Comments on How to Keep a Shaving Nick From Bleeding

I cut (nicked a mole) myself this morning, toilet papered my face and came to work - well, 3 hours later the nick was still bleeding. Supplies here are scarce, but I had shaving cream - made me look like more of a schmuck than the TP for a while before realizing that it doesn't work - then tried the sugar- doesn't look as bad and worked like a charm.

I sliced myself pretty severely just above the upper lip this morning and tried to stop the bleeding with a styptic preparation, pressure, neosporin ointment, and tissue paper but the wound continued to drip blood. Straight hydrogen peroxide applied to the cut stopped the bleeding instantly and sealed it off. Another use for hydrogen peroxide!

Eye drops causes the blood vessels to constrict cutting off the flow to the cut. Put one drop on the cut and it stops almost immediately.

Eye drops causes the blood vessels to constrict cutting off the flow to the cut. Put one drop on the cut and it stops almost immediately.

A friend's mom who is a nurse shared this tip with me: If you've shaved 10 minutes before a date and you look in the mirror to see a bloody mess, this is what you do: Allow the tip of a towel to run under hot water for a second or two. Gently press and hold the tip to the bleeding area for 5 seconds or so. Do not rub. Repeat 4 or 5 times or until the bleeding has stopped.

I use My Nik is Sealed. It contains aloe vera and vitamin E, but has the feel and texture of water. It's applied from a roll-on-topped applicator in a white lipstick-sized white tube with blue text on the outside. I've found it at Walgreens, Rite Aid, and online drugstores. It may sting, or may not, depending on the severity of your cut. It may work instantly or take a few minutes or so depending again on the severity of your cut.

I use My Nik is Sealed. It contains aloe vera and vitamin E, but has the feel and texture of water. It's applied from a roll-on-topped applicator in a white lipstick-sized white tube with blue text on the outside. I've found it at Walgreens, Rite Aid, and online drugstores. It may sting, or may not, depending on the severity of your cut. It may work instantly or take a few minutes or so depending again on the severity of your cut.

I put a little shaving cream on the nick and rub it in. It will stop any further bleeding, and I just wipe off the blood that was already there.

You might not want to use an aluminum based deodorant- people with Alzheimer's have been found to have high levels of aluminum in their brains. A common source of aluminum we use every day is deodorant.

If you don't have a styptic pencil on hand, rub a tiny dab of your normal antiperspirant on the cut. After you apply it, a little bead of blood may well up, but once you wipe it away the antiperspirant will stop all further bleeding.

Styptic pencils are difficult to find these days. Use a piece of toilet paper - it works!

There are two basic ways to stop bleeding, either through constriction of the vessels (aluminum products in styptic or antiperspirants) or the introduction of a clotting enhancer (providing a mesh template for platelets to clot). Once the blood clots and dries, you can wash it off because the mesh has now allowed the blood to clot, sealing the wound.

Dry coffee grinds coagulate blood very quickly. This is the method used by migrant workers when picking the fruit. It was a cheap way of stopping bloody cuts, but with the price of coffee now a day, I don't see them using this method often.

If you don't have a styptic pencil you can use cinnamon powder to stop bleeding.

If you take an ice cube and rub it over the surrounding area, it will stop the bleeding almost immediately. The coolness of the ice will cause your capillaries to constrict cutting off the blood supply to the cut. It'll also wake you up in the morning!

Put a few drops of nasal spray on a tissue and dab it on the cut. The nasal spray constricts the blood vessel and stops the bleeding. It works like a charm.

Urine contains uric acid, which is a natural healing substance. For centuries, an old-fashioned remedy to stop blood loss due to an injury was to introduce human urine to the injured area. Uric acid coagulates blood.

Alum, the spice used to keep pickles crisp, is the best blood stauncher. It stings a tad, but the chemicals in the alum dilate the capillaries in your skin to stop the bleeding.

Apply a small amount of Vaseline to a shaving cut and it will stop the bleeding.

Allowing the shaving cream to sit on your face (or legs) for a minute or two before shaving allows the skin to soften and the hair to straighten more, reducing the chance of nicks.

Two old-time remedies that my Grandmother taught me: spider webs, and sugar.

If you don't have a styptic pencil you can use cinnamon powder to stop bleeding.

Urine contains uric acid, which is a natural healing substance. For centuries, an old-fashioned remedy to stop blood loss due to an injury was to introduce human urine to the injured area. Uric acid coagulates blood.

You might not want to use an aluminum based deodorant- people with Alzheimer's have been found to have high levels of aluminum in their brains. A common source of aluminum we use every day is deodorant.