- Thread starter
- #41
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.
DIY Homemade Snake Bite
- Thread starter jason2
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #42
Batch #11
Proraso bottle
Everclear: 50ml
Witch hazel: 10ml
Menthol: 1 ml (Solid crystals added)
Isopropyl: 0 ml
Glycerin: 2 drops from glycerin bottle
Total 61 ml + 2 drops
Made my creation even easier now. This is so simple and quick. Still using the 50ml cylinder to measure most all of it out. This time I just gently dropped in the glycerin drops right from the bottle. The top cap on the NOW glycerin bottle clicks open and seems to let drops come out one at a time easily with out squeezing.
I also went with 1ml solid crystals this time.
Easy peasy process now:
Take out the top insert from the proraso bottle.
Fill up 50ml cylinder with Everclear then pour it into the proraso bottle.
Fill up 10ml of witch hazel into cylinder then add in small pieces of menthol till it gets to 11ml. Pour that all into the proraso bottle.
Get the glycerin bottle and let two drops drip in.
Put the top insert back into the proraso bottle and cap it. Shake it up and let it sit. The menthol crystals eventually dissolves on its own. Then shake before using again.
I think that all just took a couple minutes of time.
Proraso bottle
Everclear: 50ml
Witch hazel: 10ml
Menthol: 1 ml (Solid crystals added)
Isopropyl: 0 ml
Glycerin: 2 drops from glycerin bottle
Total 61 ml + 2 drops
Made my creation even easier now. This is so simple and quick. Still using the 50ml cylinder to measure most all of it out. This time I just gently dropped in the glycerin drops right from the bottle. The top cap on the NOW glycerin bottle clicks open and seems to let drops come out one at a time easily with out squeezing.
I also went with 1ml solid crystals this time.
Easy peasy process now:
Take out the top insert from the proraso bottle.
Fill up 50ml cylinder with Everclear then pour it into the proraso bottle.
Fill up 10ml of witch hazel into cylinder then add in small pieces of menthol till it gets to 11ml. Pour that all into the proraso bottle.
Get the glycerin bottle and let two drops drip in.
Put the top insert back into the proraso bottle and cap it. Shake it up and let it sit. The menthol crystals eventually dissolves on its own. Then shake before using again.
I think that all just took a couple minutes of time.
- Thread starter
- #43
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.
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.
- Thread starter
- #45
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 3 drops 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.
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I have followed this thread and your commitment and dedication of experimenting and tweeking to finalize a replacement on an excellent, now discontinued product. If batch #11 is good enough for you? Then it's good enough for me.
- Thread starter
- #47
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.
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.
You got that right.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Eucalyptus essential oil is pretty powerful stuff! 2 drops per ml is pretty bold!
I like @jason2 's recipe. I might add a bit of Eucalyptus, Peppermint and Lemongrass or Lemon Verbena for flavor.
I made a batch with fresh mint leaves steeped a week in Everclear with menthol added. I used a 3.4 oz bottle, added 2 menthol crystals about the size of a #2 pencil eraser.
If you want a really good menthol blast. Take either Aqua Velva or Skin Bracer and add 3 menthol crystals (same size +/- pencil eraser).
Those two are my favorite all around aftershaves, and there is not a close second.
If you want a really good menthol blast. Take either Aqua Velva or Skin Bracer and add 3 menthol crystals (same size +/- pencil eraser).
Those two are my favorite all around aftershaves, and there is not a close second.
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!
That's going to be 20 drops for 100ml (3.5 oz or a typical small aftershave bottle). I'd start with just a few drops and adjust as needed.
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