Not sure the man in your life will appreciate a coffee mug cozy, mint chocolate body butter, or lotion bars? Well then, how about sugar cookie body scrub?
Nooooo? Okay then [rummages] I’ve got to have something around here. Ahhh, here it is! Clean and woodsy with spicy notes and a hint of citrus, this bay rum aftershave recipe is as manly as it gets.
Legend has it that West Indie bay leaves (pimenta racemoca) made their worldwide debut in the 16th century. Apparently, sailors began rubbing them on their bodies to mask their odor on long voyages, then realized infusing the leaves in rum made application easier. The rest, as they say, is history. The sailors carried the scent around the world, adding in citrus peels, spices and other ingredients to enhance the fragrance.
This version – which features black peppercorns, cinnamon sticks and a hint of citrus – will put hair on your chest. Just something to keep in mind if you’re considering using it for yourself.
How To Find Non-GMO Rum For This Recipe
Rum is traditionally made from sugarcane, but unfortunately some companies have started cutting corners by making it from GMO-derived high fructose corn syrup. (Ugh!) Since I’m not much of a rum connoisseur, I looked at my local shop for an affordable non-GMO version.
After emailing back and forth with Appleton Estate, a Jamaican-made rum, I was able to verify that they do not use any corn syrup or GMO bacteria during the fermentation process. They have a sugarcane plantation next to their distillery that you can tour if you get the chance, and their rum is actually pretty delicious.
My husband loves it in this hot buttered rum, only with twice the amount of butter and half the rum.
I’m sure there are other great options, including some organic ones, but I’m now a fan of Appleton Estate.
Sourcing West Indies Bay Leaf
Because the West Indies bay leaf – which is not at all like the bay leaves in your pantry – can be difficult to find, I’ve opted to use the more readily available essential oil in this recipe. I think you’ll find the warm, exotic undertones remind you of white sands and salty breezes.
Free Printable Labels
If you want to give this as a gift, I’ve included some printable labels you can use for your bottles. Here are the labels I used, and here’s the template. Select 4×6 as your paper dimensions when you print.
Bay Rum Aftershave/Cologne Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 oz. vodka or witch hazel
- 8 oz. jamaican spiced rum
- 20-40 drops bay west indies essential oil*
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice (where to buy organic allspice)
- 1 stick of cinnamon (where to buy organic cinnamon sticks)
- 3 dried whole cloves (where to buy organic whole cloves)
- zest of one orange or two limes, preferably organic
- 1/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns (where to buy organic black peppercorns)
- 1 teaspoon glycerin (optional – where to buy non-GMO glycerin)
- ¼-½ teaspoon vanilla extract (optional – where to buy vanilla extract, how to make homemade vanilla extract)
* At this I am foregoing specific recommendations regarding essential oil companies. However, this particular oil is not carried by most companies and you may have difficulty finding it. If your favorite oil company does not carry it, you may try Mountain Rose Herbs.
Equipment
- Lemon zester (optional but recommended – here’s the one I use)
- Brown kraft labels (optional – I used these)
- Two 8 oz. decorative bottles (optional)
Instructions
Note: If you’re in a rush to make this and don’t have West Indies essential oil on hand, mix everything else together and let it steep while you order the oil. When the oil arrives just add it in. It won’t affect the final scent to add it later.
1. Wash and dry your orange/limes.
2. Using a vegetable peeler or lemon zester, remove the outer skin of the fruit. Make sure not to peel off the bitter white pith, just the outside will do.
3. Place peels in a jar and cover with the vodka/witch hazel and rum.
4. Add bay west indies essential oil, allspice, cinnamon, cloves and peppercorns. Add optional glycerin if desired.
5. Shake thoroughly and place in a dark cabinet for four weeks. Shake every few days for the first week, then occasionally after that.
6. At the end of four weeks, pour a splash of aftershave on your wrist and see how you like it. If you want it to be stronger, give it a couple more weeks to steep. If you’d like it sweeter, add ¼-½ teaspoon vanilla extract. When you’re satisfied with it, strain out the peel and spices and pour the aftershave into a clean jar.
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Sometimes I get so tired of having to be careful of. every. single. ingredient. It gets to be very frustrating. So I thank you for the research you tirelessly(okay, I am sure you are exhausted often) do for us. I know not everything is perfect and you don’t do it all, but it sure looks like it. You remind me of the Energizer Bunny…it must be all those good fats!
