# Bay Rum Aftershave from EO



## BayBoy (Apr 14, 2017)

Hey there!

I've been working on a Bay Rum aftershave formula for my Dad which, if it's successful, maybe I'll try to sell locally. 

The problem I keep running into is that the strong “turpentine” odor that accompanies many EOs overpowers the bay (pimenta racemosa), clove, and citrus scents. (I sourced the best quality EO I could find from Enflourage.)

I just thought I might find some wisdom on this board :???:

I'm kind of curious if the mixture of oils mellows out over the first couple of weeks maybe? I've tried about a dozen combinations and I can't get it to where it doesn't smell like turpentine. It's not really a pleasant smell.

Cheers!


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## IrishLass (Apr 14, 2017)

Welcome BayBoy! :wave:

I make a Bay Rum scented aftershave for my hubby using bay racemosa EO. I wrote all about my Bay Rum trials here: http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=56308

For what it's worth, I don't use any clove or citrus in mine. One of the blends I made had those things in it, and personally found them to change the distinctively wonderful character of the bay scent way too much for my liking. In a word, overkill. I do like allspice with it, though. It's like those two (bay & allspice) were made for each other.

For another take on Bay Rum, one of our members- Zany in Co- recently posted a Bay Rum recipe. You can find it here: http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=63092 


IrishLass


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## BrewerGeorge (Apr 14, 2017)

You might try looking over at Badger & Blade forum.


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## BayBoy (Apr 14, 2017)

Thanks for the tip


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Apr 28, 2017)

I would avoid anything that suggests bay leaves as there is a difference between Laurus nobilis and Pimenta racemosa - most "bay leaves" that you find to buy will be the former, not the latter.  As IL pointed out, the Pimenta racemosa has a scent all of it's own which Laurus nobilis can't match.  

I don't use cinnamon or clove EOs in mine, rather I steep cinnamon sticks and whole cloves in the mixture for a month or so.


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## BayBoy (May 12, 2017)

Hello again! 

So the product that is most similar to what I'm trying to create is Ogallala Bay Rum.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003ZGI3RI/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

The only ingredients are witch hazel, water and "Bay Rum Fragrance Oil" which I assume is their particular blend of EOs.

Note: If you pour their product into a jar and let it sit, you will see a clear fluid - clear as water - with small beads of light amber oil at the bottom of the jar. If you shake the jar, the liquid turns pale and cloudy.

I've experimented with about 12 different EO cocktails of my own. Eventually I blended sandalwood, cinnamon, and lime together. After the initial sniff test, I felt like I was getting close. But there was still that "turpentine" smell. So I decided it needed an element of non-citrus sweetness. So I added vanilla and the aroma is now about 90% where I want it.

My problem though is that if I use vanilla absolute, it transforms into an unattractive brown fluid. I tried adding a different product with vanilla suspended in jojoba. The result is much better, but the fluid isn't as clear as the commercial product. And I don't want to add jojoba in the first place because it will be too soothing (I want it to sting a bit when applied).

Anyone here care to share their wisdom? I feel like I am very close to the result I'm looking for but that I'm missing something. Maybe something obvious?


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## Millie (May 12, 2017)

They are just combining two FOs. FOs are mostly made from synthetic aroma chemicals. If you want an identical product, that is the way to go. They are a small company (probably not getting custom FOs) so if you ask an FO HO you could probably find the same exact scents.

I think it is cool you are trying to make a scent from scratch. Perfumer's Apprentice is a good resource for aroma chemicals - you could try to get your vanilla note with vanillin. A much cheaper source for EOs is New Directions Aromatics, or search the forum for other suggestions but drop Enfleurage. Waaay too pricey. You could also try to get your vanilla scent the old fashioned way - soak vanilla beans in alcohol for a few months. Of course, these options won't get you the look you've been trying to replicate. But why copy when you can make something better?

Good luck with your project, and let us know how it turns out!


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## BayBoy (May 12, 2017)

Interesting. I purchased a synthetic bay rum fragrance oil - I assume that is what you meant by FO? - but it smelled like poison.

Are you sure they're using synthetics and not EO?


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## Millie (May 12, 2017)

Yup. Anytime a company uses essential oils they advertise it. Big time label appeal. They also say "Bay rum fragrance oil and sandalwood fragrance oil" in the FAQs 
Edit: just saw a label from a random product that says something like "fragrance (proprietary blend including essential oils)" which means... FOs and EOs
Edit 2. Found the label. It's just FOs for the aftershave. Knew it! Insert dancing santas. They make my computer crash.


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## Millie (May 12, 2017)

Did you try diluting the FO and applying that to see if the scent got better? Lots of scents change as they breathe. Even the website for your product says not to judge the scent straight out of the bottle. Hope that helps. Did you try IrishL's version?


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## BayBoy (May 14, 2017)

Hi Millie!

Thank you so much for such thoughtful and informative responses.

Yes I think I can do this with EO and I'll stay away from FO. Just seems like a more fun challenge. 

The vanilla part is the mystery, but I can try your advice to use vanillin or maybe find non-browning vanilla.


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## BayBoy (May 14, 2017)

Hey IrishL,

Interesting formula you are using! One question...

I found that the Pimenta Racemosa EO is very overpowering imo. Even just a few two or three drops. How did the mix with 11 drops(!) come out.

Also, in your experience, how many drops per ounce are you averaging?


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## IrishLass (May 15, 2017)

BayBoy said:


> Hey IrishL,
> 
> Interesting formula you are using! One question...
> 
> ...


 

Hi BayBoy!

To be honest- I really didn't care for the blend I made with 11 drops Bay racemosa, which also included 1 drop orange EO 10X and 1 drop allspice EO. My hubby didn't care for it either. I think it's the citrus addition that we don't like. Our noses much prefer bay mixed with FOs that have notes of amber, musk and/or vanilla instead of citrus.

On average, I use about 8 drops of my EO blend in 1 oz. of my aftershave ingredients. 

As an aside, I found an old Bay Rum recipe from a book published in 1889. The recipe includes sandalwood and vanilla. *Here is a link to it* You'll need to scroll down just a tad to see it. I don't particularly care for the sound of some of the listed ingredients in it such as acetic acid and acetic ether, but I'm thinking of blending/steeping just the EOs themselves plus the vanilla using the ratios listed, but reduced down in order to make only enough fill a half ounce bottle to see what kind of scent it produces. When done steeping, I'll mix 8 drops of it in 1 oz. of my aftershave formula to have my hubby try it out.


IrishLass


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## BayBoy (May 19, 2017)

Hey IrishLass,

I love that old recipe!

I finally got my hands on some allspice oil and I think this might be a key to getting the scent combo that I want. I'll probably use Allspice, clove and a small amount of P. Racemosa. Plus the vanilla to round it out. 

I could use vanilla absolute, but it's very tricky to work with. I don't suppose store bought vanilla extract is a proper option, do you?


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## Millie (May 20, 2017)

BayBoy said:


> I could use vanilla absolute, but it's very tricky to work with. I don't suppose store bought vanilla extract is a proper option, do you?


 Oops, hit the like button when I meant to hit quote. But hey, I like it too 

 I think vanilla extract would work in this, but it will get very pricey! I make my own vanilla extract soaking vanilla beans (reasonably priced if you buy them in bulk) in vodka. It takes a few months, but well worth it! I haven't read up on it too much, but I think the original bay rum aftershaves were made in a similar fashion using whole spices, as IL and TEG have mentioned.


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