How to Use a Styptic Pencil


How to Use a Styptic Pencil

A styptic pencil is a smooth, solid stick of metal that helps stop bleeding from small cuts or nicks. It often contains alum, an astringent material. Every first aid kit should have a styptic pencil in it to apply to minor injuries. Styptic pencils don’t require sharpening and are easier to use than powdered alum treatments like Bloodstop Powder.

You rub the tip across your wound until the blood stops flowing from the area, then throw it away when you’re done with it. However, styptic pens contain either alcohol or hydrogen peroxide as the active ingredient for stopping bleeding, so handling them with bare hands isn’t a good idea if you want your skin intact! IN this article, I will discuss how to use a styptic pencil. So let us get started.

Can Styptic Pencil Harm?

Yes, it can. Before we discuss ways of using a styptic pencil, let us begin by outlining the possible risks. When applied directly upon a wound that is bleeding profusely or even under moderately heavy bleeding, Styptic Pencils are known to cause skin irritation.

If you have relatively sensitive skin, make sure that you place a sterile cotton ball first and then apply the product on your face to limit the burns arising from direct contact between your skin and the chemical makeup present in these fine products. That said, most modern Styptic Pencils will not harm your skin when applied normally during shaving (although there will be some minor numbing).

Check if It Contains Any Ingredients

Since there are many variants of these products, be sure to read the label and check if it contains any ingredients that might cause skin irritation. Remember always start with a small patch on your face to test for sensitivities. In rare cases where allergic reactions do occur, a visit to an emergency room is recommended.

Stepwise Guide on How to Use a Styptic Pencil:

Step 1 :

Hold the styptic pencil upright, with the point of the pencil pressed against your skin directly over where you want to stop bleeding from a shaving cut or other minor wound.

Step 2 :

For small nicks and cuts (less than 1/8 inch), hold it on for about 10 seconds, then lift it away. Hold it on longer (10-15 seconds) for larger wounds before lifting it off your skin.

Step 3 :

If bleeding continues after removing the styptic pencil, press it hardback down onto your skin again for several more seconds until the flow stops completely.

Step 4 :

Apply antibiotic ointment if needed, bandage as usual, and clean the area up thoroughly with soap and water later on for the best result.

Step 5 :

If bleeding does not stop within 15 seconds, get medical attention instead as it may require stitches.

Get Medical Attention

Step 6 :

Discard styptic pencils after use and do not reuse them as they can grow bacteria easily in their grooves due to frequent handling by users.

Step 7 :

After shaving, after using a styptic pencil, or if you have nicked yourself with something sharp, use an antiseptic skin cleanser such as Betadine on the wound for best results to help prevent infection.

Note: If it is a particularly deep nick, try applying your own saliva just before applying the styptic pencil to slow down blood flow and allow time for better control over stopping bleeding.

Some Important Tips: 

1) The fastest way to end a cut or other minor wound’s bleeding is usually pressing back harder on the site of injury with the styptic pencil until you feel a solid resistance from your skin through its point’s blunt edge, and firm pressure alone is enough to staunch blood flow immediately. 

You will then know that you have pressed hard enough on the wound, which helps stop bleeding if done right away after shaving cuts while it’s still fresh and clean. 

2) Another way to stop bleeding is to run the styptic pencil’s point across your skin lightly and repeatedly until you feel a solid resistance which helps stop blood flow instantly. Still, I’ll admit that this method is not as effective as pressing back harder on the site of injury with firm pressure. 

3) It is always best to use a styptic pencil immediately after shaving cuts instead of letting them sit there for hours or even days without treating them. This is because they already have blood proteins in them that are all ready to help end minor bleeding from fresh cut sites.    

Precautions While Using a Styptic Pencil:

1. Apply it carefully on the wound.

2. Do not use it on any open wound.

3. If you feel discomfort, wash it off immediately with clean water and apply ice to reduce pain as much as possible till you reach a physician or the hospital’s casualty section for treatment with them.

Keep Medicine Away From Children

4. Keep this medicine away from children at all times and keep them unsupervised whenever they are using this product so that there is no risk of accidental ingestion by them if they decide to play with it carelessly since there is very less information about its safety in case of kids’ use at present.

Moreover, we do not know either whether some allergies could arise in certain cases of kids who might be hypersensitive to one or more of its ingredients or not.

5. Keep this medicine away from direct sun rays and excessive heat so that it stays safe for use as long as possible without much loss in terms of potency till you need to use it while also making sure that it is not damaged by heat and light rays, thus becoming useless when you most need to rely on its effects for the sake of getting rid of any bleeding wound.

6. Apply pressure over the wound with a clean gauze dressing, soft cloth, cotton wool, etc., till you reach a physician or casualty section at your place for treatment.


A styptic pencil is a product that helps you heal wounds and stop bleeding either in minor cuts, grazes, or shaving nicks or for any other minor injury. It works by forming a clot at the wound site by limiting blood flow within seconds after application,

providing relief from the pain until the wound heals completely. I hope this article has been beneficial for learning how to use a styptic pencil. Always ensure safety while using this pen. Thank you and have a nice day

Read our another post – How to Sharpen Makeup Pencil Without Sharpener

We will be happy to hear your thoughts

Leave a reply

DIY Quickly