Something new, something blue, something cool...

[CraigK]

The blue bottle? I call it "Minty Witch". A mix of Thayers and Peppermint essential oil. I filled the bottle and added about 15-20 drops. The first thing I noticed was how much better the the Witch Hazel comes out with the added peppermint, a very fine mist compared to big wet droplets. It has a slight stick but not bad at all. After my shave this morning I sprayed it on and wow! Excellent results. As the mix is drying on my face I can feel the cooling taking place. But the real effect came when I rinsed my face with cold water, extreme cooling and refreshment. The cold water amplified the feeling. I'm stunned at how well it worked. I have an order of peppermint a/s balm coming in from Enchante, all this combine with some Tom's of Maine is going to be real nice!

CraigK

 

[ouch]

I love all of these wacky experiments.

 

[Scotto]

Quite the mad scientist. Good show!

 

[woodbane]

Craig,

I reckon you're onto something here, it's called "create your own aftershave toner / hydrosol".

I researched this a bit after reading your post and found out that Witch Hazel makes an excellent medium for dissolving essential oils into due to the natural alcohol content. I'd guess that you got a little 'stickyness' due to using alcohol free Witch Hazel.

I'd thought I'd also try this experiment as I'm currently spritzing regular Thayers on my mug after a shave and it really helps with soothing and calming. It only has 14% alcohol in it and I get NO sting whatsoever as it is grain alcohol I think.

I looked up essential oils and Peppermint is obviously good for refreshing/cooling the face but Lavender is an all round excellent remedy for just about everything it would seem, it soothes and calms irritation and inflammation and the smell is soothing. Plus it seems to be aperpetual favorite amongst us wetshavers. Chamomile is also supposed to be good in the soothing department. There is almost no end to the combinations you can do. The only proviso I could see is you're supposed to not citrus based oils if you're then going outdoors as it causes the skin to be hyper-sensitive to UV light and you can get sunburned!

So, I've purchased some Lavender AND Peppermint Oils and am going to try my own blend with the Witch Hazel. I thought I could call it "Purple Minty Witch" !! The initial cost of the oils was about $15 but I'll have enough based on the number of drops I need for my concoction to last a looooooooooong time. Seriously guys, this could be a really easy way to make your own aftershave toners at a low cost!

I'll let you know what the results are.

Craig, just as a matter of interest, what size bottle are you using for the atomizer, the recipe I have I've adjusted for a 2oz bottle.

 

[Kalypso]

I have a bottle of (cheapo Wally World) witch hazel that I've added 25 drops of Lavender EO. It makes a very nice right-after-the-shave toner & the lavender is a fairly stong antiseptic to boot. Of course I then throw on some Thayers Rose/Aloe witch hazel and a dollop of Trumpers coral skin food. I think I got too much stuff.

 

[teamacacia]

To go along with Craig's initial discussion about mixing peppermint with Thayer's Original WH, Thayer's does market a "SuperHazel" that is mentholated. This gives many of the cooling sensations, etc mentioned by Craig but may not be tolerable for those who react with menthol (obviously ). It also is listed as containing 20% alcohol. That said, if I do feel any sting it usually only lasts a few seconds before the cooling of the menthol sets in.

 

[Scotto]

All you guys mixing up stuff got me thinking.

I use Corn Huskers Lotion on my hands - good product for dry skin. I also see some people around these parts using it as an aftershave. If you consider this inexpensive product, you will see it is almost the same thing as Skin Food. Rather than shelling the $ for the Trumpers product, couldn't you mix the CHL with some hydrosol/EO and get something very similar, but personalized....

 

[Kalypso]

All you guys mixing up stuff got me thinking.

I use Corn Huskers Lotion on my hands - good product for dry skin. I also see some people around these parts using it as an aftershave. If you consider this inexpensive product, you will see it is almost the same thing as Skin Food. Rather than shelling the $ for the Trumpers product, couldn't you mix the CHL with some hydrosol/EO and get something very similar, but personalized....

Just add some rose hips EO to it & yer there.........lol!

 

[woodbane]

Just as a follow up to my earlier post I thought I'd let you guys know how I fared.

Here's the recipe: **********EDIT - adjusted 07/25/06 as there was too much oil before***********

2 oz Thayers Original Witch Hazel (white label - with alcohol)
2 drops Lavender Essential Oil
3 drops Peppermint Essential Oil

You can use different amounts of each oil depending on your personal preference, if you like it more Lavendery then maybe do 3 Lavender, 1 Peppermint. I probably wouldn't go over 5-6 drops in 2oz, might be too much oil, of course you can adjust the recipe accordingly depending on the amount of witch hazel you are dissolving in.

Anyhow, I had a great shave with my Long Handled Classic, Derby Blade (on it's 5th and last day), Taylors Lemon & Lime. Did my usual routine, and after my cold splash applied a spritzing of my new "Turbo-charged Face Cooler" to my mug.

COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLD!

Man, the heat went out of my face so fast it was like dipping it in liquid nitrogen! It was fantastic!

Call me crazy but I actually finished off with a thin application of Proraso pre/post!!!! My face felt like ice for about ten minutes and I never even saw a trace of of red skin (mind you the shave was VERY good tonight, probably my best effort to date actually).

I'm totally satisfied and will build it into my routine almost without a doubt. I really like my face to feel soothed after a shave and this is just the ticket.

Report back gentleman on your DIY mixing efforts and KUDOS to CraigK for starting what could be a new movement here on B&B. The "look at my concoction" brigade!

 

[zaphf]

To go along with Craig's initial discussion about mixing peppermint with Thayer's Original WH, Thayer's does market a "SuperHazel" that is mentholated. This gives many of the cooling sensations, etc mentioned by Craig but may not be tolerable for those who react with menthol (obviously ). It also is listed as containing 20% alcohol. That said, if I do feel any sting it usually only lasts a few seconds before the cooling of the menthol sets in.

That stuff has clove oil in it too. Not to fond of it as an A/S myself.

 

[CraigK]

Man, the heat went out of my face so fast it was like dipping it in liquid nitrogen! It was fantastic!

Really nice stuff! I get the same sensations. I started using this combo along with CAR's peppermint shaving paste, cutting balm and after shave. Turns out to be a great combination.


CraigK