Florida Water

I found this in the ethnic hair care section of my supermarket. I'd been hearing about it and, at $5 I figured why not? A wet splash after shaving revealed a moderately complex mix of floral and citrus, almost a candy scent. It doesn't hang around long with a sweet odor hanging the longest. It felt good going on too, just wish this was in a glass bottle. I'll be decanting it later to see what changes take place.

I ran across this at my local HEB about a year and a half ago. It was under $4 bucks and I remembered seeing it at my Great Grandpaws house. I cracked it open and knew it had to come home with me. I used it in the laundry and as a AS and a after shower brace. Cut it 50/50 with distilled water in a spray bottle and it clears the air of smells.

I found this just OK. It's got some things to like about it, but I'm not blown away. Doesn't last too long, smells pretty natural, price is reasonable, packaging is functionally simple and aesthetically showy. I'm not great with scents, but to my nose it starts with a musky citrus of some sort and almost immediately fades into a slightly spicy cinnamon scent. The top notes are so brief, they literally lasted a few seconds and were gone.

I find this to be more of a refreshing splash than anything else, but since I rarely use anything for that purpose, it just sits on the shelf looking pretty in it's neat little bottle.

Good smell, good feel, nice on the skin ...

I agree that this is awfully weak as a cologne, but it makes a nice aftershave. It's got a bit of burn, but, when used after witch hazel, really helps with razor burn and redness. It's not quite as "bracing" as Pinaud Clubman, but it does the job.

The wife also really likes the smell, which is key--the Clubman reminds her of her Grampa, the Pinaud Bay Rum is "nice" but nothing special, and she's not a fan of AV, Old Spice, or other readily available (here, anyway) drugstore aftershaves.

Add to that the fact that it's the cheapest AS ever--you can buy a case of the stuff for $30 from the maker (that's $2.50 apiece)--and I'm sold. I'll still use the Pinauds now and again, and maybe try out some other scents too, but I think this is my daily splash until further notice ...

I use this as an aftershave, and it's great for that. Makes my skin feel absolutely wonderful. The burn is strong, and if you've had a rough shave (as I did today, knew I shouldn't have tried to get one more shave out of that blade!), the burn is tremendous.

I love the smell of the dry-down, but as noted before, it doesn't last long. That's fine by me though, since I can put any cologne I please on top of it.

Refreshing, fleeting scent that suits me for hot weather. The scent is gone by the end of a short commute, so for me it's an aftershave that won't get in a fistfight with my cologne.

The bottle isn't fancy but it's not an eyesore. Nice strong burn, if you are in to that sort of thing (I am). Leaves my face feeling tight and matte.

Cheap stuff, I got mine in Everett, WA at an international market in the Mexican section for a few bucks...where's the Florida in that?

I kind of think of this as a scented Witch Hazel. I might decant the stuff to a travel sized bottle for use as a refresher if I'm doing something like dragging the family around Disneyland again.

Worth trying, if it's not your thing for shaving at the price you could use it as real toilet water or for Voodoo ceremonies.

So I guess I'm new to the whole scene only just starting my shaving life, but after I was introduced to this I was very pleased. The bottle is very nice, I wish it would be in glass, but then it wouldn't be so cheap, and it is cheap! Although the scent really does not last long at all, it is becoming one of my favorite scents. It has a strong, sharp, smell, which from what I'm reading I guess is the cloves. It's fantastic. After a couple seconds that smell subsides a bit and a more citrusy smell comes into play. Very nice. My only complaint is that it does not last longer, the smell, that is. Besides that, applying it can be a little tricky because you can't poor too much out since it has a very wide hole. Highly reccomend this to anyone looking for a nice cheap cologne (aftershave really), that smells great.

Found this in UK for about £2.50

Burns. A LOT. But the scent is fantastic. Spicy oranges. Nice.

I probably won't ever be without a bottle, somewhere.

This unique scent is strangely pleasant. Starting with an initial burst of citrus and vinegar, it scatters off in a number of directions - clove, pepper, licorice, root beer... Could this be the way the original version smelled?

Very inexpensive and something still crafted in the USA, I highly recommend it. It smacks of the supernatural and i like to imagine that I purchased it from a traveling salesman passing through rural America. In reality, I purchased it from QED for 6 USD.

