When we did our post about 15 manly smells a few months ago, several of you chimed in that bay rum should have made the list. For the uninitiated, bay rum is a fragrance that’s often used in aftershave lotion and shaving soaps. West Indies bay leaf, spices, and Jamaican rum, combine to give the bay rum fragrance its distinctive woody, sweet, and spicy scent. Because of its island flavor, bay rum is a great summertime scent, but it’s a fine fragrance to sport year round.
The history of bay rum is as manly as it smells. Sailors in the 16th century discovered that the West Indies bay leaf made a great perfume to freshen up and mask the stink they acquired while being stuck on a ship for months. To apply the scent to themselves, the sailors would rub the dry leaves on their body, thus leaving the fragrant oil on their skin. While sailors were rubbing leaves on themselves, farmers were cultivating boat loads of sugar to be shipped back to Europe. A few enterprising plantation slaves discovered that molasses, a by-product of sugar, could be fermented into a sweet alcoholic beverage. Brewers on the islands took the slaves’ crude recipe, distilled it, and made it 10 times stronger, thus creating the rum we know today.
Tired of having to rub bay leaves on himself like a weirdo, some sailor got the idea that rum would make a great liquid to steep the bay leaves in to extract their essential oils and make an easy-to-apply cologne. And with that, bay rum was born.
Islanders took this basic recipe and began adding their own olfactory flourishes by mixing in cloves, citrus rind, and cinnamon.
From the West Indies the scent spread to the rest of the world and became popular among men as an aftershave scent. Barbershops in America developed their own unique version of bay rum aftershave to slather on their patrons so they walked out smelling awesomely manly after getting their straight razor shaves. And if you check the medicine cabinets of men born before 1950, there’s a good chance you’ll find a bottle of bay rum in it.
While bay rum waned in popularity after World War II, the renewed interest in traditional wet shaving has brought it back to its throne as the go-to scent for old-school manly men. You can find bay rum at most drug stores or department stores for about $10. But why buy it, when you can make your own just like the 16th century sailors did? In this article, we’re going to share two recipes for bay rum aftershave. The first comes from a recipe that I’ve seen floating around on various wet shaving communities like Badger and Blade and the second comes from an 1866 barbering guide. Enjoy!
Bay Rum Aftershave
- 4 Ounces Vodka
- 2 Tablespoons Jamaican Rum
- 2 Dried Bay Leaves (Don’t use the bay leaf they sell at the grocery store. While it’s good for soups, it’s not good for bay rum. Make sure to use Pimenta racemosa, sometimes available at natural food stores)
- 1/4 Teaspoon Allspice
- 1 Stick of Cinnamon, broken in pieces
- Fresh Zest from a Small Orange
Combine all ingredients in a container such as a bottle or mason jar with a tightly fitting lid. Put the closed container in a dark, cool place (not in the refrigerator) for two weeks. This allows the alcohol to extract the essential oils from the bay leaves. After two weeks, strain the mixture through several layers of coffee filters. If necessary, repeat until no residue remains. Put in a nice bottle and splash on face after shaving.
Bay Rum No. 3 Recipe from Mack’s Barbers Guide
I found this recipe in an old barber’s manual from 1866. This recipe calls for a bay laurel oil. The bay laurel is different from the pimenta racemosa leaf that is traditionally used in bay rum, so this recipe will smell a bit different, but it still smells good. You can buy a bottle of bay laurel oil online or at a aromatherapy store in your area for $20-$30. While a bit pricey, you don’t have to use too much, and it makes several batches.
- 2 Drams of Oil of Bay Laurel (a dram is 1/16 of an ounce)
- 4 ounces of Jamaica Rum
- 24 ounces of alcohol
- 36 ounces of water
- 1 ounce of pulverized magnesia
Combine all the ingredients above and strain through several layers of coffee filters or cheesecloth. Store in a bottle. You’ll notice that this recipe doesn’t call for letting the mixture sit for two weeks before using. Since we’re using oil of bay laurel and not the leaves, you don’t have to wait for the oils to be extracted from the bay leaf. You can use this concoction immediately after you make it. Instant gratification!
You can customize your bay rum aftershave to your liking by adding different spices and scents. Some suggested scents to add are juniper, lavender, rosemary, allspice, and cinnamon. Have fun!
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{ 48 comments… read them below or add one }
Sounds neat!
Does anyone know of a similar recipe without the alcohol?
Thanks for the great article!
Do you think that Absolut Pear would be a good substitute? Since I bought a large bottle of it…and I cant stand drinking it.
How funny that you posted this now. I just made some a few weeks ago.
Here’s my recipe:
8 oz. dark rum
2 cups of bay leaves (I used laurel from the grocery store. I know it’s not traditional, but whatever)
10 cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
Entire peel from 1 orange
10 drops vitamin E
Combine all ingredients in a mason jar and seal it. Keep in a cool, dark place for 2-4 weeks. Filter liquid through a coffee filter. Add 2-3 ounces of witch hazel to the filtered liquid. Enjoy!
