Home brewed aftershave

I just made a bottle of my own bay/rum aftershave. It's cheap, the smell is perfect for the summer, and you can store in an old antique bottle if you care about looks.


Here's the recipe I use:
- 1/2 cup of witch hazel (can be bought at any drug store).
- 2 Tbl spoons of Jamaican rum. (A friend of mine recently brought me a bottle of rum from Haiti.)
- 1/4 teaspoon of allspice
- 2 whole bay leaves
- cinnamon stick.
- the oils from the peel of an entire orange. (or, a few drops of orange oil)
(I add black pepper, because I like it, but others may want to exclude it if they have sensitive skin).

I put everything into a glass jar and keep it in a cool, dark place for two weeks. That's it.

Warning: keep in mind that this is a home made aftershave. The alcohol will sting your skin, and the witch hazel will tighten it up. Regardless, I love the smell, the sting of real rum. Don B.

Sounds tasty!

marty

I had maybe 6 ounces of rum left in my bottle (light rum), so I thought I'd drop a bay leaf in just to make my rum taste better, and after a week, I sniff and taste no effect at all on it. I thought that'd be enough time (was for cinnamon stick and whole cloves in my ginger brandy), and I thought bay leaves were somewhat powerful.

Anyway, yes, yours sounds good, and I hope your bay leaves have more effect on yours than my lone leaf did on mine

Where these just the bay leaves found at the supermarket?

I let everything sit in a cool dark place for at least 3 weeks. And I get my bay leaves from the supermarket. Leaving them in for long enough brings out their smell.

I made some of my own as well last week.

Witch Hazel
Aloe
Glycerine
Peppermint EO
Lavender EO



:yum:

how much glycerine did you use? and for what purpose (i have not seen that in any other recipe)?

I also finished making my homemade after shave.

I let the following mixture steep for a month before straining it:
*the cheapest DARK rum money can buy (I paid $8.87 after sales tax for 750 mL of rum that's as dark and opaque as coffee)
*Bay leaves
*Raw ginger

It turned out pretty well; the spices definitely help to hide the smell of the cheap booze. I really like the ginger, as it gives the AS a nice spicy zing.

I still have some of the rum left. I don't drink, but I've managed to trick two guys in my hall into trying the rum. Both promptly spit it out. I may add the extra rum back to the finished aftershave.

Questions:
*I prefer more of a balm, something a bit thicker than this splash. Any idea how I can thicken up the AS? Would corn starch work with the room temp AS?
*One of the previous posters on this thread mentioned witch hazel, which I'm also considering adding. Any thoughts on adding mint water and/or apple cider vinegar to the AS?
*Where can I get some small bottles for my AS? Any suggestions for bottles that I might have in my dorm room that I could use? Right now I have 16 oz of AS sitting in a used 20 oz Dasani bottle, and I'd prefer bottles 1/5-1/3 that size.

Don't you need leaves or essential oil from the West Indian Bay Tree (Pimenta racemosa) to be true Bay Rum? Bay leaves you buy at the store are not the same thing.

Edcculus said:

Don't you need leaves or essential oil from the West Indian Bay Tree (Pimenta racemosa) to be true Bay Rum? Bay leaves you buy at the store are not the same thing.

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I was gonna say... seems like the supermarket brand would make it Italian Bay Rum

From what I've seen now on the boards, y'all are correct. It still made for some decent stuff though, so no complaints here even if it isn't the real stuff.

MooingLizard said:

*the cheapest DARK rum money can buy (I paid $8.87 after sales tax for 750 mL of rum that's as dark and opaque as coffee)

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I've always heard you shouldn't use dark rum as it contains residue of the molasses they use to color and flavor the rum, which causes it to be sticky when applied to the face. Considering your rum is pitch black, I wondered if you had experienced any of this sticky business in yours?

davecmu said:

I've always heard you shouldn't use dark rum as it contains residue of the molasses they use to color and flavor the rum, which causes it to be sticky when applied to the face. Considering your rum is pitch black, I wondered if you had experienced any of this sticky business in yours?

Click to expand...

Yeah, I read that in the thread and thought, "Oops!". Then again, the rum I used is so cheap that it probably contains more caramel coloring and flavoring than molasses.

I have little experience with AS, but the stuff I made isn't what I would call sticky. I think it may be ever so slightly sticky for a little bit, but even that isn't nearly as bad as when I apply too much Nivea ASB for my skin to absorb.

Not sure how well that answers your question, but the short version is that stickiness is not a factor that is noticeable enough for me to be bothered by it. I still use my Nivea when I have rough shaves, as it's much more soothing and healing, instead of the jolt from my homemade AS.

Well, that answers it just fine, i think. I wondered if it would be tacky and awful (like too much Lime Skin Food) or if it was a myth, and you have answered clearly that it isn't off-putting. Thanks for letting me know!

Dave

Whenever I'm out at thrift or antique shops, I pick up old bottles. It's inside of these that I store my home mad AS.

I add witch hazel because it is an astringent (it tightens the skins). This is good for when you've butchered your face with a bad blade. It doesn't make the viscocity o the AS any higher.

Also, when making home made shaving cream — I use stearic acid, which can be bought at the Hobby Lobby for like $5.

As mentioned in the past Bay Rum Aftershaves are traditionally made with the Dominica's rich scented Noble Bay Laurel tree leaf and not the cooking kind, very hard to find and your bay leaf essential oils may not be the right animal either.
That said if you love the smell of cooking bay leaves or your girl does go for it.
Me I'll save it for my pastas.
The dark rums and dark spices may stain your white shirts, I recommend clear rums, or vodkas, and switch to clear spices like ginger, and zests of fresh fruits work well.
Warning: Science News carried an article about the feminizing effects of lavender and tea tree oil in young boys, and appear to be responsible for a rise in breast development in pre-pubescent boys. Your call, though it seems this generation has emasculated themselves enough.
I like adding witch hazel, glycerin, and rosewater.
I also like the follow up reaction when a young barfly finds out the aftershave she just complemented me on was home made, moments later she'll bring others to bury themselves in your smooth shaved neck, like bees to the honey. Win/Win

I made a batch of home made and I really like the scent.
Two problems: 1) The scent does not last very long. 2) the dark concoction stained the neck line of a shirt.

Has anyone else experienced either of these problems?

Have a blessed 4th of July!