Not bad, not bad at all. Personally I use it strictly as an aftershave, and it serves its purpose quite aptly. Staying power is pretty weak, which I like because I'm using it for an AS. Overall, I'd recommend this product strictly as a very inexpensive aftershave, worth much more than the 1.99 I paid for it. Oh and it's in a glass bottle too, which is pretty rare for cheapo scents.

Smells like a cheaper watered down version of Guerlain's Vetiver (now there's a fragrance). Good value and good bracing aftershave. Burns like hell but it will close everything up nicely. To my nose, has notes of vetiver, lime, orange, maybe pettitgrain, vanilla, capsicum pepper, and a little white pepper, and light florals like carnation and orris, possibly a light note of mint too.

This is great stuff for the price .I like to use it during hot weather a few times a day since the smell last less than an hour.

I hated to see myself give mediocre ratings on this stuff, but that's only compared to other colognes and besides that I consider it an aftershave. Got it for $2.99. I didn't know any colognes/aftershaves were this cheap.

Scent ain't bad at all, IMO. Does not last at all, I wouldn't actually use this stuff as cologne. I like the clove better than the heavy clove in Pinaud Bay Rum, along with the citrus it really is pleasing. I think the bottle would look almost classy if it were in glass, very retro and appealing.

As for using it as an aftershave, it seems to tone my face very nicely! Instantly makes my facial skin matte, and no extra oiliness later.

This was a pleasant surprise. A bottle is so cheap yet it gives you a nice blast after a great shave. Tones the skin real good. The citrusy fragrance is strong at first, then subsides. A trace of citrusy flowery fragrance tends to stay throughout most of the day to remind you of it. Since it's cheap, I can splash it on my face, neck and chest. By the smell of it, I can tell that I'm the only one in my social circle that's using it. Great stuff.
Ernest

Lanman & Murray's Florida Water Cologne makes a fine replacement for witch-hazel, as well as bridging the gap between the shave and some of the stronger EDTs. I find that its limited "staying power" is a real positive, in that it closes-up nicks and small "weepers", but doesn't compete with "featured" and long-lasting EDTs and EDPs. At $6/bottle, it's a real deal!

I picked this up about 2 weeks ago at a local latin grocer for $3.99. I thought the packaging was really uinique and also though...heck..at that price, you may as well give it a try.

I was very surprised by the scent. I really like the clove/citrus mix that this cologne has.

Now...having said that, I hesitate to call it a cologne. You need to splash this stuff on very liberally, and it is hard not to with the big hole at the top of bottle neck. That is okay, however, because the stuff doesn't have huge staying power.

Now...for the effect! That is the thing that intrigues me the most with this stuff. At first slap on the face, it is a bracing wakeup due to the alcohol content. After about 30 seconds or so, your whole face will go numb. I think it is the heavy clove content that does this. Very nice feeling and an amazingly wonderful scent right after your shave.

I honestly love the clove notes to the scent...very unique.

basically a great scent with no staying power.

It's beautiful stuff. I only found it up here in Canada being sold off from an independent drug store. The scent doesn't last long at all, but it's a nice one while it does. And it doesn't disappear totally, if I hold my wrist up to my nose later in the day a faint memory remains. A nice end to a shave.

especially since I can get it for about $3.00 (or less) for the 7 oz at any drugstore/grocery here in TW Florida. Even at 5 bux, the product is a good value.

Love the scent. Since 1808, the scent does have alotta "staying" power.

Gave the packaging a 10, cuz I want contents not some fancy dancy bottle.
I also gave the "quality of the atomizer" a 10, since it doesn't have one.
I pour all my scents into PEHP cheapo atomizer's anyway.

If you haven't tried this & you have an affinity for "old barbershop" type scents, pick up a bottle. If no stores around you carry it, QED sells it online.


lso, if it's not in the "shave" aisle and your local stores have an aisle that
has "religious" candles & stuff, check there. Since it's got old & strong HooDoo
uses (holy water with a kick), some TW type merchants gleefully stock in on their "religion" aisle.

This may be the cheapest stuff you can buy that's not complete crap.