Nate,
The alcohol in aftershave provides the astringent effect(closing of pores), so you need to keep it in. Otherwise, you don’t have an aftershave, you have perfume.
That looks like it should smell really nice. I’m gonna give that a go. Cheers guys.
This may be a dumb question, but if you are using oil instead of leaves can you still throw in orange peel, cinnamon etc and let it steep for a few weeks?
I am taking it that you can, but I don’t know if you should add in the oil last or throw it all in together and let it brew.
Thanks in advance for your thoughts guys.
@Nate
If you don’t wish to purchase drinking alcohol for whatever reason, you can substitute rubbing alcohol (also called isopropanol) instead. Both drinking alcohol and rubbing alcohol have roughly the same astringent and anti-bacterial properties. Isopropanol is a slightly better solvent so the aftershave might come out a tad strong.
I’m saving this recipe with the others that I’ve found. The alcohol normally used is SD-40 which is a fancy name for denatured ethanol. It can be hard to find for an individual. So many recipes use vodka. So, if anyone has a good source for SD-40 let me know. I don’t like using isopropanol or witch hazel because they have very distinctive odors that are associated with a medical setting.
This is cool. Thanks for posting it.
I swear, officer, I haven’t been drinking…It’s my aftershave!
Thanks for this post! I am a big fan of Bay Rum, and was considering just the other day to try and make a batch of my own now that Burt’s Bees no longer makes their Bay Rum aftershave and cologne.
Koley,
Take heart! Responding to someone about wet shaving in the forums I found that Bert’s Bay Rum made a comeback: http://www.burtsbees.com/natural-products/men-shaving/
Although when I heard they were discontinuing the line I bought cases of it. Set for life here.
Doctuh,
I just got done watching “Gettysburg” and recognize Chamberlain as your Avatar. WOW, What a guy. I haven’t seen Gods and Generals yet, but hope to in the future. Nice Touch!!
Sounds utterly manly. Never tasted nor heard of it but that will change.
@ Greg Ausman & Jonathan Cunningham
Thank you both for your help! I think I will go with the rubbing alcohol substitute.
You can get denatured alcohol at most hardware and home improvement stores in the painting section and at many outdoor outfitters as a camp stove fuel.
Cool. I’ve enjoyed the couple of bay rum fragrances I’ve tried. I’m definitely going to try making my own.
I’d love to give this a try. Does anyone know where I can get the bay leaves?
Where can I get the leaves?
Tyler – It’s aftershave, not a drink. Of course, I suppose there’s no reason that you couldn’t drink the resulting concoction, if you really wanted to.
Doctuh: Thanks for letting me know that the Burt’s Bees Bay Rum is back!
Brent: Leaves are available here: http://www.naturesgift.com/shop/?itemid=1144
It seems to be much easier to find the essential oil than the leaves.
Thanks a bunch, Koley
This post is terrific. My husband doesn’t shave, but I may make some of this for my son…who is about to start. It should be ready by the time he needs it.
Bay Rum is an interesting scent. Thanks for posting this.
If you are just looking to smell good instead of as aftershave (such as for the gentlement with beards), there’s an online shop called Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab that has several scents with Bay Rum in them. Baron Samedi is the basic Bay Rum scent. Jazz Funeral, Jolly Roger, Isaac the Living Skeleton, Knucklebones, The Sailor’s Den, and Santo Domingo all have it as one of the notes. In most of these, it’s combined with tobacco as well.
(I do not work nor am I associated with Black Phoenix in any way. Just a devoted customer)
Koley, thanks for the link for the leaves. They are a bit on the pricey side, though. $35 for 4oz. I’m sure in the long run it would pay for itself.
I also priced some basic bayrum aftershave from various sources, The Burts Bees brand wasn’t too bad. About $12. Colonel Conks Shave shop had a bottle of Bayrum for about $20.
For some really good bayrum shave soap, Col. Conk also sells a cake of bayrum scented shave soap for $3.50 each. I’ve been getting all my shave soap from them for a while now. They are really reliable and get your order to you lickety-split, about 2 days.
I might pick up the leaves just for the fun of making the stuff.
The Doktor likes this recipe. At some point I’ll have to share my wife’s recipes for thyme head wash for dandruff.
I’ve worn the CO Bigelow Bay Rum for a few years. Extremely good scent for a man without being an “old man smell”.
My wife loves it too. (wink wink)
Just ran out and Bath and Body Works, which is where I got it originally, still carries CO Bigelow, but not the Bay Rum cologne.
Regarding using rubbing alcohol or denatured alcohol, wouldn’t that produce a sharper, possibly unpleasant scent?
The rum, being a sweeter concoction, both in taste and smell, would impart it’s own warmth to the overall bouquet. While the harsh odor of the denatured or rubbing alcohol would have all of the unpleasantness with little of the benefit.
@ Matthew
For a while, I used rubbing alcohol in place of aftershave. No one ever commented on it, though I do work in a chemistry lab so that may have something to do with it.
You can always water down the alcohol to reduce to strength of the alcohol scent. Rubbing alcohol is usually sold at 95% alcohol by volume (ABV) Rum can run anywhere from 40% (light rum) to 75% (overproof rum) ABV, so dilute the rubbing alcohol down to something more your liking.
