# Women: help me be the man you want your man to smell like **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 3, 2010, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-help-me-be-the-man-you-want-your-man-to-smell-like/549049 "2010-08-03T20:19:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-help-me-be-the-man-you-want-your-man-to-smell-like/549049/41 "2010-08-05T18:37:51Z")
> [@Acantha](#): > > This. And for the love of all that is holy don’t buy anything by Axe. Women only say this because they can’t control themselves when they smell AXE. I’ve seen the documentaries. ---
**Author:** ![Acantha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@Acantha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acantha)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-help-me-be-the-man-you-want-your-man-to-smell-like/549049/42 "2010-08-05T18:45:58Z")
> [@shiftless](#): > > > [@Acantha](#): > > > > This. And for the love of all that is holy don’t buy anything by Axe. > > Women only say this because they can’t control themselves when they smell AXE. I’ve seen the documentaries. Well, if uncontrollable vomiting and a migraine count, yeah. 😛 I think their commercials are funny, but gawd their product is awful. ---
**Author:** ![Acantha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@Acantha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acantha)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-help-me-be-the-man-you-want-your-man-to-smell-like/549049/43 "2010-08-05T18:48:39Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > > [@Macnbaish](#): > > > > It’s High Endurance Red Zone scent “Pure Sport.” > > > [@EvilTOJ](#): > > > > I have been told on several occasions that my Old Spice smells nice. I also use the High Endurance Red Zone scent “Pure Sport.” It’s subtle, which I like, because I hate people that marinate in scent. > > I’ll add my vote for the High Endurance Red Zone body wash stuff, at least on my man. He’s smells nummy, and I think the fact that you have to be close to smell it works in your favor…all those “unscented” votes won’t be turned off if their nose isn’t in your shoulder. > > But note…my man. He smells good in it. You may not. What works with one person’s own scent and body chemistry may not work well with another’s. Trial and error is really the only way to go. > > And…where the heck do y’all \*find \*unscented deodorant or body wash these days? I can’t seem to, so I (female) settle for the closest thing, generally with “powder” in its name. I spritz on a little Pink Sugar (or a knockoff) for special events, which smells a-MAZ-ing on me. I go online and search for unscented body wash base from soapmaking sites. Yes, I’m \*that \* serious about unscented soap. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-help-me-be-the-man-you-want-your-man-to-smell-like/549049/44 "2010-08-05T19:09:38Z")
Mrs G likes how the **Tom’s** line smells on me. They smell distinctly natural like spices or fruits, rather than vague chemical aromatics like “sport” or “fresh”. Since she pointed out that most of the mainstream lines (Brut, etc) smell closest to plastics outgassing, I’ve noticed that I also dislike the chemical scents. Caveat: I also prefer women’s perfumes and scents that smell like naturalistic scents instead of classic perfumey scents. i.e. Hello Kitty Strawberry is nicer to me than Burberry or Obsession are. ---
**Author:** ![Minnie\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Minnie\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Minnie_Luna)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-help-me-be-the-man-you-want-your-man-to-smell-like/549049/45 "2010-08-05T19:16:34Z")
We went to BJ’s last night and discovered Dove makes a men’s soap now. We bought that for Mr. Luna rather than the normal Dove he usually gets. He does use Axe deodorant/antiperspirant, but does not use the body spray. The hint of scent in the deodorant is enough and not overpowering. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-help-me-be-the-man-you-want-your-man-to-smell-like/549049/46 "2010-08-05T19:22:09Z")
Just please, nothing with musk in it. I’ll never comprehend how men generation after generation fall for the myth that women, while wanting you to be clean, will nonetheless be attracted to the body odor of an ox. Also a vote for a clean and subtle scent. The best thing is to get unscented deoderant and then some Royall Lyme aftershave. Mmmmmnnnnn. ---
**Author:** ![Fried\_Dough\_Ho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a88e57/32.png) [@Fried\_Dough\_Ho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fried_Dough_Ho)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-help-me-be-the-man-you-want-your-man-to-smell-like/549049/47 "2010-08-05T19:30:17Z")
I drink and write about wine and there is nothing worse than having anyone’s perfume interfere with smelling the aromas of wine, but on rare occasions I used to buy my ExBF L’Occitaine’s Cade. That was about the only scent that didn’t make me gag. The worst? Calvin Klein’s Obsession. Smells like bug repellent. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-help-me-be-the-man-you-want-your-man-to-smell-like/549049/48 "2010-08-05T19:50:50Z")
My two “do not do” are already named - Drakkar Noir and Axe anything. Drakkar Noir makes you smell like a young punk who spends all his time in the nightclubs and doesn’t know any better; Axe makes you smell like a teenage boy who doesn’t know any better. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-help-me-be-the-man-you-want-your-man-to-smell-like/549049/49 "2010-08-05T20:17:38Z")
