Science boy strikes again...
I have this old bottle of Aspen aftershave I've been wondering what to do with for some time. To smell it on my skin I have to drench myself, which is awkward and inconvenient. As for "aftershave", I don't shave anyway; I find a trimmer more agreeable to my skin. But I digress.
I've read the main difference between various strengths of fragrances is the proportion of ethanol in the mix, with aftershave having the most. Ethanol boils at 78.5 C, well within the safe reach of a kitchen chemist. I decided I would decant a portion of my Aspen aftershave and boil off the alcohol that makes it so dilute.
The worry, of course, was that the heat might damage the fragrance. At such relatively low temperatures, though, I suspected no harm would come to the oils; if anything, some of the high notes might be diminished, but these disappear quickly after application and I'm not in love with Aspen's high notes in the first place.
Using a microwave oven I heated some water in a ceramic bowl and poured some aftershave into a small metal urn that would conduct heat well and cool quickly afterward. I dipped the urn into the water and swirled it around to agitate the fluids and equalize the temperature. Before long, bubbles formed in the aftershave and a dense alcohol vapor emanated from it. I kept this up until the vapor plume died out, figuring I might as well experiment with the extreme case.
When I removed the aftershave to let it cool, its volume had reduced by a factor of 4 at least; probably more. The notably more viscous liquid that remains, despite my fears, smells just like Aspen to me, though stronger of course. I haven't worn it yet, but the paper I used to wipe out the urn still has good projection 24 hours later.
I have this old bottle of Aspen aftershave I've been wondering what to do with for some time. To smell it on my skin I have to drench myself, which is awkward and inconvenient. As for "aftershave", I don't shave anyway; I find a trimmer more agreeable to my skin. But I digress.
I've read the main difference between various strengths of fragrances is the proportion of ethanol in the mix, with aftershave having the most. Ethanol boils at 78.5 C, well within the safe reach of a kitchen chemist. I decided I would decant a portion of my Aspen aftershave and boil off the alcohol that makes it so dilute.
The worry, of course, was that the heat might damage the fragrance. At such relatively low temperatures, though, I suspected no harm would come to the oils; if anything, some of the high notes might be diminished, but these disappear quickly after application and I'm not in love with Aspen's high notes in the first place.
Using a microwave oven I heated some water in a ceramic bowl and poured some aftershave into a small metal urn that would conduct heat well and cool quickly afterward. I dipped the urn into the water and swirled it around to agitate the fluids and equalize the temperature. Before long, bubbles formed in the aftershave and a dense alcohol vapor emanated from it. I kept this up until the vapor plume died out, figuring I might as well experiment with the extreme case.
When I removed the aftershave to let it cool, its volume had reduced by a factor of 4 at least; probably more. The notably more viscous liquid that remains, despite my fears, smells just like Aspen to me, though stronger of course. I haven't worn it yet, but the paper I used to wipe out the urn still has good projection 24 hours later.
