Over the past few weeks I have been mentioning shaving products that create a cooling sensation (HERE and HERE and HERE). The common ingredient in all these products is menthol. If you want to read up on just what menthol is and does, HERE is Wikipedia’s entry. So, if you want to get a cooling sensation from a product that normally doesn’t have any, why not add some menthol yourself?
Menthol Crystals
The classic way to do this is to use menthol crystals. They are available from a number of sources (HERE is a small container I found on Amazon) and might even be available locally if you have a “natural” or “organic” business in town. Menthol crystals are (of course) solid at room temperature but can be dissolved in alcohol or some types of oils. Sometimes they’re not even disolved but simply added to a balm as-is (or perhaps crushed a bit more).
TSD “M-Bomb”
Another product worth mentioning is The Shave Den’s “M-Bomb” liquid menthol additive. One or two drops (trust me, that will be plenty) in a shaving lather will give it an icy blast.
I should note that if you add menthol with either of these products, it will likely change the scent profile of whatever you’re adding it to. So if you add some to a product whose scent you enjoy, you may be in for a surprise.
Hey Guys! I’ve seen several places where people make their own methol additive like M-bomb. One youtube video I watched used some rubbing alcohol to dissolve and then mixed with glycerine. Has anyone here tried just dissolving with alcohol and using as an additive? I happen to have some ethanol (ethyl alcohol) and I purchased some menthol crystals, but I’d be interested to hear if you kinda need the glycerin to make the whole thing work. Thanks
Just to clarify, M-Bomb isn’t made for adding to full size products, like a 4 oz bottle of witch hazel. It is for mentholating single servings of whatever product you choose to add it to.
Also, M-Bomb has been reformulated, and testers reported less scent-masking with the new formula.
Menthol irritates the hell out of my skin, period! Too bad for me because in my less sensitive skin days, I really Proraso.
Be careful not to add to much and not to use too often. Menthol may irritate your skin.
Very true, a drop or two is more than enough!
How much would you add to, say, a 4oz bottle of Thayer’s witch hazel?
I would start with one drop of M-bomb or maybe 1/8 teaspoon of crystals (check the directions that come with the crystals to be sure) to see what the reaction is.
Here’s my professional take on using menthol products when shaving: http://www.villagebarber.com/blogs/blog/6226960-warm-dont-cool-before-shaving
To clarify, I also think you should prepare your face with warm water. But I think menthol can have a place in the shave, and particularly post-shave, regimen. 🙂
Coconut menthol might be nice combination, I think I’ll have to try out that M-bomb with my TOBS
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