While waiting, tony4938 showed us this: http://sharpologist.com/2013/10/mentholated-witch-hazel.html
Great! So I bid on some menthol crystals ... and won for the princely sum of 99p.
While waiting, anticipating and all that, I got to thinking ... Olbas Oil?
Ingredients are essential oils: cajeput, eucalyptus, peppermint, juniper, wintergreen and clove. You get a strong peppermint and eucalyptus hit (something like 30% each) backed up with cajeput oil (around 20%) which is a close relative of tea tree; good for anti-infection and anti-inflammation. Clove and wintergreen are both soothing oils, albeit very low in concentration, as is juniper, an astringent.
I reckoned on 100ml bottle of Witch Hazel with five drops of that in and a touch of glycerin, top up with a capful of gin to boost the juniper astringency and help evaporation with the light alcohol.
... and so I made it up, splash some on my face and it felt good. The glycerin does give it a lubricious feel. I don't think the gin added anything at all and five drops, while it smells good, was not immediately the menthol burn I had hoped for. Resisting the temptation to dose up with another five drops, I thought I'd leave it and try again in the morning ... I'm glad I did because once all the witch hazel and alcohol is gone, there is a gentle but quite perceptible tingle which is very pleasant indeed and not at all overpowering. Five drops feels good. When I'm down to the last fifth, I'll pop one drop in and see if I like it double-concentrated.
Fun.
When my haul of essential oils arrives at least I can brew up a pre-shave oil and perhaps add a drop of lavender into my cool tonic ... which I call Sprygg, the etymology of spry: lively, active, brisk.
So, there we go ...
Household aftershave. Ask the Mrs (or your Mum) for some glycerin - they use it in baking. Raid the bathroom cabinet for WH and Olbas Oil. Go wild.