Turning Clubman aftershave into something good for my skin

[JackJ]

I'm now in an aftershave phase of my shaving acquisition disorder. Back in high school and college, I was a fan of Chanel for Men and Eau Sauvage, even though I couldn't really afford them. But since that time I evolved into not only a "not a fragrance guy," but a "will never be a fragrance guy." Post shave treatment was Thayer's unscented toner, and that was it. Deodorant/antiperspirant was unscented Fresh Idea. My only fragrance was whatever lingered from my shower and shaving soaps--not much.

But now, having recently gone through my second phase of razor, brush, blade, soap, and soap acquisition, I'm at aftershaves. And I'm back to enjoying scents. Unfortunately that beloved Chanel for Men from the 80's is no longer available (I won't pay the premium for vintage examples), but I've got a bottle of Eau Sauvage arriving today and I can't wait to experience something I haven't smelled in maybe 35 years. It'll be like Proust and his madeleine cookies, though I'm confident no 7 volume novel will result.

I've acquired lots of other scents recently, mostly from shaving specialty realtors. There are plenty that I like, but I'm glad that two of my favorites are among the cheapest: Clubman Reserve Gent's Gin, and Clubman Lime Sec. Yeah, I like lime. And though I can splurge here and there, I'm basically cheap.

So now I'm wondering about turning this inexpensive combinations of alcohol and scent into something that doesn't dry my skin out. This morning I splashed on some Lucky Tiger AS/tonic (another recent acquisition), and that stuff is nourishing. But following it up with Gent's Gin left my skin feeling parched.

I've read about adding glycerin, and have some of that on order. What about also adding the much celebrated hyaluronic acid? Or aloe? Or other skin food? The clubman scents aren't all that strong, which is want I want. But I don't want to "water" them down significantly. I.e., I think adding a meaningful amount of H2O or witch hazel would dilute the scent too much.

Are there recipes for this sort of aftershave upgrade cocktail? At least ratios? Combinations to avoid?

I've got some off-the shelf lime and citrus aftershaves that do feel good on the skin. But I still want to see if I can enhance the Clubman stuff.

Thanks for any tips!

 

[OkieStubble]

Everyone is different, but I really like the antiseptic and astringent benefits of alcohol in my aftershave. I do put vegetable glycerin in all of my Pinaud aftershaves.

Many put two drops per ounce, but I personally put only one drop per ounce. I don’t want my face drying out and cracking just like the next guy.

But instead of worrying about finding other ingredients to put into my aftershaves, I can and will just follow up my splash after the dry down with a good face lotion or balm.

While most balms feel greasy to me, my wife has a body and face lotion she always keeps in stock. It is unscented and has lots of skin goodies in it.

If and when I feel like I need more conditioning than the glycerin in the AS can provide, I simply apply this lotion to my face and neck afterwards.

It helps lock moisture into my skin and I actually think it works better then adding other stuff to the alcohol splash.

Now that the Hyaluronic Acid is getting popular, I bet you can even find a face lotion with it in it’s ingredients list if you wanted?

 

[hydro-magic]

I find all the Pinaud splashes a little drying so I add glycerin to them and they work much better for me. I'm not sure I'd notice one or two drops per ounce. I add probably 1/2 teaspoon to a full teaspoon. But you can always add more. Try adding a little and if it's not quite there, add a little more.

 

[OkieStubble]

Definitely want too start with a little glycerin and slowly add more. Too much and the AS can feel sticky and tacky when it dries.
You can always add more but can’t take out too much.

 

[hydro-magic]

Definitely want too start with a little glycerin and slowly add more. Too much and the AS can feel sticky and tacky when it dries.
You can always add more but can’t take out too much.

This is true. I live in the desert and glycerin doesn't seem to get sticky feeling here but I'm told it does in humid environments.