Adam – You can drink it. From what I have been told it was not unusual when my Father was in the Navy for those who had drinking problems to drink the Mennen aftershave sold onboard. They would filter it through a loaf of bread to remove additives.I cannot imagine it being very good, but, that is not why someone drinks aftershave in the first place.
Great recipes, I can imagine the amazing aromas of all three concoctions. A question though, Jonathan mentioned rum being 40-75% ABV. Suppose I get rubbing alcohol from say, a chemist, and dilute it to roughly this ABV level, will it work? I think the problem of distinct smell and stronger solvent action?
Also, what do I do if i want to use rubbing alcohol in the first Bay Rum Aftershave recipe? Simply use 6tbsp of alcohol instead of the rum and vodka? Thanks guys.
You don’t want to use rubbing alcohol. Go online and search for “Perfumer’s Alcohol.” Also, there are a number of witch hazel aftershave recipes that do not use alcohol of any kind.
@Jogi,
You can buy rubbing alcohol from nearly any pharmacy or grocery store, usually in the first-aid section. It usually comes about 90% ABV.
Man, I am searching online and I am having a very difficult time finding out where I can purchase some Pimenta racemosa leaves! I live in Los Angeles, and you’d think it would be easy to find an herbalist shop that would carry it, but so far I am having difficulty. It’s easy to find Chinese herbs here, but they wouldn’t carry it. I did, however, find that an aromatherapy company, Aura Cacia, does make an essential oil of Pimenta racemosa (it’s simply called “Bay” but it’s indeed the Pimenta genus and not the Laurus nobilis one you cook with), and it only costs abt $7, and so I might have to settle for that. Do a Google search, several places sell it online if you can’t find it in a store. But still, if someone finds a not-too-expensive distributor of the actual leaves, let us know! (Even if I buy the oil, I’m still going to process it the recipe #1 way, so that I can add other spices to it and distill them into the mix.)
Oh, and BTW, I found out that the oil of Pimenta r. is toxic if ingested, so avoid the temptation to drink your new aftershave, haha
I use 99% Isopropanol alcohol, about $3 a bottle, and yes it smells crazy, but only for about 10 seconds, then it evaporates and the smell is gone, leaving just the oils.
Tyler – Adam – Others
I wouldn’t advise drinking anything that has the bay rum leaves. From what I read the extracted oils are toxic. Like mentioned, these are not the bay leaves you cook with.
I have made the Bay rum recipe (the first one listed here) and it works very well. I didn’t have the required type of bay leaves, but I did use FRESH “regular” bay leaves, and it works very, very well. I never strained it, but just left the spices in.
Also, Domenica Double-Distilled Bay Rum is very nice as well, if you want to go the premade route.
My barber in SA uses Clubman Bay Rum. You can get it on Amazon for $11 or from my barber for $13. It goes on a lot cleaner that Burt Bees which is more of a lotion.
I can’t seem to find an easy way of getting the actual Pimenta Racemosa leaves- but they do sell Pimenta Racemosa Essential Oil- is this a worthy substitute? Also if I was to make the first aftershave; how much oil would be needed to cater for the absence of two Bay leaves?
j peterman on-line Dominica Bay Rum $18.00
WItch Hazel is a good substitute if you don’t want to use that much alcohol
I just tried my first batch. It’s different, I like it. Now I just need to wait for the comments.
Giving a shot myself! i combined all three of the recipies above we will see how it turns out!
*Update*
It came out great! It has a strong liquor sinus burn in the jar, but when you wear it, it smells like orange, ginger (I added a couple tbsp. of grated ginger) and heavy spice. It smells awesome. It is more mild on your face than any aftershave I’ve used. There is no alcohol burn and it leaves your skin soft; not dry and stretched.
I’m never using commercial aftershave again.
Like manufactured products, home-made cologne has almost unlimited possibilities. It’s really about having an alcohol base and then adding whatever will give it fragrance.
* For a warmer scent, try substituting Southern Comfort for rum and toss add a soup spoon of pipe tobacco. (Result is great for evenings, Fall/Winter all day).
* For a cooler (mornings, Spring/Summer all day) fragrance, use gin instead of rum, then add clean, crushed eucalyptus leaves and lime peel.
No kidding – these things turn out very nice.
Danaman, I love the idea of using pipe tobacco to add aroma to aftershave! I can’t wait to make some of my own.
This looks promising. I might try this one when I have the time.
I read above that some used grocery bay leaves, in place of the pimenta racemosa. Even though the recipe cautions against it, does it still produce a decent smell? I am having a really hard time finding the leaves hereabouts.
Help! I can not find Pimenta Racemosa leaves anywhere, and I’ve already bought lots of bottles etc. to make bay rum gifts. Does anybody know where I can find these? The local natural food store can only get the regular kind of bay leaf.
I think I have called every natural food store in Los Angeles, and no one has this leaf. Also, no luck on line. Would the author of this article please let the readers know the name of a vendor that sells these leaves? It would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Marcel