Thread: Home made aftershave splash - howto and ideas

Originally Posted by theamazinga

I purchased some lime eo (steam distilled) from Now Foods but when used in my formula it doesn't have the lime smell I'd like to get. It smells more like a lime candy sucker. Maybe it's just not high enough quality?

Distilled lime eo is a sweeter smell (lime candy is a good description); you might prefer the scent of cold pressed essential oil from the lime peel. Distilled is more skin safe though, and the cold pressed oil is phototoxic so maybe not the best choice for an aftershave to wear in the daytime.

I am not familiar with the products of Now Foods, but judging from the product info it looks to be undiluted lime oil. If that is the case, it smells as strongly as you can hope to find. However, if you do not like it, perhaps try a different source. I have some from both perfumer's apprentice and from white lotus aromatics.

I am not fond of recommending lime fragrances. They have an inherent problem of phototoxicity which really is not a laughing matter. In fact, all citrus oils have this problem. Myself, I tend to use them only sparingly, for this reason. What I often do is use other citrus elements in the fragrance, to broaden and enhance that particular aspect; perhaps lemongrass would work for you? For lime itself, you do well in selecting a distilled oil. If you still want to create a strong citrus fragrance after these words of caution, I will recommend you get synthetic ingredients. They are much safer, but also harder to judge without actually smelling them. For molecules, Perfumer's Apprentice is a great shop,¨. Check out perhaps Lime Oxide. One that I have long wanted to get a hold of myself is Methyl Pamplemousse, which is a very nice citrus base. Unfortunately, shipping is a problem. Small is the key here, these are often powerful and will last you a very long time.

So to sum this up, - phototoxicity = skin cancer. Simple as that, so be very careful. If I want to create a lime/citrus aspect to a fragrance (and yes, I often include it), I usually use a mixture of citrus-like molecules, non-phototoxic oils with a citrus aspect (like lemongrass for instance) and a very small portion of actual lime oil. Better safe than sorry.

Oh, and if you want to go exploring in natural oils that has a citrus aspect, I recommend Steffen Arctander's Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin. A plethora of information in that one. Ginger, citronella, litsea, even olibanum springs to mind. For molecules, well, there are thousands and I know very few

Best of luck.

str8fencer, first time poster and I also joined this forum because of this excellent thread.
This has been a fascinating read and fragrences might become another hobby offshoot of traditional wet shaving (or another acquisition disorder) for me because of it.

In your original post, you list some "extras" added when combining the eo mixture with alcohol, such as glycerine and tea tree oil. What about menthol crystals? Are they an extra or should they be counted as part of fragrance building? I'd love to make a mentholated splashes similar to AV Ice Blue and Proaso. Heck, maybe even a mentholated bay rum.

Anyway, thanks for this awesome thread!

Any way to keep it from getting cloudy when the oils are added? I use 190 proof alcohol and add to that my allspice. Then, once I introduce the oils, the mixture turns a little milky.