Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Herbal Aftershave

Photo by David Wright on Flickr
I just had to share this fun project that I did tonight (yes, I was gathering herbs in the dark again!)  I love the magazine called The Herb Quarterly and I found a recipe by Janice Cox and Maggie Howe for herbal aftershave in the Summer 2010 edition on page 16.

Essentially, this recipe makes a herbal tincture with the addition of some citrus peeling and some spices - too simple!

Here is the combination of herbs that decided to I use based on input from my DH:
1 cup of chopped herb (roughly 3/4 chocolate mint, 1/8 plantain, 1/8 thyme)
6 dried cloves
1 star anise

I placed it all in a 1 cup mason jar and covered it with 40% (80 proof) vodka.
I'll put it in a cool dark place to steep for 3 to 4 weeks (more or less depending on scent strength) and I'll shake it now and then.  Then I'll strain it into a clean bottle that's a convenient shape for aftershave.  Voila!  Since this is tinctured, it will last indefinitely.

The authors also suggest these herbs and spices in a combination of your choice:

  • zest of one citrus (lemon, lime, grapefruit, orange)
  • basil
  • lemongrass
  • lavender
  • mint
  • anise hyssop
  • rosemary
  • thyme
  • sage
  • lemon balm
  • lemon verbena
  • bay leaves
  • fennel
  • 2-3 peppercorns
  • 2-3 dried cloves
  • 2-3 dried allspice berries
  • 3-5 juniper berries
  • gin (for a fresh, bracing herbal scent)
  • rum (for a sweeter note)
  • vodka (for no additional scent)
I have three books authored by Janice Cox and they all contain quick, fun recipes to try.  Here are links to each of them on amazon.ca:
Val :)

1 comment:

thimbles bobbins paper and ink said...

Brilliant! I am going to give this "recipe" a try. My hubby doesn't wear aftershave often but he just might if I make it for him. I even have a great bottle I've saved that would work perfectly. Thank you so much for sharing.

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