Hoyt's Cologne, 3/4 Fluid Oz

A genuine historical cologne. Hoyt's has been made since 1868, and the bottle on the botanica shelf is the same product gamblers have carried for well over a century.

The Hoodoo gambler's luck cologne. Rubbed on the hands before games of chance, sprinkled on money, and used to feed mojo hands and lucky charms in Hoodoo rootwork.

The 3/4 fluid ounce pocket bottle. A 4 inch glass bottle, small enough for a jacket pocket or a purse, sized for the moments right before the game.

• Volume: 3/4 fluid ounce (0.75 fl oz)
• Bottle: glass, 4 inches tall
• Maker: Hoyt's; in production since 1868, originally sold by E. W. Hoyt and Company of Lowell, Massachusetts as Hoyt's German Cologne
• Form: cologne, for external wear and ritual dressing
• Tradition: Hoodoo and botanica gambling luck
• Keep away from open flame; not for ingestion; patch test before skin wear
• Weight: about 3.2 oz

Hoyt's Cologne is a proprietary fragrance and the maker does not publish a full ingredient breakdown, so we do not list one. It is a cologne for external wear. Patch test a small patch of skin before wearing it, keep it out of your eyes, keep it away from open flame, and do not ingest it. The full ingredient list can be confirmed with Plentiful Earth before you order.

Hoyt's Cologne is used for gambling luck in Hoodoo, and it is one of the tradition's best-documented curios. E. W. Hoyt and Company of Lowell, Massachusetts began selling Hoyt's German Cologne in 1868 as an ordinary toilet water, and by the early twentieth century it had become a staple of African American gambling luck practice across the South and the northern cities: players rubbed it on their hands before cards and dice, sprinkled it on their money, and wet their mojo hands with it to keep them fed. Catherine Yronwode's work on Hoodoo herb and root magic records the custom, and it is still taught by rootworkers today.

You can work it the same way. Splash a little on your palms and rub them together before the game, speak a short petition for a good night, and touch a drop to the bills in your pocket. If you carry a lucky hand or a gambling mojo, a few drops of Hoyt's is one of the classic ways to feed it. The cologne is a scent, and a pleasant old-fashioned one; the luck is the century of practice you are joining when you use it.

1. Patch test a small amount on your inner arm before wearing it on skin.
2. Before the game, splash a few drops on your palms, rub your hands together, and speak a short petition for luck at the table; some players say it while shuffling.
3. Sprinkle a drop or two on the money you plan to play with, or on the inside of your wallet, so the luck rides with the stake.
4. Feed a gambling mojo hand or a lucky charm with a few drops on a schedule, weekly or before each occasion, as rootworkers have done for generations.
5. For a luck bath before a big day, add a capful to the water and step in with the intention spoken; keep the bottle away from candles and open flame.

Which of these you keep is yours to decide; the tradition offers all of them and most players settle on one.

• Bingo Cologne by Ohli~Way, 7.5 oz: the botanica gambler's cologne, for the same shelf and the same game nights in a larger bottle.
• Fast Luck Oil, 4 Dram: the quick-luck condition oil, for dressing a candle the night before the game.
• Lucky Hand Sachet Powder, 0.5 oz: the gambler's root in powder form, for dusting the hands and the wallet.
• Lucky Hand Root Body Oil by Aura Variety, 1 oz, roll-on: the lucky hand root in a wearable oil, to layer with the cologne.
• Pewter Good Luck Coin Clover Pocket Stone: a pocket luck charm to feed with a few drops of Hoyt's and carry to the table.

What is Hoyt's Cologne used for?

Hoyt's Cologne is the Hoodoo gambler's luck cologne: players rub it on their hands before cards and dice, sprinkle it on their money, and use it to feed mojo hands and lucky charms. It has been made since 1868 and is one of the best-documented luck curios in the tradition.

Is Hoyt's Cologne a real historical product?

Yes. E. W. Hoyt and Company of Lowell, Massachusetts began selling it in 1868 as Hoyt's German Cologne, an ordinary toilet water of its day. Its use for gambling luck grew up in African American Hoodoo practice in the early twentieth century, and the cologne is still made and still sold on botanica shelves.

How do I use Hoyt's Cologne for gambling luck?

The classic way is a few drops on the palms, rubbed together right before you play, with a short petition for luck. Many players also sprinkle a drop on the money they intend to play with. If you carry a gambling mojo or a lucky hand root, a few drops of Hoyt's keeps it fed.

What does Hoyt's Cologne smell like?

Light, sweet, and old-fashioned, in the manner of a nineteenth-century toilet water rather than a modern perfume. It is meant to be a pleasant, unobtrusive scent on the hands, which is part of why gamblers could wear it at the table without announcing what they were doing.

Will Hoyt's Cologne make me win?

It is a cologne, so we promise no outcomes, and we say so plainly. The Hoodoo tradition uses it to carry the luck intention onto the hands and the money and to join a long line of players who did the same. Use it as part of that practice, play within your means, and keep it away from flame.

Is it safe to wear on skin?

It is made as a cologne for external wear, but the formula is proprietary, so patch test a small area first if you have sensitive skin or known fragrance allergies. Keep it out of your eyes, keep it away from open flame, and never ingest it. A few drops on the hands is the traditional amount.