Men's After Shave Lotion

Since my goal is to make a lotion that feels good on tender skin, I chose Conditioning Emulsifier to be my emulsifier. This emulsifier is noted to leave a soft powdery feel and be non-irritating which is important to me for this recipe.

I added Dimethicone because it allows skin to breathe(sweat), reduces stickiness, conditions skin and hair and has also been noted to help protect skin.

I don’t want the skin feel dry during the day so Hydrovance was my obvious choice as a humectant. You can use any humectant of your choice at the same percentage, so don’t feel limited by my choice!

I picked Apricot Kernel Oil as my main oil because I enjoy this light weight oil that easily absorbs into the skin. I thought it would be nice to have a face lotion that didn’t feel heavy after application.

Since we are dealing with a face lotion that is to be put on after shaving, I chose three extracts that are considered beneficial to the skin. Pumpkin Seed Extract, Ivy Extract, and Calendula Extract all are noted to soothe, revitalize and repair skin.

Liquid Germall Plus is one of my go-to preservatives because it has a low required usage rate. (Which means money saved!) It also is compatible with most cosmetic ingredients so I don’t have to worry as much about a failed preservative.

Since this is an after shave lotion for men, I decided to follow the trend of mint in after shave products. I used both Peppermint Essential Oil and Menthol Crystals to give the cooling, minty feel that many big brands have. Please be careful when adding these items as it is always easier to say “Next time I’ll add more,” rather than being unable to use the product because the mint is too strong.

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