Dominica Bay Rum

**bokaba** · 06-24-2009, 07:40 PM

I am interested in trying this bay rum and am wonder what experiences any of you avid bay rum bums have had with it. I have currently used Pinaud, Royall, and Master. I hear the dispenser is annoying. But any help would be well helpful.

**GoldenMonkey** · 06-24-2009, 10:21 PM

I have both Dominica (regular and lime), Black Magic, and Pinaud, with some Royall on the way, but of all the bay rums I've smelled/tried, I LOVE the Dominica scent the best. It is TRUE bay rum...the right plant oils, alcohol, and that's it. It's an amazing smell, and one that gets all too often masked or augmented in the others out there. For instance, I also really like the Pinaud, but there's a lot of spice in that - clove, cinnamon, etc. that DO go well with the bay scent, and don't cover it up, but render a scent that's more "bay rum based" than anything. The Black Magic has practically no bay scent at all...it's a barbershop powder and spice scent. The Dominica, although the most authentic bay scent, is also unfortunately the least enduring in terms of longevity. Five minutes after dry down, you're left with a barely discernable scent lingering on your skin. You're unlikely to notice it at all on yourself, although others that get close might...maybe. The lime is even worse in this department...fantastic until dry, then gone. A tip though...ad a little glycerin to the bottle and shake well. The alcohol will disolve and disperse it evenly, and what you'll get is a less drying alcohol splash that offers a bit of protection and also helps the scent hang around longer. One final caution: this stuff is brutally high (55%) in alcohol...put the lid on immediately, and once you get it in your hand, don't faff about...get it were you want it, because as soon as you spread it, it dries (but the glycerin tip helps somewhat in this department). Also, due to the high alcohol, I don't recommend using it as an aftershave, no matter how ood and irritation free your shave is...it will feel like you've got road rash on your face, and will burn like the fires of hell...seriously...just don't.

**Skidoo161** · 06-24-2009, 10:48 PM

Wait, I always thought that the sole purpose of this bay rum is to be an aftershave. If not is it just a great smelling splash then?

**bokaba** · 06-25-2009, 08:13 AM

I'll just throw in some glycerin and menthol and then I'll have a fine aftershave lotion!

**Crazy Dave** · 06-25-2009, 08:27 AM

I agree with GoldenMonkey's praise and criticism of the Dominican Bay Rum. It is a very pure scent but it does not last very long. I still like it a lot! Where can I buy glycerin and menthol?

Dave

**fatpanda** · 06-25-2009, 08:35 AM

Just curious about the Dominica Bay Rum... Since this has plant derived alcohols, will this burn your face if you have a little of the newbie razor burn or sensitive skin?

**johnniegold** · 06-25-2009, 08:37 AM

I have been using Dominica Bay Rum with Lime for the last several days as both an aftershave and a splash.

IMO, it does not produce anywhere near the "heat" that the Pinaud Bay Rum does when applied as an aftershave. I find it quite soothing actually.

Great scent but lacking in longevity, which isn't such a bad thing in the warmer weather.

**GoldenMonkey** · 06-25-2009, 08:41 AM

Originally Posted by Skidoo161

Wait, I always thought that the sole purpose of this bay rum is to be an aftershave. If not is it just a great smelling splash then?

It's more or less a toner, and the alcohol helps kill off germs and stuff, so...six of one, half dozen of another, but the alcohol content is so high it'll fry your brain if you put this on a freshly shaved face. It works great as a finishing touch, after you do your usual post shave stuff. I'm trying to remember all the uses listed on the bottle, but they say it's great as a refreshing splash, post-sun relief, as a bath addition, light cologne, etc.

Originally Posted by Crazy Dave

I agree with GoldenMonkey's praise and criticism of the Dominican Bay Rum. It is a very pure scent but it does not last very long. I still like it a lot! Where can I buy glycerin and menthol?

Dave

Dave, I found pure glycerin (Humco branded) at Elephant Pharmacy in Berkeley before they went belly up, but I've seen it at other regular old pharms and drug stores...it's pretty common, and is usually where either the "medicine cabinet" stuff is located (alcohol, first aid), or over with the skin care stuff (witch hazel, lotions, etc.). Menthol can be found sometimes in natural/organic grocery stores that have health and beauty items, or online, like here: LINKY. Those guys also have glycerin, aloe, all kinds of good stuff to experiment with.

**strat1117** · 06-25-2009, 09:17 AM

I use both the regular Bay Rum and the Lime version on a regular basis and find them to be excellent in all respects. There is no "dispenser, per se, it's just an open bottle top, but you can easily control the flow with your finger tip (in accordance with the instructions printed on the little hang tag). They are cheap enough at around $12 a bottle that I can think of no reason not to give them a try.

Enjoy!

**Oldguy** · 06-25-2009, 06:50 PM

Sorry guys. I have to go against the flow here. I find Dominica Bay Rum the absolute worst smelling stuff I've ever tried. It was from a new bottle my son bought and we had the same impression. I couldn't wait to wash it off. On the other hand I love the smell of Pinaud Bay Rum and use it often. Could I have tried a bad batch of Dominica?

