Has anyone tried to make their own aftershave out of common household or widely available products? I have fridays off now because of the poor economy, so I was bored yesterday and decided to give it a try. I added a few green tea/chamomile tea bags to a bottle of $3 witch hazel and let it soak for a few hours and then added a bit of 100% aloe that I had around the house and shook it all up. It actually worked very well, it was very light and soothing and didn't dry out my skin at all i think the aloe actually added a bit of moisture. Im going to try a few drops of tea tree oil for a bit of cooling effect and maybe some jojoba oil for more moisturizing. Ill report back in a few days. Anyone else have any recipes or ideas??
DIY aftershave?
- Thread starter fsatsil
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I never tried it but a few members here did. I think that witch hazel with aloe gel would be a good start...
Yep! Lot's of good "recipes". Some gents like to use Corn Husker Lotion as the base for a skin food. (Search on "Corn Husker".) I used that for a while, but never could get rid of a slight tackiness, no matter how I tweaked or how littled I used. So, I switched to a recipe I got from another board:
3 Parts Nivea Sensitive Skin ASB
2 Parts Witch Hazel
1 Part Aloe Vera (or AV Gel, e.g., Jason's)
Good stuff!
I suspect Nivea Replenishing would work at least equally well; it's actually a better performer for me than the Sensitive Skin. Since I can get by with low-end witch hazel, this drives the cost of, for me, a really, really good ASB down to $1/oz.
3 Parts Nivea Sensitive Skin ASB
2 Parts Witch Hazel
1 Part Aloe Vera (or AV Gel, e.g., Jason's)
Good stuff!
I suspect Nivea Replenishing would work at least equally well; it's actually a better performer for me than the Sensitive Skin. Since I can get by with low-end witch hazel, this drives the cost of, for me, a really, really good ASB down to $1/oz.
I am all about making my own stuff!!
The basic alcohol-based stuff I make does double duty as my hair tonic:
70 ml Everclear (190 proof)
20 ml Witch hazel
1-2.5 ml glycerine (more in winter, it seems to help)
I use a children's medicine syringe to measure because it is cheap and (I hope...) fairly accurate. Scent as desired, then shake/ mix well. Maybe even let it age a bit, then add 20 ml H2O or hydrosol. Works like a charm, although doubtless individual's taste for glycerine will vary. I experimented adding vitamin E oil to this (won't dissolve in alcohol apparently) and aloe vera gel (didn't incorporate well into the mixture with just hand shaking).
I also dabbled in making a version of the Trumper's skin food, process here:
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=78299&highlight=ersatz+skin+food
Too long to reprint here, except to add adding menthol didn't work well for me, and I have taken to adding additional quantities of aloe vera gel. I think it works really well. A little goes a LONG way, and I didn't add any preservatives, so if you try it just be aware if it spoils or becomes contaminated.
I feel like such a mad scientist when I dabble like this.
The basic alcohol-based stuff I make does double duty as my hair tonic:
70 ml Everclear (190 proof)
20 ml Witch hazel
1-2.5 ml glycerine (more in winter, it seems to help)
I use a children's medicine syringe to measure because it is cheap and (I hope...) fairly accurate. Scent as desired, then shake/ mix well. Maybe even let it age a bit, then add 20 ml H2O or hydrosol. Works like a charm, although doubtless individual's taste for glycerine will vary. I experimented adding vitamin E oil to this (won't dissolve in alcohol apparently) and aloe vera gel (didn't incorporate well into the mixture with just hand shaking).
I also dabbled in making a version of the Trumper's skin food, process here:
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=78299&highlight=ersatz+skin+food
Too long to reprint here, except to add adding menthol didn't work well for me, and I have taken to adding additional quantities of aloe vera gel. I think it works really well. A little goes a LONG way, and I didn't add any preservatives, so if you try it just be aware if it spoils or becomes contaminated.
I feel like such a mad scientist when I dabble like this.
I could not find a alcohol free aftershave splash at a fair price so i made my own : 1 bag of chamomile tea, 1 bag of ginger tea, glycerin, honey, aloe vera gel and... wait for it..... eau de toilette...
Very nice...
Very nice...
Why honey..... just curious. I'm sure there's not a lot of it in your recipe, but doesn't seem like an ingredient I'd want to use.
Honey is good for your skin, soothing... also decent to shave in...
Easy and very soothing home brew AS:
1 oz Witch Hazel
1 oz Rose Water
8-10 drops Lavender Essential Oil.
Not a long lasting sent but it smells nice and clean and really leaves the face feeling nice.
1 oz Witch Hazel
1 oz Rose Water
8-10 drops Lavender Essential Oil.
Not a long lasting sent but it smells nice and clean and really leaves the face feeling nice.
Rose water is great stuff.
I mix rose water with my WH. Love it!
maybe i will try it one day, if i find at a good price...
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