Ingredients for Homemade Aftershaves

[SurlyBastage]

I looked through the aftershave section, looked into getting a few, and had a little sticker shock.

So I thought it might be fun and a little more economical to make my own - get a decent base setup, try different combinations of essential oils, add some menthol...

However, most of the homemade threads I have seen do not explain much about the ingredients, so I hope to start a discussion that does.

While mostly geared toward lotions, this site has a a wealth of info - http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com/ - and is the source for most of what follows.

Moisturizing Components - Humectants, Emollients, Occlusives

HUMECTANTS
Attract water from the dermis into the epidermis,increasing the water content in the epidermis. When humidity is higher than 70 percent, humectants can also attract water from the atmosphere into the epidermis.

Glycerin - the most common humectant, inexpensive, accelerates the recovery of barrier function following damage to skin, can be sticky.
2-3% heated water phase

Honeyquat - humectant, moisturizer, emollient, and film former all in one.
2-3% cool down phase.

Panthenol - Reduces redness and inflammation, increases wound healing, improves skin barrier mechanism repair, mitigates itching and soothes irritation.
Use in the cool down phase (liquid) or heated water phase (powder)
1% to 5% cool down phase

EMOLLIENTS
Help maintain the soft, smooth, and pliable appearance of the skin.
Oils, butter, and esters

Jojoba oil - The tannins offer anti-.oxidant and astringent properties. Jojoba penetrates skin through the hair follicles and doesn’t block them, and forms a non-.occlusive layer on our skin and hair strands. Softens skin by penetrating it. Contains octacosanol (C28), a fatty alcohol that can soothe very dry skin.

OCCLUSIVES
Occlusives increase the water content of the skin by slowing the evaporation of water from the surface of the skin.
dimethicone
cocoa butter
allantoin- approved by the FDA to temporarily prevent and protect chafed, chapped, cracked, or windburned skin by speeding up the natural processes of the skin and increasing the water content. Heated water phase (probly better) or cool down phase.
0.5% heated water phase

HYDROSOLS
http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com/search?q=Hydrosol
Contain the water soluble molecules from the plant material, and generally have a pH of 5 to 6, which is perfect for skin care products!

Witch Hazel - It is a great astringent, anti-inflammatory, and anti-oxidant that is reported to have good circulation, wound healing, and and bruise healing effects...

Lavender - Gentle, balancing for all skin types, cooling in summer heat, soothing sunburns, healing irritation. Gently tones oily, dry, and mature skin. Good for easing sunburn or windburn.

Honeysuckle - great anti-inflammatory ingredient, great free radical scavenging, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral properties. Good for acne prone skin, or those with reddened or irritated skin.


OTHER

Aloe Vera liquid - moisturizing and anti-inflammatory

White willow bark - Astringent, anti-inflammatory, anti-reddening, anti-septic qualities, helps prevent ingrown hairs.
0.1 to 1% powdered white willow bark extract or
2.5% to 5% liquid white willow bark extract .
cool down phase.

Menthol - cooling effect, has anesthetic properties. ?%, ? phase

Essential Oils - contain a variety of active constituents and are responsible for each plant's unique fragrance. ?%, cool down phase.

Hydrolyzed Proteins - form a film on your skin and moisturize.
2%, Add to heated water phase.
Cromoist (oak protein) - won't penetrate your skin, but will form a film.
Phytokeratin - blend of various proteins will form a film and will penetrate your skin.
Silk Amino Acids - penetrate skin and offer moisturizing from within.

Preservatives
http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/Inspections/InspectionGuides/ucm074952.htm
“Some cosmetics, i.e., those containing more than about 10% ethanol, propylene glycol, glycerol, etc., and cosmetics in self-pressurized containers, are self-preserving and are not likely to become contaminated with microorganisms.”

Alcohol - antiseptic and preservative.
190 proof ethanol (Everclear). I have not found a good reason to get any specially denatured alcohol. Please let me know if I am missing something.

