Even the most careful shaver will get the occasional nick or cut. But before you start putting little dots of toilet paper on your face, here is a better way to stop the bleeding.
The typical way to spot-treat a shaving nick or cut is with a styptic pencil. A styptic stops bleeding by contracting skin tissue to seal injured blood vessels. The classic styptic is basically a stick of aluminum sulfate, a naturally occurring mineral. You wet it then rub it against the nick or cut. Yes, it stings. And it can smell bad. And it can crack or break. And it can leave a chalky residue.
Another common spot nick treatment ingredient is aluminum chloride or one of its cousins like aluminum chlorohydrate. You can find this in solid form or diluted in alcohol to make it a liquid. Yes, that’ll sting too and the alcohol won’t do your skin any favors.
Then there are full-face treatments like an alum block. Alum block is made up of potassium alum, another naturally occurring mineral. It was primarily used for its antiseptic properties back in the day, but it is a mild astringent too so it’s useful for those little shaving weepers. It’s not as good for a full-fledged nick or cut though.
Over the past couple of months I’ve been using a variation of the styptic called the Glyder Styptic Balm, and it’s been working really well for me. So when Glyder approached me to do a video about them, I said sure.
Glyder Styptic Balm starts with the basic styptic concept but then takes it further with a bunch of ingredients like aloe vera, argan oil, and vitaimin E to heal and moisturize the skin, and squeezes everything into a convenient applicator.
For me Glyder Styptic Balm works faster, with less sting, than a regular styptic pencil. More convenient too. And I use so little of it that the price difference isn’t an issue.
Of course, the best way to deal with a shaving cut is not to get them in the first place. That means preparing the skin thoroughly, using a good razor with as few blades as necessary to get the job done, using a really good shave lather, and practicing good shave technique.
But if you end up with a nick anyway, give Glyder Styptic Balm a try and I think you’ll be happy with the results.
This post was sponsored by Glyder.