Len

**GoldenMonkey** · 06-25-2009, 06:55 PM

I think it's definitely a "love it or leave it" scent...while maybe not everyone's cup of tea, it's the purest bay oil scent...some like that, some don't. I think that's why more often than not you find it spiced up with clove, cinnamon, cardamom, lime, peppercorns, etc. I admit that at first I was not too into the scent myself, but I like what it does on the skin, once it dries down...it takes on its own cedary/faintly spicy scent...and then goes away pretty quickly. While it lasts though, it's very nice and very distinctive. At the very least, it gives a good baseline for what bay rum actually smells like, and makes it much easier to detect in other bay rums. Some of the stuff out there being passed off as "bay rum" is disgraceful...it just smells like someone spilled a mojito with a cinnamon stick in it all over themselves and rolled around in baby powder, lol...

**Sluggo** · 06-25-2009, 07:10 PM

I love Dominca Bay Rum, in fact, my dad used to have a bottle under his sink and when I was 5 I asked him why he need rum in the bathroom.

Anyways, I think it has a nice sting...in fact, I will revisit it tomorrow!!

**joshmpdx** · 06-25-2009, 07:23 PM

Great thread and Great info!

**tnewswander** · 06-25-2009, 08:03 PM

Master's Bay Rum also uses only the EO for scent but also already includes glycerin and less alcohol. So it burns much less, moisturizes, and the completely all natural scent (which has enough cinnamon & clove in it already) lasts a few hours for me. Available at Sally Beauty Supply for $8 or 12 ounces. If you wanted Lime with it you could add a little lime EO ($3 from vitacost.com).

**persco** · 06-26-2009, 03:41 AM

I think the sting of the Dominica comes from the clove oil in it. I found Ogallala Bay Rum (also fantastic) has even more clove oil in it, and if you don't shake the Ogallala you'll get a nuclear reaction that's intense but fades quickly. I kind of like it, actually.

Dominica is one of my favourite after shaves. In our home, it also has the merit of being the only scented alcohol splash that swmbo actually likes. I'm going to order more, as well as the lime version.

**DogHair** · 06-26-2009, 07:44 AM

I prefer the milder clove scent in Dominica. I like Ogalalla too. The intense cloves scent that some bay rums have doesn't work for me.

**Evbo** · 06-26-2009, 07:52 AM

Originally Posted by persco

Dominica is one of my favourite after shaves. In our home, it also has the merit of being the only scented alcohol splash that swmbo actually likes.

+1. Bay Rum & Rose are about the only scents in an AS or cologne that my wife somewhat likes. I also don't find the post-shave burn to be too bad, even if the shave was somewhat rough. At least, it fades pretty quickly.

If you'd like to continue the Bay Rum scent, I suggest you check out Meehan's Bay Rhum cologne. The stuff is absolutely wonderful, long-lasting, made with real EO & reasonably priced.

**Windwalker** · 06-26-2009, 08:18 AM

I can get the Humco brand glycerin at the local WalMart in the first aid section, so you should be able to find it rather easily. Some guys add a few drops to their lather to add a little extra slickness, especially with some of the less expensive soaps.

**MPruett** · 06-26-2009, 01:49 PM

Originally Posted by persco

I think the sting of the Dominica comes from the clove oil in it. I found Ogallala Bay Rum (also fantastic) has even more clove oil in it, and if you don't shake the Ogallala you'll get a nuclear reaction that's intense but fades quickly. I kind of like it, actually.

Dominica is one of my favourite after shaves. In our home, it also has the merit of being the only scented alcohol splash that swmbo actually likes. I'm going to order more, as well as the lime version.

Wouldn't clove oil work to reduce the sting, being an anesthetic and all?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_of_cloves

And anyway according to the ingredients, Dominica Bay Rum doesn't have clove oil in it- just West Indian Bay Tree (pimenta racemosa) oil, alcohol and water.

One thing I've wondered about would be diluting it with Witch Hazel, since it's nice on the skin, but stinks, and the Bay Rum might burn less, and still smell nice. Has anyone tried that?

**persco** · 06-26-2009, 01:53 PM

Originally Posted by MPruett

Wouldn't clove oil work to reduce the sting, being an anesthetic and all?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_of_cloves

And anyway according to the ingredients, Dominica Bay Rum doesn't have clove oil in it- just West Indian Bay Tree (pimenta racemosa) oil, alcohol and water.

One thing I've wondered about would be diluting it with Witch Hazel, since it's nice on the skin, but stinks, and the Bay Rum might burn less, and still smell nice. Has anyone tried that?

Actually, you're right. I forgot, I used the Dominica bottle (after it was finished) to put Ogallala in it... Ha ha ha. I forgot to shake the bottle once and the clove was super strong. It actually feels a lot like a burning sensation that then turns into a nice numbing effect. When you shake the Ogallala before putting it on, it doesn't have the same intensity.