Hey there. Before I got into AS Balm to treat my dry winter skin I used to use just Jojoba oil which works okay. I got to thinking that maybe a guy could just add some essential oils to Jojoba oil and make his own scented AS Balm. Anyone ever tried this? I found an EO site that gave some ratio suggestions, I was thinking of trying a small batch with Citris and Cedarwood. Any feedback from guys who have attempted this or something similar would be helpful.
A Newbie in the throes of various acquisition disorders... needless to say some don't work out, and this is a problem with my rather sensitive face. I've created a healing balm that seems to help a lot! Equal parts witch hazel and aloe vera, add a touch of glycerin. Thinking of adding a drop or two of M-bomb after I order that. Any other ideas or suggestions gentlemen? This is really only a problem with my continual experimenting. I've mastered a Fat Boy and EJ 89 - but after just 2 months I seem to have somehow acquired 17 razors and about 10 different blades, and they ALL need to be tried out and evaluated! Recent awesome shave with a little too aggressive Gem Micromatic open comb prompted the above concoction...
I have plans on making my own AS. After finding I love the feeling of Ogallala Bay Rum's AS's, I'm planning on creating a witch hazel-based AS. Right now my plans are to use equal parts witch hazel and alcohol (rum or vodka), then add some glycerin and aloe vera. After getting that tweaked, I'll add scent. Rather than experiment with EO's, I'm going to try adding edT's and cologne to the mix. Initially I tried using 2 oz of witch hazel with 10 squirts from my Tabac cologne, but I'll need to add more cologne. the witch hazel smell is fighting the tabac and it's not good. Perhaps cutting it with the alcohol will temper the WH smell enough that the Tabac will come through more.
I will be making the first of the two recipes on this page once my bay oil comes in this week. I was never able to find the proper bay leaves (i.e. pimenta racemosa) either locally or online, so I'm going to have to figure out the right amount of bay oil to substitute. http://artofmanliness.com/2010/01/21/diy-bay-rum-aftershave/ Mark
Be sure to report back. I've been thinking about making a bay rum myself, I would love to hear how it goes and how you like it.
Will do. I expect it to be fairly straightforward, as long as I get the oil amount right. It'll probably be a couple of weeks before I report back though, since the recipe calls for letting it sit for that long. I may be able to shorten that since I'm using oil and not leaves. Not sure. Mark
FWIW, when I get around to creating my own, my intent is to first dial in the ratios of non-scented ingredients. Once that's done, then I'll add the scented ingredient in increasing amounts until I get the scent level right. For me, the base ingredients are cheap, but the fragrance is not.
Yeah, I think that's the right approach, although I think this recipe has been around long enough that there may not be much need for dialing-in. I very well may just follow the recipe as-is, let it soak for two weeks, filter it, and then (as you suggest) add the bay oil bit-by-bit until I'm happy with it. I need to look around for a while though to see if there is any reason that this wouldn't work. - Mark
This website may help those wanting to scent their own soaps, AS, etc. I rely on JoAnna to do it for me, but maybe it will help those who like to experiment.
I didn't find the bay leaves, which I know you were looking for, but the site did come highly recommended.
Good point! I guess I was looking at it from my perspective, where I really want witch hazel to be a main component, and am not really going to follow a single recipe, but instead will be looking at several to get a general sense of what I want for ratios and going from there. For what you're doing, I think you're right on.
FYI : My first shot at this is underway. I put it all together tonight, except for the bay oil, which will either come afterwards or sometime during. It now needs to sit for a couple of weeks to brew. Truth be told, I doubt that I have to let it sit that long, since I am using oil instead of leaves, but I'm going to let it go anyhow. Cheers, Mark
I make my own "preshave" but haven't thought much of making my own aftershave. Not sure that I've found a source for fragrance that I like or trust.
Still working out proportions, but a healing balm with witch hazel, aloe, glycerin, jojoba appears to be very, very good. My face likes it. Will add a touch of menthol next. Very soothing...
Brambleberry, which Randy recommended is a great site for Essential Oils. I have used their oils many times.
