menthol crystals

gil3591 · Post by **gil3591** » Tue Nov 08, 2011 1:34 pm

i am waiting on delivery of menthol crystals ordered thru an amazon vendor. does anyone have an idea how strong these crystals will be? i'm hoping i can add some menthol, as desired, to the lather of various creams and soaps. i'm wondering how the affect of menthol will be on, tabac, mwf, tobs. may be a fun endeavor

AxelH · Post by **AxelH** » Tue Nov 08, 2011 1:45 pm

It is probably pure crystalline menthol. IOW, as strong as can be.

I think it can be crushed up and dissolved in water. I wonder if it interferes with lathering...

ShadowsDad · Post by **ShadowsDad** » Tue Nov 08, 2011 5:50 pm

Yes, menthol crystals are pure menthol. You might be surprised at how little menthol will give a substantial menthol effect.

To dissolve in water you must heat it to >112*F or dissolve them in alcohol.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menthol

crackstar · Post by **crackstar** » Tue Nov 08, 2011 6:30 pm

Be very careful, because too much can be dangerous.

gil3591 · Post by **gil3591** » Tue Nov 08, 2011 6:46 pm

crackstar wrote:Be very careful, because too much can be dangerous.

yes, i'm hoping i can be able to use it on a "per shave" basis

i'm hoping i can put a small amount with some water in a heated scuttle and then add the cream. not sure how i will do a soap like tabac or mfw. i don't want a lot of menthol. i'd be happy with a "tad" more than proraso

function · Post by **function** » Tue Nov 08, 2011 7:53 pm

Please keep us posted on how it goes. I have considered picking up menthol crystals in the past as well for a DIY aftershave.

gman41 · Post by **gman41** » Tue Nov 08, 2011 8:05 pm

Everyones face or skin is different in this respect. Some less sensitive to the menthol in a product than others which could be the climate a person is from, if they work outdoors or inside, or some contributing factor that makes the skin less sensitive.

crackstar · Post by **crackstar** » Tue Nov 08, 2011 8:50 pm

gman41 wrote:Everyones face or skin is different in this respect. Some less sensitive to the menthol in a product than others which could be the climate a person is from, if they work outdoors or inside, or some contributing factor that makes the skin less sensitive.

As you know, I live in a climate which is brutally cold for the majority of the year, but I always enjoyed heavily-mentholated creams, soaps, aftershaves, etc. However, I am afraid to use menthol crystals.

SharpSpine · Post by **SharpSpine** » Tue Nov 08, 2011 9:05 pm

I use a liquid menthol additive called M-Bomb from TSD. It's zero hassle & easy to add to anything; shampoo, lather, witch hazel, aftershave splashes & balms.

gil3591 · Post by **gil3591** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 6:27 pm

my crystals arrived today. they smelled like peppermint even before i opened the box! i took a crystal the size of 1/8"x 1, 1/4". placed it in a cup and added a teaspoon of hot tap water. the menthol dissolved nicely. i waited a while till the mixture came down to room temp to see if anything funny would happen to the solution but all was well.

the solution smelled about as potent as a jar of vicks. i put some cream in the scuttle and added, about 25% of the cream's volume, an amount of the menthol solution. the resultant lather had no scent of the menthol what so ever and i think it safe to add more next time. the stuff has such a strong scent that being able to smell the menthol or not, in the final lather, may be a gauge for future mixes. anyway, this first trial gave me a mild menthol effect with no scent of peppermint (or vicks

) the cream i used was mystic men, from bulgaria, i think. it's supposed to be a menthol cream but i couldn't detect any menthol. i'm trying to achieve a mild menthol effect such as that from proraso and i'm relieved that it will be achievable. i was glad to find out that the menthol will be controlable so it won't over power. now onto a menthol tabac and mwf