My nostrils flaired at the scent of his perfume. Pyramid Patchouli. There was only one joker in L.A. sensitive enough to wear that scent.
And I had to find out who he was.
Good afternoon, Mr… Danger.
I’m Rocky Roccoco.
Thanks, half-pint. You’ve just saved me a lot of investigative work.
Exactly. I hate to generalize, but it’s always been an indicator of somebody who smokes trees, and I haven’t been wrong yet. Seriously!
I’ve never told anyone, but it’s something I always take note of.
Ahhh! Now for the part where I wait patiently for protest and dethroning of a generalization that’s been literaly 100% effective for 20+ years.
Just for the record, I could care less if somebody wants to burn. I just take mental notes when I meet folks.
Oh, and I almost forgot… I really, really HATE patchouli oil.
Rub yourself in peanut butter and you’ll get a much better response from me! 
This is the freakin’ problem. I love the scent of patchouli and I’d wear it, but its stigma prevents me. Rightly or wrongly, I’d be pigeonholed as a hippie pothead, trippin daisy, no-good commie faster than you could say shibboleth.
The one exception to this box is Indian (Asian) men and and women who I have noticed in shops and other public places who sometimes smell quite pleasantly of patchouli. I’m pretty sure most of them didn’t smoke pot, but I could be wrong.
In fact,when I was a teenager, the first time I smelled patchouli was trailing a beautiful Indian woman wearing a sari in a shop. I followed her around that store like a puppy dog, intoxicated with this new and heavenly scent. It wasn’t until a few years later that I discovered what that scent was in a record store/head shop.
It’s a shame I can’t wear it for fear.
I am a dialysis patients. Today I started at a new clinic. The nurse there was very nice. We had to go over all of my medical history. We discussed migraines. She asked my triggers and I told her a few of them. I kept smelling incense and it seemed to permiate the whole clinic. So I asked about it and she told me that it was probably her because she mixes her own scent with patchouli, sandalwood, musk etc. I felt really bad to have to tell her that these scents, especially patchouli were triggers. I couldn’t stay for my whole treatment because I needed to get to my neurologist to get an emergency pain shot. I will be in bed for two days with this one. I guess the patchouli lovers don’t know they stink. Maybe the scent of lilacs and roses offends her.
I think it stinks, its not a pleasant smell. I avoid going to Trader Joe’s for this reason. Every. Single. Time. somebody decided “well I’m going to jump into this barrel of patchouli oil and then go buy some non-gmo twinkie alternatives”. It is everywhere, I am unfortunately privied to it about once a week and every time, it makes me angry. It is always someone with flannel and skinny jeans or “hippie” types that wear this stuff. Occasionally an older person, which is acceptable IMO, they’ve earned the right to do whatever the hell they want.
That’s very strange. When I worked for a hospital, use of scents was discouraged, even for us non-public-facing employees. I think all the patient care people were strictly forbidden from wearing scents at work.
Hell, I worked as a waitress, too (not at a hospital), and it was forbidden for us, too. It wasn’t even a particularly high end place. But nurses? Yeah, they need a policy.
Moved to IMHO. Note that this thread was started 10 years ago.
Colibri
General Questions Moderator
Some relevant anecdotes to the zombie:
I once got accidentally overloaded with patchouli. Late 1960s, a visitor spilled my bottle of patchouli on the bathroom counter, wiped it up somewhat, and didn’t say anything – I later grabbed my comb and pulled it through my very long hair a few times before realizing something was wrong … the comb was soaked with patchouli oil. It took several days of multiple shampooing every day for the smell to subside.
In those days I did use patchouli oil; put one drop inside the waistband of jeans and one drop on the inside of that strip of cloth down the front of a shirt where the buttons are, then launder normally – that’s how you get the classic hippy cloud of scent without overdoing it.
These days I use patchouli scented deodorant and shaving cream from Kiss My Face.
Patchouli hippie zombies are the worst.
Zombies use patchouli to mask the smell of their decaying flesh. Effective!
Zombies? Sound like a job for Super Stinkor!
I don’t think I’ve ever smelled patchouli, at least without knowing exactly what it was. And now I’m curious.
I’m in the same boat. I’ve heard about it but never had the scent provided by name so I could know what it is.
But, I did work at a motorcycle dealership in the PNW and a guy came in and smelled like my pet rats dirty cage. I’d say it was a mix of Aspen chips (bedding) and animal piss(ammonia).
Several people have assured me it was patchouli.
As an aside, I love the smell of old spice. My dad used the deodorant and aftershave, it’s what a fresh clean man smells like.
Both of my wives hated it, said it was like foolin around with their dad.:smack:
(I quit wearing it for my first wife, second wife won’t let me go back)