Men"s Aftershave
This article is written with the aim of helping men in selecting and using men's aftershave, which of all the aspects of cosmetics, is probably the one that men feel most comfortable with.
Makeup and moisturizer, while gaining ground, are somewhat less socially accepted, but I've written other articles which discuss that.
How you smell is a huge part of peoples impression of you.
On a primal level, we're programmed to be able to judge peoples quality as a potential mate by the way that they smell - unpleasant smells are a warning sign of gene incompatibility.
Thanks to the industrial revolution, you can get a pleasant smell in a bottle, so if your odor isn't appealing to the fairer sex, its very easy to correct it.
Of course, this has the side effect of raising the bar - with so many other people smelling great, by simply not applying aftershave you're getting left behind! Before we discuss aftershave further, lets start at the foundation of smell - deodorant.
When you've had a shower and shampoo, and have finished drying yourself, you should apply deodorant to your underarms.
Deodorant's main function isn't masking odor - it's killing the bacteria that react with perspiration to cause the odor in the first place, as well as stifling their growth.
If you can minimize the bad smells, you're at a much better starting position when it comes to smelling good.
Lets talk about applying aftershave.
From the name you'd deduce that the best time to apply it is after you've had a shave, but the facial application of aftershave is a terrible idea - it dries out the skin, and reduces its ability to repair itself, increasing the aging process.
With modern cosmetics, there are aftershave balms and lotions that handle post shaving skincare, but the spray on fragrances have retained the name aftershave, much to the confusion of many people! A common problem of aftershave use is using too much, which overpowers the nostrils of anyone who comes close to you, creating the negative impression you're trying to avoid in the first place.
The common consensus is that you should use between 1 and 3 sprays, applied to the back of the chest, wrists, or neck.
These areas have a lot of body heat, which helps to lift the fragrance from your skin, spreading it around you.
Makeup and moisturizer, while gaining ground, are somewhat less socially accepted, but I've written other articles which discuss that.
How you smell is a huge part of peoples impression of you.
On a primal level, we're programmed to be able to judge peoples quality as a potential mate by the way that they smell - unpleasant smells are a warning sign of gene incompatibility.
Thanks to the industrial revolution, you can get a pleasant smell in a bottle, so if your odor isn't appealing to the fairer sex, its very easy to correct it.
Of course, this has the side effect of raising the bar - with so many other people smelling great, by simply not applying aftershave you're getting left behind! Before we discuss aftershave further, lets start at the foundation of smell - deodorant.
When you've had a shower and shampoo, and have finished drying yourself, you should apply deodorant to your underarms.
Deodorant's main function isn't masking odor - it's killing the bacteria that react with perspiration to cause the odor in the first place, as well as stifling their growth.
If you can minimize the bad smells, you're at a much better starting position when it comes to smelling good.
Lets talk about applying aftershave.
From the name you'd deduce that the best time to apply it is after you've had a shave, but the facial application of aftershave is a terrible idea - it dries out the skin, and reduces its ability to repair itself, increasing the aging process.
With modern cosmetics, there are aftershave balms and lotions that handle post shaving skincare, but the spray on fragrances have retained the name aftershave, much to the confusion of many people! A common problem of aftershave use is using too much, which overpowers the nostrils of anyone who comes close to you, creating the negative impression you're trying to avoid in the first place.
The common consensus is that you should use between 1 and 3 sprays, applied to the back of the chest, wrists, or neck.
These areas have a lot of body heat, which helps to lift the fragrance from your skin, spreading it around you.