Thread: DIY aftershave????

Hey guys, I need your help.

My Mother found a wildflower last weekend that has a fragrance of anise and vanilla. I want to make an aftershave/cologne from it. What is a process that I can use here at home? Just soak in alchohol for a week or two then strain?

OK , I found this
Diy skin care: how to make your own aftershave

I would STRONGLY recommend that you try to identify the flower first. There are a lot of wildflowers that are very pretty, and have wonderful scents, that are incredibly toxic.

Foxglove, and nightshade come time mind, as well as certain flowers that are closely related to St. John's Wart.

So, make sure you're not going to be making a really effective poison that will be readily absorbed through the skin.

Also, test anything home-brew somewhere less sensitive than your face at first. If you're going to get a rash from it, it would be much better on the back of your arm than on your face.

Originally Posted by VeeDubb65

I would STRONGLY recommend that you try to identify the flower first. There are a lot of wildflowers that are very pretty, and have wonderful scents, that are incredibly toxic.

Foxglove, and nightshade come time mind, as well as certain flowers that are closely related to St. John's Wart.

So, make sure you're not going to be making a really effective poison that will be readily absorbed through the skin.

Also, test anything home-brew somewhere less sensitive than your face at first. If you're going to get a rash from it, it would be much better on the back of your arm than on your face.

+1 on this. Foxglove for example can cause serious, often fatal cardiac arythmias from even casual contact with the flowers.

Hey Randy, I have made a couple aftershaves as well as some perfumes for the wife and presents for my mom, sister, and sister in law.

For the aftershaves I have used a combination of essential oils, witch hazel, distilled water, vodka, and a very small amount of olive oil with pretty good results.

For Perfume I have used a mixture of essential oils, distilled water, and a high alcohol content vodka (I suppose most people may use perfumer's alcohol but I'm not that serious). You can also use a normal vodka but the resulting perfume will get cloudy.

For either I usually combine in a glass jar and shake for a few minutes every day for about 2 weeks.

I don't have the ratios of everything with me, but have them written down at home if you are interested.

About the wildflower, could you post a picture of it? My wife is pretty good with plants so she might have some idea.

Zac

Originally Posted by fccexpert

+1 on this. Foxglove for example can cause serious, often fatal cardiac arythmias from even casual contact with the flowers.

Thanks for this! A whole bunch!
I have a defibrillator because of arrythmias ( a couple thousand heartbeats per day on average) and i certainly do not want any more of them. Rest assured I will check this out.
I will also need to learn what foxglove looks like.

Originally Posted by HarrisonFan

Hey Randy, I have made a couple aftershaves as well as some perfumes for the wife and presents for my mom, sister, and sister in law.

For the aftershaves I have used a combination of essential oils, witch hazel, distilled water, vodka, and a very small amount of olive oil with pretty good results.

For Perfume I have used a mixture of essential oils, distilled water, and a high alcohol content vodka (I suppose most people may use perfumer's alcohol but I'm not that serious). You can also use a normal vodka but the resulting perfume will get cloudy.

For either I usually combine in a glass jar and shake for a few minutes every day for about 2 weeks.

I don't have the ratios of everything with me, but have them written down at home if you are interested.

About the wildflower, could you post a picture of it? My wife is pretty good with plants so she might have some idea.

Zac

Thanks Zac, I will orbably be harvesting some more of the flower in about 2 weeks. when I go picking blackberries in Wisconsin. We can get together after that.

Originally Posted by randydance062449

Thanks for this! A whole bunch!
I have a defibrillator because of arrythmias ( a couple thousand heartbeats per day on average) and i certainly do not want any more of them. Rest assured I will check this out.
I will also need to learn what foxglove looks like.

Foxglove up close. Most are pink, but there are several other colored varieties.

I second the comments regarding the toxicity of some compounds found in plants. Once you clear that, probably the best way to extract the essential oils from the plant is using distillation. Maceration is not the best method as you can also extract other soluble but non volatile compounds that can be bad for the skin but this could method work in some instances. This link has some information about the common methods used: Extraction of essential oils.

Al raz.

Originally Posted by randydance062449

Hey guys, I need your help.

My Mother found a wildflower last weekend that has a fragrance of anise and vanilla. I want to make an aftershave/cologne from it. What is a process that I can use here at home? Just soak in alchohol for a week or two then strain?

Have you got a picture of the flower?
There are botany and gardening sites that you can post your pics on and members will tell you what plant you got, just like we do here for razors and hones.