Sure, it has the life span of a fruit fly, but it exhibits a very pleasing initial rush of citrus and clove, particularly the latter.

This should come in mayonnaise jars.

First appearing around the early 1800’s, this distinctively American variant of the Eau de Cologne quickly became popular for a variety of uses. It has prominent floral and citrus notes. Many old formularies contain recipes for Florida water. Formulae may be found easily now on the internet. Although Florida Water was popular as a cologne and aftershave, it was also used for rubdowns, room freshener, added to the bath, scenting linens, etc..

Here is a typical old formula, from the Household Cyclopedia, a formulary published in 1881

Florida Water.​

Alcohol at 90°, 50 qts.; essence of lemon and Portugal, each 4 oz.; essence of lavender and clove, each 8 oz.; canella, 1/2 oz.; water, 20 qts.

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And another from "Fortunes in Formulas For Home, Farm, and Workshop" edited by Garner D. Hiscox, M.E. and Prof. T. O'Conner Sloane, A.B., A.M., Em., Ph.D. (The Norman B. Henley Publishing Company, 1937) Reference

FLORIDA WATER #1
oil of bergamot 3 fluid ounces
oil of lavender 1 fluid ounce
oil of lemon 1 fluid ounce
oil of cloves 1 1/4 fluid drachms
oil of cinnamon 2 1/2 fluid drachms
oil of neroli 1/2 fluid drachms
essence of jasmine 6 fluid ounces
essence of musk 2 fluid ounces
alcohol 8 pints
rose water 1 pint

Mix and, if cloudy, filter through magnesium carbonate.

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Even today, Florida Water is still a pleasing cologne, now marketed by Lanman & Kemp Barclay and Co. as Murray and Lanman Florida Water. This was introduced into the US market on Valentine’s Day, 1808. It is inexpensive, running around $5 for a 7 ounce plastic bottle. The bottle is elegant for being plastic, with embossed lettering. The ornate label has pictures of a man playing a lute, a woman holding a dove, lots of floral vines and birds, and in the center what is apparently the legendary fountain of youth.

After an initial lemony blast, Murray and Lanman Florida water quickly quiets down to just a subtle citrus scent. It does not last long on my skin, but it is quite enjoyable while it is there.

Florida Water is another old cologne that has folk magical usages. Here is a quote from The Leaping Hare pagan website:

Florida Water
If you have ever browsed through the pages of an occult supplies catalogue or visited a Witchcraft shop, the chances are good that you have seen at least one exotically decorated bottle of what is called Florida Water. Despite its misleading name, this is not a bottle of water from the state of Florida. Rather, it is a magickal cologne with a distinctive floral and citrus scent. It is a magickal staple in such practices as Santeria, Voodoo, and Hoodoo, but this does not mean that Wiccans and other modern Witches cannot use it as well in their art of Spellcraft.
Traditionally, Florida Water is used for ritual offering and purification. It is also said to possess the power to banish negative energy vibrations, exorcise evil entities and thought-forms, natural disturbances. Additionally, if a man or woman should desire a lover or spouse to be more affectionate and stronger in the display of her or his emotions, a love spell in which Florida Water is used would surely bring about the desired results.
Many Witches prefer to make their own Florida Water for spellcasting purposes instead of using the store-bought variety. The reason for this is that all homemade magickal items, including candles, incenses, and oils are believed to be magicakally more potent and pure as they are crafted with intent and impregnated with the Witch's personal energy vibrations.
To make a traditional Florida Water cologne you will need to follow these simple directions.
When the Moon is full and shining bright, add four pints of pure alcohol to one half pint of rose water, one ounce of tincture of musk, and one ounce of jasmine oil, one half ounce of lavender oil, three drops each of clove oil and neroli oil, an eighth of an ounce of cinnamon oil, an done and one half ounces of bergamot oil. Strain through a cheesecloth into a clean glass bottle. Cork tightly or seal with a cap, and keep cool, dark place until the following Full Moon.

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In summary, Florida Water is an inexpensive, pleasing, unpretentious cologne that stimulates nostalgia and the imagination as well as the nose.


The discussion thread for this review is here. If you don't want to rate the product please post in the discussion thread so as not to skew the review scores.