodorants lots of places, even Wal Mart. It will last you a long time; and you can help save the planet by cutting down on the packaging you won’t be throwing away, or aerosols you won’t be releasing into the atmosphere.

Alum is available in two main forms: potassium alum (or potash alum) and ammonium alum. As best I can make out, the potash alum is naturally occurring and the ammonium is grown or manufactured. They have different molecular structures, but both do the same thing as far as use on skin goes.

There is some concern out there that the ammonium alum might not be as safe as potassium alum due to fears of aluminum causing Alzheimer’s disease. Frankly I have no worries in this regard-using my standard measurement of danger, driving a car is a helluva lot more likely to kill me. But if you want to feel safer, go with the natural potash or potassium alum. This is what you’ll get at the Indian bazaars.

Whichever form you get, your face will thank you for a good rubbing with a block. And your coworkers will thank you for giving your pits a brisk once-over with it.

In a recent cologne post I mentioned a couple of sources for ‘decants’, or small samples of fragrance. While purchasing by the ml may not be the cheapest way to go in the long run, it does give you the ability to try lots of different scents for a small cash outlay.

There is a new kid in decant-town. His name is Chuck. I’ve purchased samples twice from him before he set up an official selling space and he has been great to work with both times.

Check out his store. Have a look at what he’s offering, drop him an email. These are great prices for ml decants of quality juice.

Readers outside the US will have to check with him on shipping details. Shipping products containing alcohol across borders can be difficult at best.

After posting about drugstore after shaves and how much wet shavers love them, it seemed a good time to post about quality cologne as well.

There’s nothing like the feeling you get when wearing a well-made cologne. It’s a chance to transcend who you are today and feel like Cary Grant or Errol Flynn (two of the people the cologne house Creed made special scents for).

Cologne, as opposed to after shave, goes through distinct changes during the time you’re wearing it. The different scents you get over time are known as ‘notes’. Cologne will usually go through three distinct changes as it ‘drys down’: The Top note, the Heart (or middle), and the Base note.

The dry down can take longer than an hour. This is one of the reasons why you should never select a cologne based on how it smells on a strip of paper or just after it’s been sprayed on your skin. You have to give it time to develop and show how it combines with your skin chemistry. It’s really a good idea to sample a cologne a few times over a few days to get an idea of how it wears for you.

Of course, good cologne doesn’t come cheap. If you don’t have a large selection of department stores in your area, there are still ways to sample colognes via the Internet so you don’t have to ‘buy blind’.

Cologne or perfume ‘decanters’ are out there who will sell you small quantities of ‘juice’. This is a great way to get in a few wearings before you decide to spring for the entire bottle.

You can find sellers on the scent forum Basenotes (see the blogroll at left for a link) or, there’s a site devoted to selling decants called The Perfumed Court.

Test a variety of samples from these good people; you might get some pleasant surprises.

No go out there and get smelling good.

Dunhill Cologne by Alfred Dunhill Eau De Cologne Spray 3.4 Oz