Science related question- mixing oil and water

Hey, wondering if there are any science people in the hizzy.

I'm wanting to make an aftershave, with some pretty simple ingredients. I'm thinking roughly equal parts alcohol and water, plus some essential oils, and whatever else I feel like throwing in.

Here's the question. Oil and water no mixy mixy, and I just googled that alcohol and oil don't mix either. What can I add to disperse the oil throughout the mixture? I have to be able to put it on my face, too.

There were some recipies on the net that called for glycerin, and I didn't know if that helped emulsify the oil, or what. Someone told me that it was probably just for texture, to make it smooth, but that same person told me alcohol and oil mix, so there you go.

Any chemistry peeps out there?

Thanks

 

Glycerin is an oil that will disolve in alcohol if memory serves me correctly. It is also a skin softener. Since alcohol and water mix very well, you should be able to mix in some glycerin and get it to mix in the oils that you want.

 

Sounds more like an aftershave barm,just make it like soap and add an alkali,its a game of russian roulette though companies dont spends billions on testing just for fun,too much alkali and your face is gone

adding something like washing up liquid may work but thats kinda cheating,caustic soda is whats in soap,again though you better be sure to use the right amount...

 

Couple of things you might like to try. Glycerin should help suspend the oils , and is technically (cosmetically speaking and chemically speaking) a humectant, which is a fancy way to sat it attracts and retains moisture from the air. Some people don't care for the "feel", though.

A good cheap dispersing agent is the stool softener Colace (DSS, or sometimes called DOS). Just a drop or two added to the mix will quite nicely suspend the oils, and it is safe on the skin. Some non prescription earwax removers contain the same ingredient. It is basically a non sudsing detergent.

Phantom has greater experience with cosmetic chemistry, if I recall, and can probably think of some better options.

 

That sounds quite nice. Just for exactness, I wonder how much to add, because recipes I have seen call for varying amounts of oils. I was thinking a few drops of oil in a pint jar would be sufficient, but one recipe called for something like 10 drops in a little over a half cup, if I recall. It was by an oil company, though, no doubt trying to push their product, even if people would smell you from a block away .

Thanks for the tips, everyone!