Thread: So I made my own aftershave, Im very impressed

I wanted to have some fun making my own homemade aftershave, Im currently using aqua velva as an astringent and then I apply an AS balm, which gives me very good results minimizing razor burn and soothing and nourising the skin. I wanted to try something different and as the Aqua Velva is basically alcohol, glicerine and fragance, I said maybe I could add something to improve the results. After some research I decided for a very basic formula. So here are the ingredients I used

For a 200ml bottle

120ml of Jamaican Rum
60ml of Witch Hazel
10 drops of pure glycerin
20 drops of pure Aloe Vera gel (which I took from the leaf directly)
5 pieces of allspice
3 cloves
1 little piece of cinnamon
10 drops of vanilla essential oil (which was the only one I had on hand)

I mixed all the ingredients in a closed bottle and left it for about 1 month. I finally tried it today . And I must say Im very impressed with the results, It kills razor burn much better that my Aqua Velva while soothes my skin. Its very refreshing also. I find the smell masculine but I think it can be improved using a different essential oil. The smell is very nice and It doesnt stay for more than 1 hour. So at least for me, Its a very cheap, yet very effective aftershave.
So if you can, try it and let me know if you had found something else to improve it

Cheers gentlemen

Fun experiment that, good job.

What you made, essentially, is a Bay Rum, exept you omitted the Bay leaves. Bay leaves has a spicy herbal sort of odor, and it lasts for a long time. If you try adding a bit of that into the mix, it should improve both the longevity and the complexity of the fragrance. The Bay leaves you want are from the West Indian bay tree, Pimenta racemosa, not the ones commonly used in cooking. Also, essential oils from woods will further increase the longevity, for instance, cedarwood, sandalwood or vetiver would all be fine in there.

I wrote an article a while back, take a look if you will for some more ideas: Home made aftershave - howto and ideas

Best of luck

Originally Posted by str8fencer

Fun experiment that, good job.

What you made, essentially, is a Bay Rum, exept you omitted the Bay leaves. Bay leaves has a spicy herbal sort of odor, and it lasts for a long time. If you try adding a bit of that into the mix, it should improve both the longevity and the complexity of the fragrance. The Bay leaves you want are from the West Indian bay tree, Pimenta racemosa, not the ones commonly used in cooking. Also, essential oils from woods will further increase the longevity, for instance, cedarwood, sandalwood or vetiver would all be fine in there.

I wrote an article a while back, take a look if you will for some more ideas: Home made aftershave - howto and ideas

Best of luck

In fact, your article was one of my main sources of information. It inspired me to go ahead and do it. I couldnt put so much attention on the essential oils because I wanted to keep it as simple as possible. Anyway I liked the results, and I will continue experimenting

I've been looking to make homemade Bay Rum, but I've been having problems locating bay leaf (pimenta racemosa) for a good price.

I'll try your recipe. I'll let you know how it turns out in about a month, thanks.

Originally Posted by henryconchile

I've been looking to make homemade Bay Rum, but I've been having problems locating bay leaf (pimenta racemosa) for a .

Think this would work?
Amazon.com: AURA CACIA Essential Oil Bay (pimenta racemosa) 0.5 OZ: Beauty

Home made aftershave, that sound like a nice little project to try out:-)

Originally Posted by Rockit

Think this would work?
Amazon.com: AURA CACIA Essential Oil Bay (pimenta racemosa) 0.5 OZ: Beauty

Thanks for the link, but I'm looking for the actual leaf in dry form. It is very expensive at the online sites that I found.

That is a very interesting recipe. Going to have to try it soon. Thanks for sharing!

Interresting stuff!

I might want to try something like that soon. i'm thinking about a french canadian aftershave "à la coureur des bois".
Of course the base alcoohol would be De Kuyper gin with Geneva, some burdock roots extract and pine.

All are an anti-inflammatory and would help the razor bumps.

Thanks for sharing and great post str8fencer!

Nice- I too make my own AS and have definitely came up with some neat concoctions. Some some are top notch recipes some epic fails- that's the fun in it! It's kind of like a side hobby to the hobby