I love my Air Conditioning in a Bottle, but it’s not hugely travel friendly. In a world of liquid carry on restrictions and fees for checking any bags, I thought it was high time I developed a solid version; Air Conditioning in a Tin.
This glossy balm is thickened with carnauba wax because I wanted something that would go on in a thin layer and absorb quickly. One of beeswax’s best properties is it’s sticky staying power, but that’s not something I want when it’s 40 degrees out.
I’ve blended this base with a healthy dose of menthol crystals for an almost instant dose of topical cooling and peppermint goodness. A few smears of this on high circulation points will help cool anybody down quickly.
As a bonus, this balm also works wonderfully on congestion as the active ingredient (menthol) is the same thing. And as one last plus, menthol repels bugs like mosquitoes. Woo!
So, if you’re heading somewhere warm or simply find summers at home to be a bit on the warm side, this is just the thing for you.
Air Conditioning in a Tin
10g | 0.35oz menthol crystals
8g | 0.28oz carnauba wax
40g | 1.41oz safflower oilCombine the ingredients in a small saucepan or double boiler and melt together over medium heat.
Pour into a 30mL/1oz tin and let set up for at least three days before using.
Cool concept, will be making once the weather gets warmer. Can you add any EO to make it scented? Enjoy reading and learning from your posts.
Thanks, Petra! You can add other EOs, but in my experience the menthol tends to reign strong and free, so choose something that blends well with menthol š
awesome name! How carnauba is different from the candelilla, I mean if you can compare their feeling on a skin and properties?
Hi Veronika! In my experience the two are so similar that they’re completely interchangeable. If you only have one, keep it that way and use it wherever either is called for š
Wonderful! I made the cooling spray and it worked like a dream. Love this version, although it pretty cold in Los Angeles right now so I will have to wait to use this š
Something to look forward to š I imagine you’re faring better than much of Canada at this point, if nothing else!
Can’t wait to try this! I recently bought some menthol crystals and have yet to use them. This sounds perfect! Thanks Marie!!
Enjoy! Thanks for DIYing with me š
Rate of usage of EO’s Marie,
Help me out on this one, with menthol crystals at a little over 17% of the formula how does this factor in with the typical advice of 3% usage for EO’s (recognizing that of course this in in crystal form)
Thanks,
Jan
p.s. still loving my white tiger balm!
There seems to be a sort of exception for menthol and the other tiger balm EOs (did you notice your white tiger balm is about 50% EOs? And it’s not really any more or less strong than the stuff from the store). I’m no aromatherapist, but in my experience if you want any topical sensation from those EOs, you have to go well beyond 3%. If it’s not irritating to you, it shouldn’t be a problem.
Can I store the “Air Conditioning in a Tin” product in the heavy duty plastic face cream containers I have? I don’t have any metal tins.
Hi Elsa! If you don’t have metal tins I would recommend glass before plastic. There is a lot of menthol in here and I’d be concerned about it eating away at the plastic.
This is perfect for those of us in the southern parts of the US. Not to mention those of us with the menthol addictions. *blinks innocently* I can see my stash getting wiped out once my sisters find out about this.
Enjoy it! The combination of smelling like a breath mint and feeling tingly cool is hard to beat š
Hi, Marie!
How long does this keep after creating? Is it something that should be made only when the weather WILL be hot? Because I’d like to make this for when we (in Texas) have hot days, but one day could be freezing and the next could be a scorcher! That’s why the question about the shelf life.
Thanks!
Hi Vivian! Check out my FAQ for info on shelf life š
Hi Marie,
This is a great idea! It’s been really hot in Sydney (Australia), the fans aren’t enough to keep me cool. I would love to give this a go. Can the carnauba wax be substituted with say beeswax? I have beeswax at home but yet to use it. I’m new to this š
Thanks in advance,
Kim
Hi Kim! I specifically chose carnauba wax for its texture, which is much lighter than beeswax. If you do want to use beeswax, please read this.
Hi Marie,
I used to make my son something similar. I used peppermint EO, mixed in witch hazel. Cooled him pretty well. Poor guy didn’t handle hot weather even as an infant. No worries. I didn’t make him the spray until he was an adult.
Can Eucalyptus EO be used in place of the menthol crystals in this recipe?
LOVE your blog!
Mary
Hi Mary! Eucalyptus EO is not a good substitute for menthol crystals. We want the menthol as it is what gives the strong cooling sensation, and from my research eucalyptus doesn’t contain any mentholāit would be about as effective as lavender or pine EO (that is, not effective haha).
Hello!
This sounds amazing and perfect for my soon to come pregnancy hot flashes this summer.
I just want to make sure that the crystals are safe for pregnancy?
Thanks!
