How you smell to others is an incredibly personal detail, unless it is a bad smell in which case it may become an awkwardly public encounter. How you smell can determine social boundaries, sexual chemistry and indicate levels of hygiene. Smell is something we often take for granted, where no smell is usually a good smell, but when connecting memories, a quick whiff can draw dozens of different scenarios to mind. This is a powerful leveraging tool that can help you distinguish yourself from a crowd.
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Accentuating your scent is more than adding lashings of cologne, or overpowering the senses with dozens of products or miss-matched fragrances; it’s about creating the right impression and using your own scent to your advantage. There are billions of people in the world, but only you smell the way you do – so why not celebrate that fact instead of trying to hide it? How you choose to accentuate your scent is up to you. Below, Male Standard has added some different ideas to help get you started!
How Do Your Products Smell?
Go through your bedroom drawers, dressers and bathrooms; wherever you stash your male grooming products, and start to look at what you have in front of you. Does everything share a common fragrance, or do you prefer non-fragrant products? Do you have lemon citrus shower wash next to minty fresh shampoo? Have you gotten lost between all the different items you’ve found? Then it’s time to create unity across the board. These indicators will also let you know which scents you prefer, a handy observation we’ll come back to in one moment.
What many of us tend to forget, is that when you use a product, be it a body wash or styling wax, products tend to leave a lingering smell. Most male grooming products are designed with active men in mind, so creating harmony shouldn’t be that difficult. If you stick to one range of products then you should already be receiving hoards of compliments each day; distinguished scents always smell better than simply smelling of nice. Yet, many of us don’t just use one item or line, we mix and match and have favorites, so what should you do?
Start from the bottom up. As you go through the steps of getting ready one morning, look at which products you are using. Where possible, look to eliminating any one overpowering scent if you are using mixed items, and try to use grooming products that have either no scent or that compliment your aftershave by looking at the listed ingredients. Always use an antiperspirant that will help prevent sweating and creating nasty odors, and wash or shower frequently to reset any fragrances you’ve accumulated throughout the day.
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How to Choose a Manly Scent that Appeals to the Senses
Now that you have a clean, uniformed canvas from which to draw inspiration from, the real fun can begin. As you’ve been inspecting the products, you might have noticed a trend in the scents you generally gravitate toward. Use these to assess investing in a new aftershave or cologne that better suits your style. As your scent is deeply personal, there’s no right or wrong way in how you choose a manly scent; so long as you leave the powdered sugar and sickly sweet strawberry products at the door.
Typically, stronger scents such as cinnamon, men’s musk’s and other heavy duty colognes are best suited for formal events or where there will be large gatherings of people. Citrus scents are a great choice for everyday active men (as they mask the scent of sweat) and go well with the long list of body washes on the market. When wearing this top layer scent, you want to apply only a few (no more than three) sprays per application. This should last for at least 12 hours or more.
If in doubt, ask for assistance at a department store that specializes in men’s fragrances. They will be able to assess your lifestyle, needs, and provide you with free samples that you can take away and test. You should never buy a new cologne or fragrance on impulse. Why out why in the Ultimate Guide to Grooming with 101 expert advices.