Old-fashioned Aftershave Lotion

For this recipe of the old-fashioned aftershave lotion, we were inspired by recipes from the 1920-1960 period. We have put our own spin on it. It contains alum, a substance that makes blood clot from small cuts. Menthol has a cooling effect and a fresh scent. As a fragrance we also use flower waters, originally that was the water that remains after making essential oil from flowers, nowadays it is usually made by mixing a little essential oil with water.

Supplies

• 50 ml (40 grams) cosmetic hair water [29550]
• 25 ml (25 grams) orange flower water [29601]
• 25 ml (25 grams) rose water [29602]
• a pinch (1 gram) of alum [10621]
• a small piece (0.5 gram) of menthol [23000]
• measuring cups
• bottle(s) and spray attachment(s) or cap(s) for a total of approximately 100 ml of aftershave
• Pipettes, funnel, spoons etc.
• label for the bottle

Procedure

Dissolve the menthol in the cosmetic hair water. Stir well: the menthol will dissolve fairly quickly. Mix orange flower water and rose water together and dissolve the alum in it. Mix all this together.

The aftershave is a bit cloudy. This is due to the low alcohol percentage of the aftershave in which very little menthol dissolves. You can let it settle and drain. You can also leave it that way, the disadvantage may be that the atomizer will eventually become clogged. On the other hand, it does look pretty: an opal-coloured liquid.

Put the old-fashioned aftershave lotion in one or more suitable bottles, for example 2 x the 50 ml aftershave bottle Leandro. Another option is three quadro bottles of 30 ml each. If you don’t have enough to fill the bottle, you can add some cosmetic hair water. The shelf life is usually at least 12 months.