Hi Alessandra! Menthol crystals are basically an essential oil in terms of potency and any health concerns (I have menthol essential oil and the two function identically). I know some women like the avoid EOs completely during pregnancy, and some don’t. I am not a physician, so I would really recommend bringing this up with your doctor.
Can I substitute Apricot Kernal Oil? I don’t have Safflower oil. Thanks!
Yup! Check out this article for more details on making swaps š
where did you get the scale used in this recipe? Also, you FAQ [i checked before asking :)] doesn’t mention where you get some of your other tools like measuring cups or mini-whisks, may you update it to include this info? Thank you Marie
It’s from Lee Valley š Most of the things I haven’t sourced in my FAQ were gathered up at rummage sales, gifts, or just stuff I already had, so it’s hard for me to compile a list. It would be like trying to make a list of where everything in your kitchen is from, I imagine š
Hi Marie!
I have been loving reading about all of your wonderful creations. This one in particular strikes my fancy at present, as I find I am about to move into a poorly ventilated apartment with no A/C for the duration of what will probably be a very hot summer. (Southern California + record breaking drought + temperatures bouncing between the 80s and 90s since January =/= fun)
I was wondering though, since I do not currently possess menthol crystals do you think peppermint oil would work? I noticed you used it in the liquid version, but in conjunction with menthol oil which I also don’t have. (I am of course amenable to ordering such things, but why if I don’t have to?) I also wonder about tea tree oil. I once made the mistake of applying it undiluted to a spot on my face… I don’t advise trying that, but based on that experience it certainly has the ability to cool things off, menthol or otherwise.
Thank you so much for sharing!
Hi Skylar! Peppermint EO will definitely add a dose of cooling, but it won’t be nearly as potent as the menthol. Math time! Okā¦ so. Peppermint essential oil is approximately 40% menthol, and menthol EO/crystals are 100% (Iām assuming here, I canāt find any sourcesā¦ but it makes sense to me!). This recipe has 10g of menthol in it. So, if you want to use peppermint EO instead of menthol, you will need to add enough peppermint EO to contain 10 grams of menthol. A bit of cross multiplication gives us this formula: 10 x 100 /40 = 25g. So, youād need to use 25g of peppermint essential oil. Iām a bit worried that a concentration of EOs that high (nearly 35%) might be irritating here, but I havenāt tried it, so I canāt say for sure. Have fun!
Hi Marie. I just made this and was a little disappointed. I didn’t notice a cooling effect. I will now try the spray! Cheers.
Hi Jane! If you want to amp up the cooling, simply gently re-melt it and add more menthol crystals š You could go up to ~30g, which would make for a balm that’s about 50% menthol, which should be very strong indeed!
I can’t find the recipe for the spray version….can you help or give suggestions??
It’s linked in the first sentence of this blog š
I have to say this is amazing. I made this last week and just got around to testing this. It took a few to start feeling the coolness where I applied it but it works really well. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Fantastic, I’m so glad you’re enjoying it! Thanks for DIYing with me š
I have not used carnauba wax before and do not have any on hand. Is there a substitute I can use?
Candelilla wax is a good alternative š
Is there a butter I could use instead of the Carnauba wax or would that totally change the consistancy?
Definitely notāthat would sort of be like using syrup instead of chocolate in a recipe; one is soft and the other is very, very hard!
Just wondering why it takes 3 days to set before using? Thanks!
The “c” waxes take about three full days to fully harden, but in my experience you’ll get 90% hardness within the first 12 hours š
Thank you for your recipes!I have a Peppermint infused olive oil and looking for a salve to make. Could it be used in this, in place of?
Hey Lisa! Thanks for reading. Sadly that swap won’t work š This balm needs a really high concentration of menthol to feel cool, and a peppermint leaf infused oil will contain barely any menthol (does it feel at all cool on your skin?). That would be sort of like using a drop of brewed vanilla tea instead of vanilla extract in a baking recipe. Essential oils are SO much more concentrated than infusionsāone drop of peppermint essential oil is equal to about 25 cups of peppermint tea!
Hi Marie,
I recently found your blog and I love it! So much great info. My hubby has asked me for a warming balm/butter but so far, I can only find this cooling balm. I found a supplier today that has capsicum butter. Have you ever tried that? Do you think I could use that as a portion of the butters in a body butter? Thanks. p.s. I will be making your cooling balm as soon as I get some menthol crystals.
Hey Jenni! I have a Fireplace in a Tin recipe that uses capsicum essential oil, but it is a bit “itchy” because warming EOs work by increasing circulation to the area, and that extra blood flow can be itchy, sort of like flushing. You might also want to check out some of my tiger balm recipesāthis one is quite hot! Happy making š
This would be great to have on hand for the upcoming hot summer days.