Immune to menthol?

[Artimid]

Ever have this happen? I LOVE the cooling effects of menthol, even as a child I loved Vicks and stuff (favorite part of being sick). The last few weeks, however, I have noticed and payed attention to a trend, in that I simply don't feel the coolness at all, or at least it is VERY subdued.
I started to get a suspicion when I got the Vostok and felt absolutely nothing from it, and then the Osage and felt nothing more than stinging from a few rough patches I hadn't realized I had. So I put the Osage in the fridge as another person suggested, and still nothing. I don't even get the coolness on my fingers anymore...

Then the mentholated talc powder that I use in my socks, that doesn't seem to cool anymore either. I have stopped using them for now, stick with Razorock and a shaving oil instead of Proraso-pre and the different soaps, but has anyone had this happen and gotten over it, or is the cool lost to me forever? I never even got to feel the ice cold face freeze of Osage or Vostok, so I am hoping it does change. I have thought about buying some crystals and adding some until I feel it, but I am not sure if by that time it is just might be a chemical burn instead of cool down. lol.

As it is perpetually summer in Florida, I would like to make the menthol work, as I can't be bringing ice-cubes into bathroom with me to shave.

 

[sp514]

I feel that sometimes I have built some resistence/immunity to menthol as well. I see menthol as one of the ingredients on AS but I feel nothing. It disappoints me in the morning

 

[Quintar]

downregulation of TRPM8 channels...it happens

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRPM8

see the part on desensitization

also check out the "icilin" part...it's a chemical 200x more potent than menthol. I met the guy who invented it and he was working out a deal to get it into gum and other products but I guess it must have ended up being toxic since that was nearly 10 years ago and i've never seen it in anything. It is available from cayman chemical though...maybe I should make a limited edition B&B ultra cooling aftershave! heh

 

[Artimid]

What the... wow, this explains a lot actually. Wonder if this might be why it takes temps in the 40s for me to feel cold. I mean heck, when I was younger I didn't even wake up when I left the window open, was sleeping in sheets, and it had snowed on me, granted it could just be because I live in Florida and so love cold weather whenever I can get it (I was in Mass. in October.. not Florida, we don't get the blessing of snow). This might have been a long time in the making then, hrm. This needs research, and in-depth research at that considering the stuff connected with very important markers.... Thank you Quintar.

 

[fijiblue]

...maybe I should make a limited edition B&B ultra cooling aftershave!

That would be awesome, though probably pretty pricey! Almost $500 for 50mg.

 

[Neognosis]

Can you get it back if you lay off anything menthol for awhile?

 

[barrycv]

I actually have noticed a de-sensitization myself. My Proraso green tube just doesn't give me that cool after effect the way it used to when I first used it.

Now the Proraso pre stuff still does the trick for me.