Thread: How to Add Bay Rum--only--to soap?

I like to melt my Van Der Hagen Deluxe soap and add a fragrance. I've been adding Bay Rum aftershave, but that's usually over half alcohol and it has occurred to me that I would do better to find the ingredient that is just the bay rum fragrance, without the other things that make for a good aftershave.

What should I be looking for to add the bay rum fragrance to my soap without adding all that alcohol and other stuff?

Am I just barking up the wrong tree here?

TO add fragrance to a milled soap you would need to grind or shred it up, add some additional water and heat it over a double boiler until it becomes a paste and than add a quaility fragrance oil or Essential oils. Then put it in a bowl or other container to solidify back up. It will not be as hard as the current bar for a while until some of the extra water evaporates out of it. It can be done. but it's quite a bit of work.

Thanks--I should have been more clear. The VDH soap melts very easily and nicely and cools back to its original state okay. I just want to add a little fragrance, and Bay Rum is what I like.

So my actual question (which my muddled brain did not put clearly enough!) is what should I purchase to add to my soap to give the Bay Rum fragrance but not the alcohol and other goodies that go into an aftershave?

Ok, you must have the glycerin based soap, Yes you can melt this in the microwave and then add any fragrance you like. I would look for soapmaker suppliers and see what they have available in a fragrance oil or essential oil blend. A little goes a long way so you should look for places where you can only buy an ounce or two.

Thanks. I'll start hunting for the appropriate additive to give the bay rum smell. Any suggestions?

The Ogallalah bay rum shaving soap is very good and cheap by the way, if you want to take the work out of it.

Originally Posted by LawsonStone

Thanks. I'll start hunting for the appropriate additive to give the bay rum smell. Any suggestions?

I'm not sure you'll achieve the whole effect because ...

I read that sailors arriving in the West Indies found the bay leaves to be aromatic and deodorising. They stockpiled leaves for the journey home and rubbed themselves with the leaves. Some bright spark then thought to save space by soaking Bay Leaves in rum. The alcohol extracted the essential oil and the liquid was then splashed on the body.

If you can get essential oil of Pimenta Racemosa (West Indian Bay) you're part of the way there. However Bay Rum is also the aroma of the rum, cloves, allspice whatever the maker has used to distinguish his blend from the rest (eg Trumpers is heavy on cloves)

which is why I say I'm not sure you'll get the whole effect

but the Lord loves a trier. You've got nothing to lose so good luck

Originally Posted by loueedacat

The Ogallalah bay rum shaving soap is very good and cheap by the way, if you want to take the work out of it.

I agree (though I don't find Ogallala to be that cheap). From what I can tell it contains far less alcohol than say, Clubman. I've had good luck mixing it in with an unscented glycerin soap I buy on eBay. I microwave it and stir it in before it solidifies. Doesn't seem to affect the consistency much if at all.

I'm talking about the ogallala shave soap, not the aftershave.

For the money that you will spend on essential oils to gain the scent, I'd recommend just buying some bay rum soap or cream. You're not short on choice should you go down that route.