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More bloody aftershave!

Arnold J Rimmer

Arnold J Rimmer

Member
2017 Sabbatical Fail
Artisan Producer
This post is more of a place holder.

After using and loving the Bay Rum aftershave of St John's, I thought I would start to dive into the rabbit hole, and produce some of my own. This will take time, as I'm in no hurry at all.

Sitting behind me is a litre of Captain Morgan Spiced Rum - still in the brown bag, because if I see the bottle, I may be tempted to sample the bottom part of the bottle (and to get to that, I need to get through the top).

Next to it is a bottle of Bay Oil.

I will need to get hold of a few things, like vodka, an ample amount of witch hazel, plus assorted spices.

As for citrus oils, I am thinking of zesting specific citruses as needed, and letting the vodka do it's thing.

Then the bottles. As a potential artisan, I want as unique a bottle as I can source. I have some in mind, and with the boss lady heading back to China shortly, I may be able to get them cheaply, and have them added to the container that is due to leave port later this month.


Thinking of calling it Seadog Bay Rum Aftershave (couldn't find any other reference to the name in a short Google search).
 
Thanks @todras , a wealth of information there.

I hadn't considered the glycerine, but it is in multiple ingredients lists around the web, and it will be a nice complement to the witch hazel.

Perhaps I will switch out the Ruskov for denatured alcohol... but what ever will I do with the vodka?

The first couple of runs will have to be experimental. I want to get the fragrance levels right. Not EDT levels, as I don't want to drown out the Wets Indies Bay or the rum scents. More of an undertone of lime/lemon/orange/mandarin (only one at this stage).

And these are the four scents I am hoping to do initially:

Bay Rum with Lime
Bay Rum with Lemon
Bay Rum with Orange
Bay Rum with Mandarin

This is all preliminary, of course. I don't know what works yet, and how they will be received by my harshest critic, when she smells them.
 
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Arnold J Rimmer said:
Thanks @todras , a wealth of information there.

I hadn't considered the glycerine, but it is in multiple ingredients lists around the web, and it will be a nice complement to the witch hazel.

Perhaps I will switch out the Ruskov for denatured alcohol... but what ever will I do with the vodka?

The first couple of runs will have to be experimental. I want to get the fragrance levels right. Not EDT levels, as I don't want to drown out the Wets Indies Bay or the rum scents. More of an undertone of lime/lemon/orange/mandarin (only one at this stage).

And these are the four scents I am hoping to do initially:

Bay Rum with Lime
Bay Rum with Lemon
Bay Rum with Orange
Bay Rum with Mandarin

This is all preliminary, of course. I don't know what works yet, and how they will be received by my harshest critic, when she smells them.
Click to expand...
Good on you! Looking forward to hearing of progress.(y)
 
I find the florals of gin to be pleasant in the nose, a while ago I tried my hand using Gin, rum, witch hazel, bay, all spice, orange, glycerin and some clove.
Works well enough, you need to give it a lengthy time to mature given the low alcohol content.
Make friends with someone with a still also.
 
Arnold J Rimmer said:
I hadn't considered the glycerine, but it is in multiple ingredients lists around the web, and it will be a nice complement to the witch hazel.
Click to expand...

Aside from the skin care benefits, It is a fixitive if you are intent on using citrus...
 
Arnold J Rimmer said:
True. I had read that. Definitely intent on the citrus angle.

@Ferret619 , you think I should look to Juniper berries? :)
Click to expand...
Beautiful! Juniper is lovely.
I love bay rum and would love to see more variety.
i think many scents would work well in that base.
Experiment with what you have locally too, a buddy made me some feijoa jam the other day and the smell from that is amazing.
 
Arnold J Rimmer said:
Thanks @todras , a wealth of information there.

I hadn't considered the glycerine, but it is in multiple ingredients lists around the web, and it will be a nice complement to the witch hazel.

Perhaps I will switch out the Ruskov for denatured alcohol... but what ever will I do with the vodka?

The first couple of runs will have to be experimental. I want to get the fragrance levels right. Not EDT levels, as I don't want to drown out the Wets Indies Bay or the rum scents. More of an undertone of lime/lemon/orange/mandarin (only one at this stage).

And these are the four scents I am hoping to do initially:

Bay Rum with Lime
Bay Rum with Lemon
Bay Rum with Orange
Bay Rum with Mandarin

This is all preliminary, of course. I don't know what works yet, and how they will be received by my harshest critic, when she smells them.
Click to expand...


i enjoy bay rum....like REALLY enjoy it.

so if you need a scent monkey i'm your guy. happy to write up indepth reviews and feed backs
 
Well, you're close by... I may take you up on it.

Finding bottles with narrow openings is proving to be a task. Trying to find a unique bottle with about a 5mm opening.
 
After just under 3 weeks, I elected to release the rum from my first batch. I think I will call it: The Captain's Barnacle.

I added - as an afterthought - 2 juniper berries for the first 3 days. I think 2 was probably one too many, as the juniper scent is strong in this one, though certainly not unpleasant. The juniper gives it a very sweet scent, and doesn't seem to be long-lived on the skin.

One thing I will say, that others have also said. The lime scent is non-existent. I zested 2 limes, and from the start, I got nothing. The lime zest had a really strong aroma, but I think it drowned in the alcohol. I don't want to use essential oils for these scents where possible, and limes aren't cheap. I need an Italian neighbour...

Also, I think the Allspice was probably unnecessary, as Captain Morgan is already spiced. I filtered it out after the first week.

A sample is being despatched to a certain drunken sailor in parts yonder, for his scurvy opinion.

Ingredients (No specific order): Captain Morgan Rum, Denatured Alcohol, Witch Hazel, Vegetable Glycerine, All Spice, Cloves, Black Pepper corns, Cinnamon, West Indies Bay essential oil, Vanilla Extract, zest of lime.

Batch 2 is about to get underway. Bay Rum with Lemon, I think.
 
Sounds like you are in your way, orange, mandarin or grapefruit are fun citrus choices too.
Looking forward to buying a bottle when you finalise your ingredients list
 
Yes, I have all of these in mind, too. I just need to give it a gentle citrus nudge.

Also trying to work out how to get coffee into a batch without ruining the primary scent. Might be abridge too far on that one.
 
Yeah I know what you mean. Fresh lime is unique.

I might try and see if I can get some peel off a lime. If I can without grabbing the pith, then it should give it a nice bite. Hopefully.

I have a couple here that I will try.

Batch 2 has started. Spices, bay oil, glycerine and denatured alcohol are underway. Rum and witch hazel in 24-48 hours. I'll add the lime with the rum.

Hmmm, what about coconut oil? That'll give a nice Caribbean scent. Rum, with de Lime and de Coconut. Mind you, it will thicken the mixture. Maybe an extract or something.
 
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