Want to try witch hazel, need some directions

Blademonkey said:
I've found the aloe vera an fantastic after shave product, very soothing indeed. :)
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Actually, I've read some very simple homemade aftershave recipes mixing witch hazel and aloe vera (ratio respectively 1 to 1 or 2 for 1, some recipes add glycerin and/or essential oils) on the internet, thus I plan to get some aloe vera gel alongside witch hazel and an empty travel bottle to mix the whole.
 
Cristobal said:
Actually, I've read some very simple homemade aftershave recipes mixing witch hazel and aloe vera (ratio respectively 1 to 1 or 2 for 1, some recipes add glycerin and/or essential oils) on the internet, thus I plan to get some aloe vera gel alongside witch hazel and an empty travel bottle to mix the whole.
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Good call :)
 
Cristobal said:
Actually, I've read some very simple homemade aftershave recipes mixing witch hazel and aloe vera (ratio respectively 1 to 1 or 2 for 1, some recipes add glycerin and/or essential oils) on the internet, thus I plan to get some aloe vera gel alongside witch hazel and an empty travel bottle to mix the whole.
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I do this & it works well.
My latest recipe is:
50ml witch hazel from Wilco
5ml Aloe vera gel
2.5ml (half teaspoon) citric acid
Optional: 5 drops of lavender EO

This works really, really well for me (YMMV disclaimer), in particular the dash of acidity from the citric acid neutralises the soap alkaline. @moodymick suggested a dash of vinegar, so I tried a few sprinkles of citric acid & it really helps.
 
JayGee said:
I do this & it works well.
My latest recipe is:
50ml witch hazel from Wilco
5ml Aloe vera gel
2.5ml (half teaspoon) citric acid
Optional: 5 drops of lavender EO

This works really, really well for me (YMMV disclaimer), in particular the dash of acidity from the citric acid neutralises the soap alkaline. @moodymick suggested a dash of vinegar, so I tried a few sprinkles of citric acid & it really helps.
Click to expand...

Interesting, I guess that with the ratio you use the mix is still quite liquid. For the citric acid, can I just squizz a lemon?
 
I guess you could.
I had some citric acid crystals for cleaning our coffee machine. You will have to go to a chemists to buy the witch hazel, they will stock citric acid monohydrate crystals too (very cheap).

I was getting irritation in the creases around nose & ear lobes, basically areas that weren't being shaved & it was worse with some soaps. So when I read moodymicks tip, I thought give it a try.
 
Good deal on the travel bottles at Wilko (3 for 2, mix & match, so £1 in total)

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Aloe vera has been ordered on Ebay (50g of gel) because there wasn't any at my local Superdrug (for the anecdote when I ask the sale assistant, a cute white and black caribean teenage girl, about it, I barely understood 10% of what she said because of her London accent (estuary or cockney, I can't say) and the repeated glottal "T's".):D
 
I use Homestead 99.5% pure WH with some clove and mango oils. I follow that with a DIY balm of oils, and lastly a blend of aloe, hemp and tea oil. The latter is separate as pure aloe and hemp oils should be refrigerated.

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I read that only mix containing food grade aloe vera (juice mostly) had to be kept in the fridge. What are the best practices concerning aloe vera conservation?
 
Ok, so I did the whole mix today, roughly 25ml of aloe vera gel + 50/60ml of witch hazel. The result looks like aloe vera gel but more liquid; I put it in the fridge even though the aloe vera was not food grade.

The preparation is liquid, but not enough to be sprayed, so according to my test tomorrow, I will add or not witch hazel to thin it (a third of the bottle is still empty) and/or citric acid.
 
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