Bay Rum Soap is a kind of soap that has a very distinctive and nice smell. This soap has many uses and comes in many forms, commonly including aftershave lotion or cologne. Bay rum soap can be used as shaving soap, underarm deodorant and even as a general astringent.

Where Bay Rum Soap Comes From

The unique bay rum soap came from Saint Thomas, one of the islands within the West Indies. The leaves and berries of the West Indian Bay tree, Pimenta racemosa have been distilled to make the original Bay rum soap, and then they had been mixed with locally made rum to give it its distinctive name. These substances were then combined with different components to increase the perfume of the soap.

Bay rum soap has been combined with components like citrus and spice oils to great effect, the most notable of which is lime oil, oil of cloves and cinnamon.

Initially bay rum soap was widespread within the US, in New York in particular, and it was sold here long before it was in the shops in Europe. Today there are various producers of bay rum soap and lotions in a number of West Indian republics as well as quite a number of American and European fragrance companies.

Interestingly the bay leaves we generally use in cooking are from a totally unrelated species, Laurus nobilis, and are by no means associated with the West Indian bay tree. A comparable product will be produced by the bay laural, but for the authentic recipe the West indian variety is an absolute must.

Bay Rum Soap Perfume and Smell

Bay Rum Soap is famous for its light, spicy and sweet aroma, which is analogous in many ways to a number of popular colognes. Nowadays bay rum soap is product of slightly different materials to the original, often from Palm Oil, Coconut Oil, Soybean Oil, Milk, Yellow Oxide, Titanium Dioxide, Bay Rum Essential Oil, however it still retains most of the qualities of the original bay rum soap.

Another use for Bay Rum Essential Oil (Pimento racemosa, Steam Distilled Leaf, Island of Dominica) is the therapy of scalp conditions such as dandruff and greasy hair, so its mixture with the other substances of the soap makes it a really wholesome and pleasant choice for consumers.

So if soap making is your thing, and if you can obtain the components, then bay rum soap is well worth making!