***If not using alcohol, a preservative should be used.***
http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com/2010/10/preservatives.html

More info
http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com/p/preservatives.html

Vitamin E - powerful anti-oxidant that helps protect oils from going rancid
?%, cool down phase
**

Solubilizers - allow you to create a water based solution by making something that wouldn't normally dissolve in water - like an oil - dissolve into water and create a mixture.

Emulsifiers - allow you to create a product that is water-in-oil or oil-in-water where it's a whole different product entirely. Adding oil and water together isn't something where you have a toner with globs of oil in it, but a product called a lotion.

Solubilizers mix in a small amount of oil, whereas emulsifiers can mix in a lot of oil.

RECIPES
Lotion recipe
http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com/2009/06/after-shave-lotion.html

I was thinking of something like this

Recipe 1
Water Phase
35% Ethanol
35% Hydrosol
20% Aloe Vera Juice
2% Phytokeratin
1% Allantoin

Cool Down Phase
3% Honeyquat (or glycerin, but I like saying honeyquat)
2% Panthenol
1% Essential Oils
0.5% White Willow Bark powder
?% Menthol

Recipe 2
Water Phase
35% Ethanol
35% Hydrosol
25% Aloe Vera Juice

Cool Down Phase
3% Honeyquat
1% Essential Oils
?% Menthol

QUESTIONS
If I do not use alcohol, what can be used for antiseptic?
Will alcohol solubilize essential oils?
If so, what is the minimum % required if not using a solubilizer.
I know witch hazel is popular but the honeysuckle hydrosol sounds interesting. Has anyone used it? Whatsayou?
Any comments or recommendations for the recipes.

Any recommendations on places to buy the ingredients?

 

[Handy]

I looked through the aftershave section, looked into getting a few, and had a little sticker shock.

So I thought it might be fun and a little more economical to make my own

Lol...don't kid yourself. I've been working for well over a year now trying to perfect a aftershave for myself. It has become a hobby and I enjoy playing around with it. Good luck but you will not save any money going this route.

 

[Nerveya]

Lol...don't kid yourself. I've been working for well over a year now trying to perfect a aftershave for myself. It has become a hobby and I enjoy playing around with it. Good luck but you will not save any money going this route.

The initial buy-in is quite high, but you can save money in the medium term. I mostly use everclear, generic witch hazel, aloe vera, and essential oils with a touch of glycerin. I've gone through 3 iterations and it's most certainly saved me a few bucks so far. Over time, I can see it being a wash.

I use cologne, so I don't heavily scent my aftershaves, so the price is a lot less. Scent is where it gets expensive in making aftershave.

But the real benefit is tailoring the final product to your needs and desires. It's a fun hobby and friends will undoubtedly ask you for a custom concoction.

To the OP: the info you have is great stuff. Keep at it and good luck!

 

[Musikmann]

You have done your homework, congratulations. I'm not a chemist but I can perhaps add a couple of things.

1) I've read witch hazel has mild antiseptic properties.

2) One of the keys to solubility is the solvent has to match the solute (polar vs. non-polar). Most, if not all, alcohols have an -OH group which makes them polar. I suspect many of the essential oils are non-polar, but consult their individual chemical structures to make sure. Therefore if you use alcohol as a base you'll probably need some sort of solubilizer.

Good Luck!

 

[FaceScraper]

another way to save money which works for me but especially since i use cologne every day (no im not "that guy" because i only use a little) is to dilute your expensive aftershaves as follows.

2 parts Aftershave of choicse
2 parts Thayers Alcohol Free Unscented Witch Hazel
1 part vodka (any cheap vodka will do)

Put this in an atomizer and your Aftershave will last forever!!! literally . Plus you get all the benefits of Thayers Witch hazel. I still get to smell the awesome scent of the Aftershave but it doesnt clash with my cologne because it fades really quickly.

 

[Bloozepicker]

You can also distill your own essential oils from plants for pretty cheap.

 

[SurlyBastage]

Thanks for all the responses so far, keep ‘em coming please.

