I use the same dermatological pharmacy sourced body wash on my head as my body. No added premium for the cost.
There’s more colour and length elsewhere than the number 3 around the sides, so it can’t be that poor a choice. A good brush occasionally is the only other maintenance required. Perhaps I should upgrade the cheap Woolies knobbly bristles to a luxury brush set. One to massage the scalp, and another to caress the centimetre stubble. Also helps to dislodge any stray wildlife acquired when working under the young acacias, assuming they survived the DEET and body wash combo.
I’m not sure if Tropical Strength DEET qualifies as a grooming aid. I use enough to suspect it is my equal biggest spend on personal care items each year.
In the warm environment of our shower, bacteria can grow in shampoos and in shower gels and can then end up on our scalp and skin. Preservatives are added to these products to inhibit bacteria.
The most commonly used are methylpareben (E218) ( in Neutrogena T/Gel therapeutic shampoo) and ethylparaben (E214).
On animal testing parabens have been found to cause endocrine disruption, and some products proudly claim to be parabens free.
But other preservatives have to be used, including
Methychloroisothiazolinone (MI) which can be a skin irritant and cause allergic reactions, so much so that QV shampoos are proudly declared to be MI free!
Or maybe use DMDM Hydantoin (Formaldehyde) which is one of the three preservatives used in a Tresemme shampoo.
Extracting scents from plants dates back thousands of years, but the Ancient Romans gave perfume its name: Per Fumum
(Latin: through smoke).
Modern perfumes, since mid last century, are synthetic scents created in labs, and can be very strong, so much so that in the ‘80s a restaurant in NY City banned diners who were wearing any patchouli-based scents
(a dark, musky-earthy, sweet smell)
because it interfered with the dining
experience.
A Cologne is often considered to be a perfume for men, but actually it refers to the concentration of the scent, it is the most diluted and usually has citrus notes, making it a light, refreshing, unisex perfume.
Little if worn by women, if worn by men none at all. I have vivid memories of office work where I couldn’t get away from it. The French have much to answer for.
One male wore something that he thought was very sophisticated, he would apply more at lunch time in case it was wearing off, it made me sneeze and I could never pay attention to whatever he was saying. It gave him presence alright: quelle horreur!
About 5PM Friday I would avoid the lift as all the young women were leaving to go for after work drinks or hot dates and they would drench themselves - especially in summer in case they had been sweating. If you were unlucky you could ride with two or three of them as they fought it out for olfactory dominance - merde alors!
I am the same, most send my nose into overdrive…a trigger for hayfever. I don’t know why they are needed today…as they were adopted originally by Royalty and very wealthy to mask poor sanitary practices of yesteryear.
When I smell someone heavily scented, my immediate thoughts are they must have bad body odours which need to be masked with something.
I recently threw out a whole heap of cologne which was given to me about 30 years ago. Don’t know why I kept them as never used them (maybe subconsciously didn’t want to throw out something gifted to me)…at least the bin smelt differently for a few weeks until the scent dissipated.
We were told at school that the French did not bathe very frequently many years ago so they would just use a stronger perfume as time from the last bath progressed.
Personally, I do like a really nice perfume on women but I only use cologne when going out so as to keep my wife happy.
Nor did the English or most of the early industrial world apparently. The English were reputedly even less inclined to bathe than the French, if anecdotes, folk law and tall tales are to be believed.
The stereotypical cowboy of the US western states appears in movies to only bathe on a very special occasion. Perhaps part of the in-house service at the local house of paid for company. Cologne optional. No bathing after the visit. Ode horse perhaps preferred on a daily basis.
Do I have a preference?
There’s enough natural scent in the Aussie landscape. The exceptions are our big cities which have an aroma all of their own. Mostly of accumulated car exhausts, road grime, and industry. Something no personal scent seems to mask.
As to personal aroma, most of us can probably get by with good hygiene and daily changing under garments.
Best to choose something distinctive, traditional, and well known to the older generations.
EG
Flowery and masculine? Certainly not ode Fox then!
Either might deliver a similar message, IMHO.
4.8 out of 5 stars according to Chemist Warehouse more discerning customers.
Apologies to @Gaby. I’m not one for perfume except when the wise one asks for my opine on the latest purchase. Somethings are not negotiable, compromise has it’s rewards.
Bathing and keeping our clothes fresh and clean is a very important aspect of good hygiene, but smelling nice is not just a good hygiene practice.
Genetics can play a part, and also our diet.
The jury is still out on the human pheromones: if we emit scents to attract potential mates and, apparently, the more different the scent the better.
Fragrances intersect with our own body odour, we might have noticed after using a particular perfume how it blends into a modified version of the original scent in the bottle.
Some studies suggest that we prefer perfumes that complement and enhance our own body odour.
It can be fun looking for the right scent for us, just use it sparingly for the sake of others
I suspect we are each other’s most expensive grooming aids. One offering conditional approval if it’s Italian and leather, more so if it just looks that way. The other suggesting it would be great for yard work, and that I don’t need a new pair of gum boots. A new pair of joggers, preferably without holes in the toes might be wiser.
Grooming and style serve the same purpose don’t they? Although style is no substitute for poor grooming.
I think style in personal appearance is the next step to good grooming:
it includes knowing what to wear and how to wear it to look your best, the hair style that suits your face shape and your type of hair, and the colours that enhance and not clash with your own colouring.
It’s what makes you unique, but look out if you do it well you’ll soon be copied by many
My bar of soap lasts about 2 to 3 weeks if I’m not too grubby. Hard milled last a lot longer than many of the softer milled soaps that a lot prefer eg Dove is not what would be described as hard milled.
After use it is placed in a draining tray which allows the soap to air dry between uses. A shower takes me 4 to 5 minutes to complete, this is a routine of wetting, soaping, then rinse. As I had lots of bush showers in my youth, water frugality is uppermost in my showering habits.
We turned the bar 90° in the ceramic shower soap holder so it could dry well between days of use. Turning ensured maximum air exposure and soap drying out quickly…to prevent the soap going gluggy.
Also we used to stick the remaining thin soap residue to the next new bar to ensure there was no wastage.
When we renovated our ensuite the ceramic holder was relegated to the bin and we now have a plastic one that drains and ensures the bar is kept dry too. I also now have a “gootchie” sisal bag where the scraps of soap go to become a nice sudsy exfoliating scrub that hubby is most impressed with.
Meanwhile, I am still stuck on my L’Occitane Almond Shower Oil. 500ml lasts months and works beautifully.
