Thread: modifying an off the shelf aftershave..

so i was thinking how my master's bay rum doesn't ever get used and i was thinking about spicing it up to see if i can make it better.. what would you guys suggest? i've got nearly the whole bottle.. i was thinking 3 cloves, a stick of cinnamon, and an orange peel.. what'ya think? anyone else modify master's yet?

also what other aftershaves have you modified and how?

I always add menthol crystals, WH, alcohol, and a little glycerin to all of my AS.

With most AS's your paying for the blending and use of botanicals etc. It would seem adding your own stuff could mess that up.

I've mixed WH with Pinaud, but that's as far as I've gone.

Before you decide on what to do, I'd try to figure what you want to accomplish. Is it too stingy? Too sweet? Too potent? Not enough burn? This might lead you in a direction on what to add.

Personally, I wouldn't try to mess with fragrances. But if it's too alcohol-y that's something I'd tamper with by adding witch hazel or water.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

With most AS's your paying for the blending and use of botanicals etc. It would seem adding your own stuff could mess that up.

Gentlemen:

Thebigspendur's wisdom sparkles with a big truth: leave it alone.

I have messed up several lowly and cheapo aftershaves I could not bring myself to dispose. In the end my concoctions have floated down the drain, leaving me with the promise to myself not to tamper with aftershaves.

Regards,
Obie

I say go for it...what do you lose for trying? $3? Almost everyone here has sprung for a soap of a multitude higher price just to find out that they don't like it.

Personally, I've got glycerin in all my Pinaud products and they are the better for it.

the thing is.. master's is just a boring bayrum.. it has the burn of alcohol i like and the conditioning of glycerin.. it's just not that great smelling.. i love my clubman bayrum.. that's a good smell.. so i figured.. i could take the master's and spice it up a bit with some cloves.. then i figured.. why not add an orange peel as well?

any ideas?

Why not decant a bit of Master's and then add some Pinaud Bay Rum to taste. Once you decide the proportions you like, mix them together in a separate container and add a touch of glycerin?

You haven't wasted an entire bottle on the experiment and you've added the clove smell you like via the Pinaud. If the whole thing goes bad for some reason, you've only lost the decant and not an entire bottle.

Aftershaves are essentially fragrances ( essential oils and/or synthetic fragrance oils) disolved in alcohol. You can add other fragrances easily as the alcohol will disolve these as well. If you add water based materials (such as witch hazel) you will dilute the alcohol. At some point, this will cause the oils to come out of solution producing a milky looking liquid (an emulsion). This emulsion may, over time, break leaving you with a two layers. If this happens, the original emulsion can be restored by shaking the mixture.