So much for this being economical. Once I get some recommendations on where to get supplies, I plan to price everything before deciding whether to give it a go.

Solubility of Essential Oils – I have found differing information regarding the solubility of essential oils in ethanol. I see Captain’s Choice ingredients are alcohol, witch hazel, essential oils and extracts, glycerin. Does anyone know the % alcohol and whether it needs to be shaken before use?

Cream base that I used to use alone, Aloe Vera, Allantoin , Chamomile, Cucumber peel, Sea Buckhorn, Silk amino acids, Green Tea, Panthenol, Glycerin, Phytokeratin, Witch Hazel, Hydrosol

I would like my concoction to be a splash. Please help me understand what makes this a cream. Is there anything in the recipes I posted that will keep them from being splashes?

I found an answer for the starting point for menthol, fragrance, and, well maybe not the alcohol.

For aftershave the flexible rule is 2% to 5% fragrance; 75 to 85% alcohol and 15 to 20% distilled water.

Menthol is generally recommended at 1.5 to 5%, although you can use up to 8 or 10% but that's hefty. You will need to dissolve the crystals before use. Most any liquid will work but don't forget to deduct that amount from your total liquid.

Note – In Recipe 1, I noted glycerin as a substitute for honeyquat in the cool down phase. Glycerin should be added to the heated water phase.

 

[Musikmann]

...Solubility of Essential Oils – I have found differing information regarding the solubility of essential oils in ethanol. I see Captain’s Choice ingredients are alcohol, witch hazel, essential oils and extracts, glycerin. Does anyone know the % alcohol and whether it needs to be shaken before use?...

If I remember correctly, The Captain recommends shaking before use. But I have his Lime scent and I don't see any sediment.

Also, don't forget there are oodles of alcohols. I would rule out Isopropyl for obvious reasons but Mr. Fine claims to use Perfumer's Alcohol which to my way of thinking would be preferable to denatured, Everclear, vodka, etc.

 

[SurlyBastage]

... Mr. Fine claims to use Perfumer's Alcohol which to my way of thinking would be preferable to denatured, Everclear, vodka, etc.

I had read in his write-up that perfumer’s alcohol made a difference - http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...-that-Turned-Out-So-Well-I-Decided-to-Sell-It

I do not understand how SDA 40b (99.88% Ethanol, 0.12% t-butyl alcohol, and 0.0006 Bitrex) would be that much different than 190 proof Everclear, but it does not matter. I just found out that my state stopped selling the 190 proof about four years ago and now only carries 151 and 90 proof. So SDA 40b it is.

It looks like I either need to bump the alcohol to 60%, or add a solubilizer.
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/20168-Crazy-aftershave-experiment-Part-1

As to the EO's not staying in solution, you need at least 60% alcohol to dissolve them... It is possible to dissolve EO's in pure alcohol, then dilute, but it's a complex process. The process is listed in some pharmacopoeias as a shorttcut to making a "water", rather than using the distilled water...

https://www.nascentnaturals.com/blog/2014/03/21/essential-oils-will-not-mix-with-water/
“...The other option is alcohol, either pure ethyl alcohol (grain) or denatured alcohol which must be at least 60% while 100% (anhydrous) is optimal”

 

[jollytim]

If I remember correctly, The Captain recommends shaking before use. But I have his Lime scent and I don't see any sediment.

Also, don't forget there are oodles of alcohols. I would rule out Isopropyl for obvious reasons but Mr. Fine claims to use Perfumer's Alcohol which to my way of thinking would be preferable to denatured, Everclear, vodka, etc.

It's my understanding that perfumer's alcohol, though a high grade ethanol, is denatured. Any 190 proof clear liquor would do exactly the same thing without the denaturant.

 

[Stubbl E]

I just use a simple mix of witch-hazel and alcohol. It works great for me and has done for years, but I'm not looking for much perfume qualities from my aftershave either, so it may or may not be something you'd want to try. It certainly is economical though, and the way it leaves my skin feeling is just unbeatable, which is really the point IMO.