Haha, I’m definitely not the Energizer Bunny, but you may be on to something about the fats 🙂
I used this recipe about 2 years ago and my husband absolutely loves and enjoys how soothing this is on his skin. He’s concerned that we’re getting low on it. Preparing another batch now. It’s really quite simple. So thank you very much for the recipe and all your research regarding brands and ingredients. I appreciate your good work.
Hello
Because you’re using essential oil, won’t the product separate?
I’m so excited about this! I HATE my husband’s current aftershave!
Ha! 🙂
I’m excited to make this! I think I might be able to squeeze this in before Christmas if I get started today! LOL I’ve been wanting to make Bay Rum aftershave for my husband for awhile. Thank you for providing this recipe (and all the research!!).
I made it and it is a success! 🙂 My husband likes it a lot. Hopefully the other men in the family will like it as much.
Do you need to add a preservative to this? Does it need to be refrigerated? What’s the approx shelf life?
Because this recipe is alcohol based it does not need a preservative.
Do you know if the bay west indies essential oil that you reference here for this recipe could also just be called Bay, with a botanical name of Pimenta racemosa? I found some from our Frontier co-op with an origin of Dominican Republic/Jamaica. Thanks!
Mountain rose herbs’ site gives that botanical name for the type of oil in the recipe.
I’m really missing the burt’s bees bay rum so thanks for this wonderful recipe!!!
Do you think patchouli would be a good addition? Also I have bergamot. I’d like to try that in place of the citrus zest. Thoughts?
Does this need refrigeration?
No, it’s shelf stable. Should be good for several years or more.
Or for rum you can use Thomas Tew. It’s made here in the states in a small scale distillery and does not contain any corn syrup. Every part of the rum is made and packaged by hand. 🙂
Thanks for the tip, Lorien!
Oh, I am super excited to find this recipe! Totally making it for my husband’s christmas gift this year!
Yay! I hope he loves it 🙂
I was wondering if you use the vodka or the witch hazel when you make it. Is there anything I should consider when deciding between the 2 ingredients?
I usually use vodka because I keep it on hand for making vanilla extract. Witch hazel has skin soothing properties, but I think either is fine.
Any tips on the bottle… where to find them?
Thanks for all you do!
I found similar bottles at specialtybottle.com, listed under “Clear Corked Bottles”. Hope this helps. 🙂 I wonder if they have them at a craft store though?
Thank you for the website link. They have some interesting bottles. Nice.
Try Hobby Lobby
So sorry. I never saw this comment until now. My fault. Email Inbox was overflowing teribly so when I cleaned it out last night FINALLY, I started receiving emails again on this topic. Anyway, thanks for the info, Randy Smith. I will check out Hobby Lobby.
I am a husband. I could never wear cologne/after shave/whatever because it brought on incessant sneezing. This looks interesting and maybe my sinuses will be okay with it.
Hello, Heather.
I love your website and am enjoying your eBooks that I recently purchased.
I have a question about the witch hazel. I have Humphries Homeopathic Remedy Organic Witch Hazel that also contains “certified organic alcohol 14%”. (I am assuming/hoping that the organic alcohol is non-GMO. However, Humphries website is currently under construction, so I plan to call them later today.) If it is the case that this particular witch hazel contains non-GMO alcohol, can I use it in this recipe OR should I just use 100% witch hazel with no other ingredients?
Thanks.
Best,
Dawn Marie
Hi Dawn, I believe all witch hazel contains some alcohol to preserve it. If the alcohol is labeled as organic it is non-GMO 🙂
Hello, Heather.
Thanks very much. : )
Best,
Dawn Marie
You’re awesome… I have been wanting to replace my husband’s currently chemical laden, scary, store bought aftershave. And Bay Rum is exactly what I wanted him to try…
What size bottle of bay oil do you need? Is 1/2 oz big enough?
I think 1/2oz is plenty, I checked how many drops to an ounce of liquid, it’s about 600 drops/oz, so 1/2 oz would be a little less than 300 drops. 🙂
Hi Lindsey, The Bay Rum recipe from Heather is outstanding and has my wife Ellen’s approval. I am old time brush and mug shaver since Prep School 1958. That should give you a good idea. Heather’s recipe takes me back. Seems like the modern Bay Rum’s have to much of a “Foo Foo” smell for me.
Of course being a chef I gave it my own simpler way to create it using basically Heather’s recipe.
