Homemade Bay Rum Aftershave

In a previous post I mentioned that I had purchased some Bay Essential Oil from our Local drugstore. Today I put it to good use. Homemade Bay Rum Aftershave. It smells divine. And I cannot wait to go shopping tomorrow to find some cute little bottles to put it in. I found a recipe online for this aftershave and immediately thought of my husband. He loves that Old Barber Shop look and smell. (We both love the 40's and 50's vintage look. I'll have to write about that another day).

 

All my ingredients, except the cinnamon. I added it last minute.

I felt really strange walking into the liquor store, almost 7 months pregnant with a 13 month old propped up on my hip. I walked in the door and said, "I'm looking for some cheap Vodka and Rum. Can you tell me where they are?" The man behind the counter looked at me kinda puzzled. I said, "I'm making aftershave for Christmas presents and it doesn't need to be expensive stuff, because no body's gonna drink it.". He looked relieved and showed me where they were.

 

Be sure to use the real stuff and not the stuff you cook with.

 

Looks a little bit like muddy apple juice.

 

*Do not drink this stuff! It's not a cocktail!



I didn't follow the recipe exactly, although I did use it as a guideline. I'll post my recipe and then post a link to the other.

My recipe is as follows:
1/2 of a 375ml bottle of Dark or Spiced Rum
1/2 Liter of Vodka
1/2 Tbsp. Whole cloves
1/4 bottle of a 1/3 oz bottle of Bay Essential Oil (Pimenta Racemosa West Indies)
Zest from 1 orange
A few dashes of Cinnamon

Pour all of these into a mason jar and give a nice shake. I plan on leaving these in a dark/cool place until I need to fill my bottles, Which should be at least 2 weeks. And then strain out all of the solid material several times through a cheesecloth or coffee filters until no residue.

Here is a link to the other recipes: DIY Bay Rum Aftershave

So enjoy! This fragrance isn't for everyone. Although all the men in the family are getting this for Christmas. HaHa! Like it or not. It's not cheap to make. The Liquor was $18, oranges $0.58 each, Bay Oil $7, not counting the spices and what I'll have to spend on bottles. But a little of this stuff goes a long way.

 

 

Merry Christmas!!!