The well-groomed gentleman

Greetings one and all.  Hope the weather hasn't caused you any problems....certainly feel badly for those affected by the heavy rains and subsequent flooding throughout parts of the Ohio Valley, including parts of my home state of Kentucky.

I like to think of myself as a neat and reasonably well-groomed fella.  I once had hair that covered my ears, a period that ended when I began working an after-school job where unloading trucks was a regular task and got tired of having sweaty hair.  I had a semi-beard briefly in college, but only once after that did I attempt facial hair, and shaved that off soon thereafter.  And I've worn my hair in what I would generously call a crew cut for about twenty years.

With all of that in mind, I've always had a few distinct habits when it comes to my personal grooming.  I must confess that I've never been an everyday blade shaver.  My dad gave me an electric shavers when I turned 16 (would have liked to have received a car, but that's how it goes) and have been using that method ever since, employing a variety of shavers throughout my adult life.  My current shaver is a Braun Series 9 model, which shaves pretty closely and comfortably, too, and it's the latest in a series of Braun shavers.

I went through a period where I preferred to use more lotion- or cream-oriented after shave products, as at one time my face was a little sensitive.  Over time, though, that passed and I began to explore a variety of more traditional aftershave lotion, mostly your basic drug store varieties.  At one time I kept Old Spice, Brut, Skin Bracer and Aqua Velva in my cabinet, and expanded that to include the Pinaud Clubman family of products as well.  I still have several of these products in my rotation.

I later developed a fascination for bay rum, an old-time after shave lotion and skin tonic that dates back hundreds of years.  I was first introduced to it at a J. Peterman store (yes, he had stores at one time, and since the company was and is headquartered here in Lexington, Kentucky, we had his first store) in the form of the Dominica brand.  I liked it for its clean scent and slight sting and then cooling sensation when applying it after shaving.

I used this as my primary aftershave for many years, and eventually introduced their lime variation as well.  Later on I began to have trouble finding the product, and learned that the company that made it had been forced out of business when their factory was destroyed by Hurricane Maria.  

I found another bay rum that I sort of liked at an Orvis store, but it wasn't quite the same, didn't have the same scent or feeling when I'd wear it.

A couple of years ago I began getting my hair cut at a local hipster barber shop, nestled in the back of an equally hip hair salon, and when they had a loyalty program I was given a bottle of their bourbon-scented bay rum.  I like it, although not as much as a traditional bay rum, so I kept an eye out for a better alternative.

About a year ago I was in St. Louis on a business trip and had scouted the neighborhood near my hotel.  In a shopping center across the interstate was a Duluth Trading Company location.  I had visited one of their stores in Cincinnati and had bought a few things from them thereafter, and always get a kick out of their stores and their irreverent product names, but liked what I had bought.

I wound up at the "spit and polish" table, which featured a number of men's grooming products like body wash, lotion for rough and overworked hands, and a few other products.  But my attention was drawn to a cobalt blue bottle with a light beige label bearing the word "Ogallala" in a very old-line typeface.  I examined this item a little more closely and found that it was Ogallala Bay Rum cologne, made on the prairie in Ogallala, Nebraska (side note--I actually passed through Ogallala many years ago on a car trip to Kentucky from Colorado, a story for another time).  Got a whiff of the tester and that was that, bought a bottle right then and there.

It's more substantial than the bay rum I had previously used, has a little more pronounced clove scent, but feels good on my face after a shave and fades to a pleasant level of scent.

Recently got curious about their other products and, as so often happens, one thing led to another and I found myself corresponding with John, the company founder and a very affable fellow.  He generously offered to send me several trial products so that I could let him (and you!) know what I thought of each.

John very kindly sent me after shave (or cologne) and their bar soap in four scents:

Bay rum

Bay rum and sandalwood

Bay rum and vanilla

Trail's End

At this point I've sampled all four scents and have to say that I like them all.  Each has a varying degree of fragrance strength and diversity, and all are quite agreeable once on.  The soaps, which are formulated as soap and shampoo (great for a fella with fine hair like me), lather well and leave behind a faint but most pleasant scent.  I believe that Ogallala makes other personal care products.  You can find a list of where Ogallala products can be purchased on their website, just search for "Ogallala bay rum" and you'll find it quickly, as I did.

Eventually I'll be returning to a more travel-oriented work situation, so will save some of these products for that change of routine.  Until then, I'll be using them regularly here at home.

Have a good week!