Bay Rum Aftershave

Witch Hazel - let's talk about it.  Have you ever bought any?  Do you know what it's for?  Did you think it's just some kind of weird old lady remedy for long-forgotten diseases, like scurvy, consumption, and the grippe?  If you answered 'yes' to these, read on.

No so long ago, I got my first straight razor shave.  Afterwards, the barber had all kinds of bottles of homemade tinctures, and he splashed some on my face and sent me on my way.  Well, I was bound and determined to find out what that was all about, and I think I narrowed it down to a couple of things - holy water, hyena mucous, or some kind of witch hazel mixture.  Figured maybe I'd start with the witch hazel one.

Witch-hazel is a deciduous shrub or small tree, and the leaves and bark are then made into witch hazel.  This was used by Native Americans for many years, having astringent properties used for everything from treating bug bites to curing hemorrhoids.  Frequent on the list of uses is in aftershave products.

Excited to use a product I've never tried, that also claims to prevent "sweating of the face", I ran out and bought a bottle, and tried using it straight.  Well, bad news - this stuff smells fairly odd in raw form, somewhere between rubbing alcohol and raw sweet potatoes.  So I went back and discovered that people using it as the base of aftershave, not exclusively.  I found a few recipes, merged them and added a few things, and this is the first attempt I made at an aftershave with a witch hazel base.  The result?  A spiced yet mellow concoction that I think smells suspiciously like Old Spice, but much more toned down.  It was a bay rum scent, literally made from bay and rum (and some other stuff).

Mystery vials - they look pretty cool next to my bathroom sink

This is witch-hazel, the plant from which the product of the same name is made.

Bay Rum Aftershave

• 2 cups of witch hazel extract
• 1 ounce of rum
• zest from one orange
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3-5 cloves
• 3-5 whole allspice
• 2 bay leaves, dry or fresh (or bay essential oil, if you have it)
• Mason jar

Place all ingredients in the glass jar, seal, and place in a dark spot for two weeks.

How the heck are these things going to work together?

...oh, I see.  Put them in a jar and make them play nice.

After the two weeks, filter through cheesecloth once or twice, and transfer to a small bottle.  Apply after shaving or use as an astringent.

After two weeks and some gentle shaking occasionally, the scents mellow significantly

Filter through cheesecloth

Transfer to a small bottle and use as you would aftershave

If you would like to go all out, add a half teaspoon each of aloe vera and glycerin, to really make your skin feel amazing afterwards.  I didn't have either of these, but I will invest for the next batch.  New recipes to follow!