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This last batch was on edge. If I didn't put on to much it was ok. Applied to much and I had to get a tissue to soak up a couple tears.
Oh wow, I didn't update from the last batch.
Long story short: I really enjoyed this batch probably the most. Just the right amount of menthol for me so I can apply a lot and just get watery eyes. ha
The glycerin is also just the right amount here for the summer and seems to help keep that cooling power going a touch longer.
Cliffs: it's a keeper
Just made a new batch and I'll call it Batch 11 again as I did the exact same thing.
Sounds like batch #11 might be the final perfected recipe? If you think it's there, I will mix up a batch for myself.
It is for me. Feels nice morning and night. I've even slapped some on in the afternoon to cool off the past week camping.
It's super easy to tweak to your own preferences. Want more moisturizer, add another drop or two of the glycerin. I don't see myself going more then 3ml in the dryness of winter.
Want more eye watering, add another half ml of of menthol. Want to shed some tears, add another ml.
Want more burn, then reduce the witch hazel a couple ml and add some isopropyl or just more everclear which is what I probably would do.
Wait!? I didn't know it was discontinued. That's really a shame. Then I'm really happy I went down the path of DIY.
You got that right.The Fine hard soaps were discontinued, but not the aftershaves, AFAIK.
Besides, Mr. Fine would be crazy to discontinue a product that probably has less than $1 in ingredients and sells for $24 retail. The outlandish markup is a great reason to DIY.
To follow up, this was a terrible idea. There definitely seems to be a point where the returns start to diminish, which I figure is about the time when you can't feel your skin anymore beyond the burning sensation of the menthol. This is particularly problematic when I've added too much ground menthol to a soap right before loading the brush, and my face almost goes numb. The shave you get when you can't feel your face is not the best shave, believe me.I wish I had weighed the amount of menthol I added to about 60ml of 91% ISO today, but it was more than a reasonable amount. I came to B&B to post about it, and pretty quickly found this thread. Instead of witch hazel I'm planning on adding some Tend Skin for its glycerine and acetysalicylic acid.
To test the solution, after a shower I treated it like aftershave by adding three small splashes to a tiny amount of Tend Skin already in my palm and rubbed it into my face and neck; I also wiped my hands on my chest to get rid of some of the excess. It was an eye-watering experience to say the least, and even 45 mins later I can still feel a faint cooling sensation on my chest. Three splashes may have been too many; two is plenty if I'm using AS, but I was really anxious for a chilly experience. It was painful, I may have overdone it.
Anyway, this is all good stuff. I'm excited to keep playing with this and see how it develops. I still have some in a pepper grinder for use with non-mentholated soap, but I need to get some more bulk menthol before I can continue experimenting.
I use vodka instead of isopropyl. 15% witch hazel and a few chards of menthol. I think next time 2 drops of eucalyptus for every ml of solution. I like eucalyptus. Simple and nice.To follow up, this was a terrible idea. There definitely seems to be a point where the returns start to diminish, which I figure is about the time when you can't feel your skin anymore beyond the burning sensation of the menthol. This is particularly problematic when I've added too much ground menthol to a soap right before loading the brush, and my face almost goes numb. The shave you get when you can't feel your face is not the best shave, believe me.
The same is essentially true for post-shave application: when you can barely see through the tears, and you still smell like Vicks VapoRub 30 minutes later, I think it's gone too far.
Interestingly, liquified menthol is super oily in a high concentration, even in an alcohol base. I didn't know what to expect, and I didn't really think about the resulting consistency ahead of time, but I was kinda surprised at this. It also gets all flaky like WS-23 when the solution dries, which makes the bottle all crusty if you don't clean it after each application (an eye dropper may be able to help here).
So, lesson learned. There is such a thing as too much menthol.
Lol, this really started as a question of how much menthol could be added to alcohol before it literally wouldn’t dissolve any longer. Once I ran out of menthol I figured I had to try it out. Since then I’ve thinned it out with more alcohol and some Tend Skin, and it’s much more palatable.I use vodka instead of isopropyl. 15% witch hazel and a few chards of menthol. I think next time 2 drops of eucalyptus for every ml of solution. I like eucalyptus. Simple and nice.
I like vodka since it's already 40% ethyl alcohol and 60% water and it works like a charm. Keep it simple I say. Like the shave I'm gonna do today.Lol, this really started as a question of how much menthol could be added to alcohol before it literally wouldn’t dissolve any longer. Once I ran out of menthol I figured I had to try it out. Since then I’ve thinned it out with more alcohol and some Tend Skin, and it’s much more palatable.
Typically I’d use Everclear for anything I’d be applying to my skin, but I was out of that too and really curious. If I do this again I’ll be a lot more scientific and responsible about it.
Eucalyptus essential oil is pretty powerful stuff! 2 drops per ml is pretty bold!I use vodka instead of isopropyl. 15% witch hazel and a few chards of menthol. I think next time 2 drops of eucalyptus for every ml of solution. I like eucalyptus. Simple and nice.
I meant 2 drops per every 10 ml. How's that?Eucalyptus essential oil is pretty powerful stuff! 2 drops per ml is pretty bold!
I meant 2 drops per every 10 ml. How's that?
I meant 2 drops per every 10 ml. How's that?