Men: Keeping it fresh

 If you were like me, you didn’t care and you probably didn’t do anything about it. After all, you couldn’t smell it, and of course as a teenager you are not supposed to care about anything other people tell you.
Unfortunately, I know far too many grown men who still smell like reeking teens, and whether they know it or not, their odour problem is wreaking havoc on their personal relationships, their business prospects, and the respect people give them. Most of us are too polite to confront a man with an odour problem and some men live completely oblivious to the foul destruction they leave in their wake.
We grow accustomed to our own scents and as putrid as they are, we cannot recognise them. Our nose filters out and ignores many background odours, such as the ones in our nasal passages. Some of us also have poor olfactory senses, so bad odours don’t bother us like they do others. Time to wake up and smell the body odour!
Dealing with bad breath
The first step is to recognise the problem. Every man should be aware of the potential horrors of his own breath. You don’t want co-workers to cringe when you sit down next to them and women to turn their cheek when you go in for the smooch.
The best way to test your breath is to ask your spouse or a friend for their feedback. If no one is around, try scraping a bit of scum from the back of your tongue with your fingernail, placing it on the back of your hand, and then smelling it.
Bad breath typically occurs on an empty stomach, after eating certain foods like garlic, when suffering from sinus conditions, smoking, or for other more complicated reasons. To eliminate it, be sure to eat, drink plenty of water, and brush your teeth, tongue, and gums regularly. Using a commercial mouthwash may also help. Always keep a steady supply of breath mints.
If your bad breath persists no matter what you throw at it, pay a visit to your doctor.
Dealing with body odour
Everyone has a problem with body odour. The trick is to manage it correctly. This can be done by staying clean, using proper soaps, shampoos, deodorants, colognes, and washing your clothes regularly. You may think that the jeans you have worn every day for the last two weeks still smell fine, but anyone with a modicum of olfactory awareness, will tell you that you smell like the plague. Wear your jeans twice, at absolute most, three times, and wash them.
Using proper cleaning products is absolutely essential. When mismanaged, certain commercial fragrances create chemical warfare with your natural body odour. If you are a man on the go and don’t want to be troubled with many products and applications to complete your grooming, Clarins has the perfect solution: Total Shampoo! This is a two in one wash for hair and body, for all skin and hair types. It boosts your spirits, adds volume to hair and invigorates the senses. It contains a water-softening agent and Pro-vitamin B5 that helps tone the skin. It also promotes healthy looking hair by cleaning, strengthening and conditioning it.
Avoid spray-on deodorants and body sprays that have an overpowering scent. There’s no need to envelop yourself in a cloud of fragrance. Instead, find a subtle, mild, or no-fragrance deodorant or antiperspirant. Many of your typical grocery store deodorants, soaps, and aftershaves have cheap, tacky fragrances that hang on the wearer like an ugly overcoat. Rather take a bit of time to find a quality product with a sophisticated scent that works well with your body’s natural odour. Clarins Men’s deodorant contains a combination of minerals and plant extracts which reduces perspiration flow and neutralises odour-forming bacteria. And it’s suitable for sensitive skin!
Finding a proper cologne
Scents, like the clothing we wear and the language we use, inadvertently communicate a lot about us. An overpowering scent can be seen as vain, tacky, or sexually desperate. Of course it is safest to wear no scent at all.
However, an appropriate cologne can subtly enhance the image we project to the world.
There are two philosophies with regards to wearing fragrance. According to the first philosophy, people should wear a fragrance like they wear a piece of clothing. When people pass you, they might say, “Wow, that’s a really great scent you are wearing.” In the second approach, a person chooses a fragrance that will subtly enhance their own natural scent. Instead of saying “That’s a great cologne,” they might say “You smell nice today.” I personally prefer this second approach, and would strongly suggest that this is the best approach for daily use. On special occasions, you might find a strong, unique scent that draws attention to itself, but in general, you should find a subtle scent that mildly enhances your aura.
Finding the right scent for you will take some work.
Because everyone’s natural smell is different, colognes will react differently to each individual. It is impossible to judge simply from smelling the bottle.
You need to wear the scent and see how it reacts with your natural smell over time. Don’t be too eager to pick one out. Most of the stores that sell high quality fragrances will have testers for their product or samples you can take away with you. To find a scent you like and spray a small amount on your arm. Notice how the scent works with your body throughout the day.
Many men and women have made the mistake of purchasing a scent, only to abandon it after the first use, simply because they can’t stand the smell of it after a few hours. These are things you should try to find out before you make a purchase.
Enlist the help of your partner, spouse or girlfriend.
They will appreciate the care you are taking to manage your hygiene, and females are typically far more sensitive to fragrance than men.
Clarins: Long live men’s skin.
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