As far as a bottle? My wife came up with a Frank’s Red Hot, hot sauce bottle available almost anywhere. It has a nice shape, a flip top cap that controls the amount coming out. I used Heather’s label but you can look up copy and print more Bay Rum labels from the Internet.
This may help? Sincerely ChefArthur
PS>> The hot sauce is good too!
Cool,! Thanks, Chef Arthur.
This after shave doesn’t smell anything like liquor does it. Just asking before I make it because I don’t want my husband to smell like booze.
fyi… I live in St Augustine and our local distillery sells non gmo all organic rum. Made right here in the USA!
I love this! My husband and I are 1800s living history reenactors. I often set up an area depicting the Camp barber next to my camp kitchen and this would be a great item to display and explain the making of to the many school children and visitors who tour our Old Texas Forts. Explaining the history of the product and who it is made is part of the process. I will also be making a lot of this to give as birthday, thank you, Christmas, etc. gifts. BTW my husband just asked me if it is possible to make a Sandalwood scented aftershave and what kind of colognes might be available for the women. OK now that’s got me on a roll thinking of all the things I can make Display In my camp kitchen. Wooooo ! 🙂
Thank you for what you do, Kay! I live near Nashville and this year I took my kids on a tour of plantations that were hosting Civil War reenactors. It was one of the highlights of our year, and I learned a few practical things about homesteading.
Heather, I’m from Nashville originally and live in Shelbyville now. I use to buy this from a company and loved it. Have not been able to locate it for years now thanks for the receipt. If you ever need me to come do a talk to the kids about Victorian era I would be happy to. I’m a Victorian Chef, Author of a Catsup book with over 200 receipts for catsup and more than 60 flavors all from 1910 to the late 1700’s, Owner of 1876 Catsup, and velocipede rider ( big wheel bicycle from the late 1800’s ).
Be careful using sandalwood. I tried shaving with a sandalwood soap years ago (supposed to be all natural from India) I broke out in a horrible rash and itching on my face. I think it was the concentration in it but I’ll never try this again (aybe if it is specifically for shaving)
Hi Randy. Most likely it was not Sandalwood that gave you a rash. It was probably other ingredients used to make it into a soap.
Yeah probably so, many products from India do contain chemicals that aren’t mentioned on the label.
Just mixed this all up today. 4 weeks to go! I will let you know how it turns out.
Would you consider putting the Bay Rum Aftershave in a amall spray bottle? Or do you think the bay leaf essential oil would stain/ruin clothing? Many thanks!
Thanks so much for this recipe, I love the smell of it.
One question, I ended up putting more essential oil in it because it seemed to be kind of weak as in potency. It’s been 4 weeks and after I out it on, seems to dissociate about 45 min later with no smell left at all, any suggestions?
I found you need to be careful with the Bay Leaf oil. It can be a bit overpowering.
Ballast Point Three Sheets Rum out of San Diego, CA, makes an organic rum in a few distillations (spicy, dark, white).
Heather, Your recipe for Bay Rum after shave is absolutely outstanding. Some food for thought……….. How about creating a Lime After Shave, Heather’s style. Thank you, Chef Arthur
Thank you so much, I want to make a birthday present for my spouse and I have all these ingredients……except for the glycerine, no one seems to sell it near here would “glycerine suppositories” work if I broke it open and put it in?
And are there any particular (national chain) stores that sell nice bottles that you would recommend? I have access to ShopRite, Acme, Walgreens, RiteAid, CVS, Target and Walmart (I’m not going to Walmart unless I have to.). I’m sure there are others, I’m just not sure where to start looking. I suppose I could just use the rum bottle 😀
Please tell me, if I find the real deal bay leaf, how much would I put in the bottle to infuse? Thank you so much 🙂
Have had bay trees for years, this is a carribean bay rum tree. Just ordered one from Ft. Meyers Fla. and arrived today ..( tropical nursery . You can smell the difference. I used an old olive oil bottle with raffia bottom… Looks beautiful…( Publix)’ I can’t wait til it “Cooks .,.,
I made this last month. Smells great. I’d recommend it. It reminds me of my father; he used to use bay rum and olive oil as a hair-oil.
I use it as an aftershave, though; a great old-fashioned scent.
Can I substitute the Bay West Indies essential oil with a different essential oil? If so what would you recommend?
Wow! This looks amazing. I am a fan of homemade products and I am really ready to make this one. Thank you for sharing this great post.