Hm. Might have to try that Mitchum stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2010, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-help-me-be-the-man-you-want-your-man-to-smell-like/549049/50 "2010-08-06T14:02:39Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > The Mitchum that **Sigmagirl** linked to is the same one me and my sweet boy use. We both have skin issues, and find it to be the best. > There is no stain but I do find that there is SOME mess - as in, sometimes when you take the cap off it sucks some of the gel out of the gel-holes (huh huh) and it drips on the floor and then turns into a bit of a stain if you don’t rub it away soon enough. Yes, it does tend to be goopy when you take the cap off. I have developed the habit of just taking the – tube? off the cap instead of the cap off the tube, holding it over the cap. That way if it’s going to drip, it drips back into the cap. And I buy it at the grocery store too. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2010, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-help-me-be-the-man-you-want-your-man-to-smell-like/549049/51 "2010-08-06T14:19:19Z")
Q: Does this mean that the best aftershave/cologne is really … none? …so much for Red for Men & Lagerfeld. Now I have to figure out if they go out on recycling day or have to be driven to the dump for chemical disposal… ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2010, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-help-me-be-the-man-you-want-your-man-to-smell-like/549049/52 "2010-08-06T16:03:00Z")
I would say for men in relationships, their best smell is the one they and their SO agree on. For single men looking to attract the ladies, yeah, probably go with none. Of course, if you ARE a Drakkar Noir kind of guy, I’d rather find out sooner than later. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2010, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-help-me-be-the-man-you-want-your-man-to-smell-like/549049/53 "2010-08-09T05:17:15Z")
> [@Covered\_In\_Bees](#): > > I am a 20-something male and this is what I use and I also get complimented by women when they are close enough to smell it. Which is also kind of a downside, it doesn’t emanate very far from me apparently and usually a woman is already very comfortable with me to be near enough to me to be smelling it. I know how you feel. Thing is, it’s never seemed to matter what I wear–every time a woman gets that comfortable with me, I get compliments on what I’m wearing–even if it’s Arm-and-Hammer. I tend to think that liking the sent is more related to liking the person, unless it is really bad. I also have yet to find an unscented deodorant that is strong enough. Though I have yet to try out that deodorant stone Dopers often recommend. I **have** tried both types of Mitchum, and the only kind that works is the gel, and then I have to use up a good eighth of stick each time if I want it to last even half of a workday. And yet the antiperspirant is stronger than the Red Spice deodorant I now use that works perfectly. (The Arm-and-Hammer deodorant I used seemed to have disappeared. Its unscented version worked.) ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-help-me-be-the-man-you-want-your-man-to-smell-like/549049/54 "2010-08-10T19:38:12Z")
Dolce & Gabbana light blue. I can’t tell you what it smells like, only that it’s divine. Get it on ebay, cause in a store it starts at $65, I think. My SO is forbidden from wearing any cologne in the Polo line; my dad and my little brother wear them all, so I associate them with it. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-help-me-be-the-man-you-want-your-man-to-smell-like/549049/55 "2010-08-10T19:51:40Z")
> [@HazelNutCoffee](#): > > Old Spice is nice, but it reminds me of my dad and therefore does not turn me on. > > My boyfriend uses Dove, which he hides from his guy friends because he thinks it’s too girly, but I like it. It’s a subtle, clean smell that’s not too overpowering. My son got the fourth grade “puberty and hygiene lecture.” As is apparently traditional (because I got it too), companies use this occasion to make brand loyalists out of little kids by giving them product samples. He comes downstairs - “What are you wearing?! You smell like my grandfather!” (My grandfather has been dead fifteen years and probably no longer smells like Old Spice - but I’ll always think of Old Spice when I think of his smell). I like Old Spice - but NOT on my ten year old - or for that matter, my husband. ---
**Author:** ![MN\_Maenad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e95f7d/32.png) [@MN\_Maenad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MN_Maenad)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-help-me-be-the-man-you-want-your-man-to-smell-like/549049/56 "2010-08-10T20:06:37Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I also have yet to find an unscented deodorant that is strong enough. Get thee to a doctor. I’ve been using Drysol since I was 18 and ruined several silk blouses while wearing Mitchum. I only have to put it on once a week, no problems. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-help-me-be-the-man-you-want-your-man-to-smell-like/549049/57 "2010-08-10T20:08:42Z")
Unscented. If you must smell like something,[this is what I prefer](http://www.caswellmassey.com/greenbriar-talc-powder.aspx). ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-help-me-be-the-man-you-want-your-man-to-smell-like/549049/58 "2010-08-10T20:19:14Z")
Show of hands, how many people heard “That Man’s” voice all through this thread? ---
**Author:** ![Dervorin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Dervorin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervorin)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-help-me-be-the-man-you-want-your-man-to-smell-like/549049/59 "2010-08-11T21:32:30Z")
> [@Unintentionally\_Blank](#): > > Show of hands, how many people heard “That Man’s” voice all through this thread? Well, me, for a start. But that’s not really a surprise, because I started with “That Man’s” voice in my head to begin with. I must say the number of votes for unscented has got me thinking. It might be time to man up and try this Dove thing. ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-help-me-be-the-man-you-want-your-man-to-smell-like/549049/60 "2010-08-11T21:42:18Z")
And you’re gonna needa horse. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-help-me-be-the-man-you-want-your-man-to-smell-like/549049.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-help-me-be-the-man-you-want-your-man-to-smell-like/549049.md?page=4)