So... I think I have a recipe now. Thanks to you guys, some help from SWMBO and Google I'll try the following: 50ml alcohol 99% 25ml WH, distilled 5ml glycerin 0,5-1 tsp. menthol flakes (that amount is taken from my PSO, I think/hope it's safe to transfer directly?) My goal is a soothing, astringent that replaces my use in alum. I always apply either a balm or lotion after my alum, so that I'll continue to do here. On the days I use Old Spice or Aqua Velva, they of course replace this homemade solution. The Bay Rum is for another day. Link saved!
Green tea might be a substitute for the witch hazel. Not sure if there's a reason for it but the amount of alcohol you list seems a little high. Witch hazel here in the states is normally 14% alcohol, the formula you list would be quite a bit higher than that.
I read that the alcohol should be above 70%. Dunno if it's correct. I have 99% already and it's the easiest to buy here also. The final mixture's % will be less but by how much I don't know. . I could also do 1:1 alc. vs WH?
I was just thinking of it in terms of making something comparable to using witch hazel as an after shave. A "normal" after shave probably does have a higher alcohol level. It's easy enough to dilute it afterwards.
Ahh okay, now I see where you're heading. Yeah compared to WH it is substancial higher in alcohol. But I don't mind that - I'm after something like Aqua Velva, but without the scent. Not that I don't like the scent of that, but for this I'm going for no scent.
Here this isn't exactly what I did but, it was my bases. You can just leave out the scent if you like. Make your own AS. I made a thread about it. Home made aftershave. Good luck.
It affirms me in "my" recipe as it's basically that. Nice. Thanks for link. Man those "cups" are annoying.. Haha
Okay, here's a bit of an update. - 50ml pure alcohol (99,7%) - 25ml destilled WH - 5ml vegestable glycerin - 5ml pure Aloe Vera gel - 1/2 tsp. menthol flakes - 1/2 tsp. Vitamin E. I learned that 5ml = 1 tsp. So those 5ml above is meassured using a teaspoon. It might be a give or take amount, mostly give, so in-between 5-8ml I'd guess. Now, I've tried it on my day-old face. Not newly shaven. That might be wise, I dunno. But here's what I'm experiencing: It's somewhat "greasy". It doesn't show on skin, but it doesn't feel as watery as, say, Aqua Velva. It's nice cold on my face. My eyes began to water just a bit from sitting here in front of the computer (and no I didn't watch a sad cat picture...). That leads me to some follow-ups. 1. What makes it "greasy"? I'd guess the glycerin... what do you say? 2. What makes my eyes water? I'd say the alcohol, since it doesn't feel overly cold on my skin, so I'm guessing the menthol is quite okay amount-wise. Now, the greasy part might not be a problem at all, since it should be a splash that can stand on it's own without further moisturizer. If it's the alcohol that makes my eyes feel the need to run, would I overcome that by increasing the WH with the amount of alcohol I decrease, eg. make it 1:1 instead of 2:1?
I venture to say the MENTHOL is the culprit causing the eye-burn. Both the glycerin & the gel have a thicker feel on the skin; or the 'greasy' appearance. Here is the actual post-shave balm I made some time ago. It goes on fairly thick, with a refreshing coolness (no menthol) from both the WH and the aloe vera gel—blends into the skin nicely. A tiny bit goes a long way. My Aftershave Balm This recipe makes a small quantity... 1. Mix equal parts of the following: 2 oz/59ml of each Witch hazel (high-quality witch hazel) Aloe Vera gel Shea Butter2. Add a little Glycerin (uses 5-10ml, or 1-2 tsp) 3. Add a little Lime essential oil (or Lavender) for fragrance. (or whatever fragrance you prefer); 1 tsp/4.93 ml per 4oz/118ml of mixture 4. Add 1/2 tsp of Vitamin E 5. Add a little water to thin it if you want. Mixing Instructions: When all the ingredients combined, mix very well. I use an old electric hand mixer. Mix until you’re happy with the consistency of the product. It’s the GEL of the Aloe, that makes it thick enough to be balm-like, but you can add water to make it thin/thick enough to come out of a bottle easily. If you don’t add water, then you may need to put it in a tub, where you can easily use your fingers to apply rather than trying to pour from a bottle. You only need a little to spread on your face. It will go a long way—or you can use it liberally since it’s so inexpensive to make. In adding the essential oil, add just one drop, shake, let sit, and see how you like it. If not enough, add one more drop—it’s very easy to add too much, so caution is advised.
I think you're right about the menthol. I just cleaned the hardware I used to mix and blend, and the whif I got made the same to my eyes.
I think the greasy feel may be the aloe vera. Try putting some of the aloe gel by itself on your face, see if it's like the greasy feel you're getting.
I don't ride the same day I saddle up, so today (!) I mixed a new solution, after having decided the original one was just too painful and too greasy. 25ml WH 25ml Alcohol Half a teaspoon Glycerin Half a teaspoon Aloe vera gel No menthol Basicly half the alcohol compared to the WH and half the Aloe and Glycerin. No menthol. It's definitely the menthol that destroyed my previous one. So if I decide to add menthol to this mixture, I need to lighten the amount. Also with half the amount of Aloe and Glycerin, it's not greasy feeling at all, but feels just right. After todays shave I applied it - no burning (I rarely get that normally anyways), no cooling aside from a very very mild tingling from the alcohol, no greasy feeling but a face/skin that feels just right! No tightness like I get if I don't apply anything at all. The only minus will be that the alcohol itself smells like.. well.. alcohol. But that disappears after, like, 5 minutes, so no biggie at all. Now I just need to add some menthol.. slow and steady this time
Few days after, same after shave used, it's still great! I guess you could call it very boring (no scent, no cooling, no nothing), but my skin feels amazing. I guess I've hit just the right amount of glycerin and aloe vera next to the WH and alcohol. I have an empty old Nivea Men Sensitive balm bottle, you know the white one. I've removed the stickers. It'll be a perfect glass-bottle for my splash. I know I know, joy over simple stuff, but it's the small things in life that can bring joy
I'm glad you like your new formula. You can always put some essential oil to it. Maybe something that plays well with other scents. Something mild and flowery. That's a really nice tip. I won't throw away mine when they are done =)
I have created my own AS splash this week. I used it this morning and it felt great, I am really happy with this formula. Here is my recipe for a 150ml worth of AS: - 80ml grain alcohol - 30ml distilled water - 2 tablespoons of aloe extract - 2 tablespoons of witch hazel extract - 1 tablespoon of ginko biloba extract - 1 tablespoon of glycerin - 1/2 tablespoon of avocado oil - 2g menthol crystals - 2g potassium alum - 1/2 teaspoon Vitamin E Nice menthol kick, very little alcohol burn and plenty of great natural ingredients for my skin. It's unscented though, but for me it's ok I plan to do an AS balm in the next few days. I will use HolyRollah's recipe, but I will add some lanolin and menthol to it. Will post my results here afterwards
Well I live in the country with the largest biodiversity on Earth, but I'm pretty sure Witch Hazel is an North American thing