Would I be able to add Aloe Vera gel or Juice to this recipe?
I wouldn’t recommend adding aloe gel or juice, because introducing water to the recipe would significantly reduce the shelf life.
Thank you for all of your great research and information! I would like to use your recipe to make an oil infusion for skin/beard with whole herbs and pure rum extract for the rum fragrance. Think that will work? Would you use the same amount of herbs to liquid (oil) or more herbs? Normally you put enough dried herb to almost fill the jar without packing and enough oil to cover.
Thanks again!
We have just about switched all of our “beauty” care products to natural or home made except my husbands pre-shave. He uses an electric razor and uses a pre-shave before he shaves. The smell is strong and very chemical and I would LOVE To get him to give this up. I am not sure the difference in the ingredients of a pre-shave vs. and after shave. Does anyone know if this could be used as a pre-shave? W/o the pre-shave he gets an awful rash when he shaves. He does not use after shave at all. Thanks for any help!
Hello, I am considering this recipe for myself but it seems like it will make a huge batch (most aftershaves come in 4oz bottles & those last me a while). Do you envision any problems with halving it?
Thank you.
It’s totally fine to cut the recipe in half 🙂
Bay rum is awesome! I used it on my kids before they went to school. Back in the early 80’s, I first found lice on my daughter (she wasn’t in school at the time). I checked my son, he had brought them home from school! I treated both of them with the lice treatment, but I would not send him back to school til I found Bay Rum. I found it at an old pharmacy, bought a spray bottle and filled it with Bay Rum, sprayed a couple of times on my son’s hair, and sent him off to school! That was when he was in kindergarten!! He’s 40 years old now. Neither of them EVER brought lice home again!!! Bay Rum is a lifesaver!!! It’s harder to find now. It only comes out around the holidays!!!
I live in south africa and we get something called bay rum sold in the toiletries and medicine aisle in our supermarkets. I’ve never known what it was… Could I use this as a base instead of the witch hazel and rum and Jamaican bay essense?
Possibly, but I’m not familiar with the product so I can’t say for sure.
Hi! How would this recipe turn out if I didn’t use Bay Rum essential oil? If I order it from Amazon it’ll take too long to arrive, so I was wondering if the cologne’d be also okay without it. What do you think about it?
Hi, thanks for the recipe – I want to use this recipe in a cold process soap(for personal use, not for sale) – would the aroma/fragrance survive the saponification process or cause the soap to accelerate trace?
Thanks
I always add scent using essential oils (not alcohol bases) after saponification. I don’t think the scent will stick if added before, and I’m unsure of how adding an alcohol base would affect trace.
Hi Heather,
I want to thank you for this recipe, I haven’t tried it yet, but I was wondering if this could be made with all essential oils? And if so, would I need the vodka since I wouldn’t be extracting any spices? Could I just use straight spiced rum (16 oz of it) instead of 8oz vodka and 8oz rum? I have to use bay rum oil (can’t find the leaves) and I already have all the other ingredients in essential oil form. i’d also like to use this to make him a soap and shampoo bar or body wash for a Bay Rum Gift set, so making an essential oil blend would be more useful to me for those applications.
I am making it for someone very special who loves the Victorian-era. He said he was trying to find Dominica Bay Rum, but apparently it’s discontinued and I’d love to surprise him with this.
Also, can I just add the essential oils to the alcohol and use immediately, or do you think it would need to sit as well? Sorry for the long post, I just really want to impress my manly cowboy 🙂
Thanks, I appreciate your blog!
Hi Ebony, essential oils will definitely work in place of the dried herbs, but unfortunately I can’t offer guidance on exactly which ones and how much to use because I haven’t tested a recipe along those lines. Sorry I can’t be more helpful. You can use straight rum instead of a mixture.
Had some misfortunes a few years back that took me away from trying this, but I’m back. Is the allspice whole or ground?
Hello, I’m currently tincturing this and it smells amazing.
I’ve been literally looking for a week for the right bottle because I’m having a Grafic Artist make me some beautiful labels but I Need to make sure that the bottle is big enough to house the label and the one that you’re using here is perfect but I cannot find it. Would you be willing to send me a link to where I can buy the bottles???
Thank you!!!
Can I use essential orange oil instead of the orange? If so, how many drops?
I’m currently at the end of week two of the steeping. Two more to go and can hardly wait.
Curious. How long does this recipe keep?