Thoughts on Ideal Ratio

[jwilock]

It's time to whip up a batch of A/S (or maybe it's balm). I've got bottles of generic witch hazel, aloe vera gel and glycerin. I'm looking for suggestions on what ratio to use to mix these together. I've done it once before and used about three quarters witch hazel and then about one eighth each of the other two. That worked pretty well, but I'm wondering if there are better proportions to use. Any recommendations out there?

[SteveWY]

For a true balm (ASB) I found a good recipe here somewhere of 50/50 WH/AVG and just a few drops (1-2 drops/ounce of the ASB. I found it to be a good balm. I added some lavender EO also.

[kingfisher]

Just add the amount of aloe vera gel that gets it to the consistency you want. Adding glycerin will thicken it up significantly, so only a few drops are needed. Or you can omit the glycerin entirely.

[SteveWY]

I found that I saved these posts:

Witch Hazel-based After Shave

Originally Posted by mctmatt


I buy my WH at Wal-Mart or our local grocery store. I get a 16 oz bottle for less than $1.50. It contains 86% WH and 14% alcohol by volume. I then do up the following recipe for creating your own Thayers or Aftershave.

8 ounces of WH
3 ounces of Vaseline 100% Aloe Vera moisturizing gel
3 to 4 Full Tablespoons of Glycerin
2 Full Tablespoon of Aqua Velva Ice Blue or any other of your favorite aftershave. I have also used Old Spice and Aramis aftershave as I enjoy those old time fragrance of my youth.

Combine in the above order and shake bottle prior to use. The importance of Vaseline Aloe Fresh Moisturizing aloe vera gel is that it contains no alcohol, but the Aqua Velva does, yet it is not enough that it should cause any issues. The Aqua Velva does contain some Glycerin so keep that in mind. The Glycerin creates the sticky feeling on your skin so remember to adjust it to your preference. You can also take a few vitamin E capsules and cut open then add to the mixture.














I do something similar. The 8 to 3 ratio is about the same as my 2 to 1 or 3 to 1. I don't use Vaseline aloe gel, though. I also use generic Wal-Mart aloe gel. And I use maybe a little less glycerin but relatively the same amount. Again I use generic Wal-Mart glycerin too. The only thing I do really different is that I bought some lime essential oil, and some Green Irish Tweed scent oils and that's what I use to scent it. It's possible I should add a bit of alcohol since I'm not adding an alcohol-based AS like you do. I've been thinking about that. I've also been considering adding bit of menthol in addition to the scent oil to make it a bit more "cooling".




The recipe that he referenced was mine and I would recommend going about 3 to 4 drops of Glycerin per ounce of witch hazel. You can always add more even after you have everything mixed. The reason I like to use the Vaseline 100% Aloe Vera Moisturizing Gel is that it is made without using Denatured Alcohol. Give it a try I bet you will be pleased as you can customize it to your preference.