How To Make An Herbal Aftershave

Herbal aftershaves are a much better alternative than ones that are filled will all kinds of chemicals and foreign ingredients. You can never really know what’s in these types of products and many of them contain chemicals that are dangerous and even cancer forming or that can irritate or cause skin conditions (or worsen them for those who already have them). On top of which many people are uncomfortable using these products because of their additional cost, the damage they do to the environment, or for ethical reasons like not wanting to use products that have been tested on animals. For whatever the reason it can often be a good idea to experiment with some more natural solutions. It’s difficult though to distinguish which products that are available on the market actually support the claims that they make by being natural, organic, or “raw” as is the latest fad in skin care is. Most products that make these claims have little to none of the ingredients in it that are advertised (and most that do have them have been processed so much that the nutrients of that ingredient are long gone - making them little more than a marketing ploy to woo new customers) and some of them only contain derivatives of a product or synthetic “look-alikes” that are cheaper and mimic, often poorly, the effects of the natural ingredient. Products such as these are often loaded with chemicals and damaging substances and it’s common for them to cause more harm than they do good which can end up creating more skin conditions that you have to deal with thereby forcing you to use another product and thus starting the cycle all over again.

If you want to step outside this and try something new there are better, more natural products out there but these are often very expensive and some of them even have to be imported or shipped from foreign countries and even with the higher end lines from reputable brands you can never be entirely certain about what you’re getting. You’re almost always buying blind. There are easier options though. Instead of investing money into expensive products that may or may not give the promised results there are ways to make your own products with out spending much time or effort on them and getting exactly what you require out of them. There are very easy ways to create things at home that will work well for you that you know are safe and effective because you’ve made them. In this article I’ll give a basic recipe for an herbal aftershave and another for one that’s slightly stronger just to show two examples of how easy it is to make your own herbal products at home.

The first recipe is for an aftershave that uses yarrow but you can substitute it for whatever herbs works best for you and your skin. Mint is a popular choice, as is lavender and rosemary. Place about ten ounces of sage leaves and three ounces of yarrow plus three ounces of another herb of your choice into a glass jar with a lid. Pour rubbing alcohol over the leaves until the jar is filled just below the rim and there’s a couple inches of space left. Shake the jar up really well for about half a minute and then set aside. You’re going to let it steep for a couple of weeks but it should be shaken up daily. Once it’s taken it’s time to steep then strain the leaves out. You can dilute it with water if you need to or just use it as it is or mixed into a regular lotion.

A similar recipe calls for several cups of witch hazel and a couple of tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to be pair with a couple ounces of dried sage and lavender. This is taken and let alone to steep for one week in the same method as the prior recipe as well as being strained after. This one you probably wont need to dilute as much and it can be a nice change if you’ve been using the previous recipe for a good while. Remember that you can always switch and change the herbs that you’re using and that you can also experiment with all sorts of other ingredients as you try new combinations to find what works best for your skin. It is advisable, however, that you test your new recipes on a small part of your skin that isn’t visible most of the time to make sure that you wont have any bad reactions or allergies of any sort to the ingredients that you’ve used. You can never be completely certain about how your skin will react to certain ingredients so be cautious and test things out prior to putting them all over your face or anywhere else.

Creating your own herbal skin products can be a really great way to save money, learn more about herbs, find out what herbs work for your skin, have a more natural health care regimen and enjoy more time with your skin looking and feeling nice instead of at the mall trying to pick out the latest lotion or shaving cream. It can be a great way to handle any skin problems or allergies you might have and to transition to using products that are better for you and better for the environment as well (products made at home have less of a carbon footprint and an emission level as those made in a factory somewhere), not to mention animals that are subject to being tested on by various skin care companies.

Whatever you decide to do make sure that you have fun making your new skin care products and that you do your research and test your products before you give them away or put them on your own skin. Any products you give away should have all their ingredients listed on them as well just to be sure that they aren’t given to anyone or used by anyone that might be allergic to them. This is the most responsible way to go about it but other than that you’ll be just fine and you may even impress people with your new knowledge about herbs and their potential uses. Have fun making your aftershave and other herbal products!