Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Trailer Trad Grooming: True Bay Rum


Barbershop Aftershave – Superior 70 Bay Rum
I first found out about bay rum aftershave in college when I hung out with some really traditional boarding school preps. Wire-rim eye glasses, pre-sellout Brooks Brothers oxford cloth buttondowns, thin J Press club and rep ties knotted at their waists and used as belts, and bay rum aftershave. Bay rum aftershave? -That sure didn't smell like Polo. I don’t remember the brand but I remember that it wasn’t expensive or dispensed from an expensive decanter. It came in what looked like a rubbing alcohol bottle and barely had a scent. It smelled like an old-time barbershop. That was cool to me. And the girls that clung to the kid who wore this stuff (my roomate) sure seemed to like it.

That kind of low-key traditional grooming product is great but is that stuff even available anymore and where do you look to find a natural bay rum without spending a fortune? Seriously, who would know more about rum than a Puerto Rican rum manufacturer? Then why go any further when looking for bay rum aftershave than Puerto Rico? Superior 70 Alcolado (it's labeled as ‘Alcolado’ on one side of the bottle and ‘Bay Rum’ on the other side) is basically bay rum aftershave masquerading as a rubbing alcohol. Given, it is very mild. But a more honest bay rum like you remember from your old high school barbershop you will not find.

Superior 70 Alcolado is perfect for sterilizing your tweezers and shaving razor or for splashing on after a shower. It is also ridiculously cheap. If they could make it a bit more concentrated, it would be ideal but I have no idea how to contact the company to tell them that. Just recently, a local Walgreens added a Latino section where I can now go and pick it up. Otherwise, the easiest way to get it is to go to Walgreen’s web site and order it on line. Go ahead and order a number of bottles and give them away to friends. -It is that cheap.

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