Heview: Dominica Bay Rum

I wasn't sure if I would ever do Heviews - reviews for men's products, entertainment, or anything else - other than recommendations for green products for men or the like. Due to my career that allows me to work from home for the past five years I do not have to get dressed up, so though I like fashion I just don't need to buy it - besides there is already a great site for men's style at Dappered, I like gadgets but I don't have that need to be the first one to have something, my music taste is somewhat obscure, and besides who really cares what I think about some product. However, I recently purchased two products that are worthy of my praises and recommendations to other men. The first is Dominica Bay Rum, a fantastic product that is not only a cologne but can serve many other hygienic purposes such as an astringent.


Bay Rum is a type of aftershave or cologne mostly for men made from rum and the leaves and or berries of the West Indian bay tree (not the bay laurel 'herb' of culinary use) along with other ingredients depending on the recipe.  I would place all bay Rums in a category something like musks and Old Spice, scents from an older more classic time of barbershops and straight razor shaving, but with a somewhat sweeter, citrusy scent that is not as overly masculine yet still evokes a sort of Hemingway, Captain Morgan, and Jack Sparrow individualism wrapped in a masculine package. There are many brands of Bay Rum, but I recently selected Dominica Bay Rum over some other available options.

I selected Dominica partly because it was cheaper, far cheaper than the other products on the shelves of the high end store I visited, but also because it just seemed to have a better, more subtle scent to it. You may be able to find less expensive Bay Rums at your nearby chain pharmacy, but at $13-$15 for 10 ounces you can't beat Dominica compared to the ridiculous prices of name brand colognes for men. Plus Dominica is not just a cologne. As all Bay Rums, its primary purpose is as an aftershave lotion - an astringent - from which its formula also makes it useful for other things. A tag that comes with the bottle says it's uses include a refreshing lotion after bathing, a non-drying cleanser to clean pores, a massage lotion, an antiseptic first aid, a tonic for the scalp, and a foot lotion.

As a fan of spiced rum and cola with a lime, most Bay Rums remind me of splashing that on with a hint of extra herbs (from the Bay and other ingredients). Dominica has a tamer, more citrusy scent - reminiscent of bergamot (my favorite scent ever - the distinctive aroma present in Earl Grey tea) - than some other stronger herbal or musky Bay Rum's I have tested. Their label says its aroma is 'crisp, clean, cool, and comforting' - sounds kind of like a description of Well-Met Man to me.

You should be able to find Dominica in your area, if not you can buy online at the US distributor Calantilles.