Deodorants for man-cubs

[Pua'i Mana'o]

It is time for the Boy to wear something. We went to Long's and tried opening a few lids, but he ended up getting too embarrassed by the situation and just wanted to leave, asking me to buy him something later. If I am not mistaken, it was in a copy of esquire magazine that mentioned Tom's of Maine deo in one of their columns on tips, but I didn't find that brand offered. Mr Mana'o is no help.

Any tips? He doesn't just want to use unscented stuff (or "the rock"). Mamma is supposed to bring him home something fab that makes him smell "not stupid". Advice?

[Glen Miyashiro]

Re: deoderants for man-cubs

Safeway carries Tom's of Maine, last time I looked. But it's probably "stupid".

Going by the ads aimed at the Boy's age, if you get him Axe he definitely will smell "not stupid". In fact, if the ads tell the truth, you'll have to pry the girls off him with a crowbar.

[lavagal]

Re: deoderants for man-cubs

Pua'i:
The yellow bar/stick by Arm&Hammer, Ultra Max antiperspirant/deoderant, might be just what he needs. I was watching Queer Eye... and they recommended it for the clueless hetero they were rehabbing. I've been using it ever since. I find it doesn't stain clothing as readily as Suave or Secret (I'm sure that's NOT an option!).

Good luck, Mamabear.

[Lei K]

Re: deoderants for man-cubs

My oldest son likes Speed Stick in the Irish Spring scent. It works pretty well in my opinion. Even after a long day at school (in our disgusting 110 F weather during summer) he smells like he just stepped outa the shower.

Axe is nice but did not work well with my son's sensitive skin, he broke out in a rash.

[Leo Lakio]

Re: deoderants for man-cubs

Axe is nice but did not work well with my son's sensitive skin, he broke out in a rash.

Tom's of Maine is good for those who are sensitive to the alcohol content of deodorants. The "woodspice" scent isn't overwhelming.

[Kittrick]

Re: deoderants for man-cubs

I'm going to ween my son onto old spice, because I think it's the best smelling deodorants. If you combine whatever deodorant you finally settle on with a daily dose of Body Mints, you won't have a smelly boy.

[zztype]

Re: deoderants for man-cubs

Let boy-san pick his own. We went store. He smelled a bunch. I tried to steer him to less-tantaran choices. He settled "Ultra Clear Degree."

Now if I could only convince him that he really, really needs to USE it.

[U'ilani]

Re: deoderants for man-cubs

Yeah, I would agree he should get to choose the smell he's going to be wearing all day long, but I would recommend you let him get a whiff of Axe. It seems to be one of the more popular ones.

[dick]

Re: deoderants for man-cubs

Steer clear of "Old Spice." Sorry, but that smells like an old dude... which is fine and good if you are "an old dude." Frankly, only old dudes should wear it. If you're under 50 and have it on, it's fraud as far as I'm concerned.

I agree with other posters, let him sniff it out himself. And don't be embarrassed... I still stand there at Longs and sniff... openly...

[acousticlady]

Re: deoderants for man-cubs

I don't know.......maybe I was a rotten mother. When it came time for my son to use deoderant, I showed him where we kept the Sauve in the cabinet - end of discussion. I'll admit, he never questioned it. If he wanted a "scent" he'd go for aftershave - which he wasn't into anyway.

[Kittrick]

Re: deoderants for man-cubs

Steer clear of "Old Spice." Sorry, but that smells like an old dude... which is fine and good if you are "an old dude." Frankly, only old dudes should wear it. If you're under 50 and have it on, it's fraud as far as I'm concerned.

I agree with other posters, let him sniff it out himself. And don't be embarrassed... I still stand there at Longs and sniff... openly...

Kittrick is checking himself for old dude. Nope, not old dude and wear old spice proudly. Both the body wash and the deo are pretty awesome. I think what you were smelling was old dude trying to be young dude + a little decay or maybe that was some imported cheese mixed in. Probably a little of all the above.

What people don't tell you about old spice is that it has a half life that covers up a lot of smells for longer, so I'd imagine a lot of folks who use it as a fountain of youth...much like a smelly combover.

[Pua'i Mana'o]

Re: deoderants for man-cubs

interesting evening we had.

Took the Boy and Younger Daughter (she is older than Boy) to the store. Boy and I go into deo aisle and he starts smelling stuff. We grabbed two deos --Tom's of Maine (woodspice) and Old Spice (red stick).

Daughter decides she likes OS and will keep it for herself. Boy then decided that he wanted the TOM anyway. Last night after his shower, Boy swiped each pit like he was applying car wax. I am trying not to laugh hysterically as I recall this.

Ah.

[Pomai]

Re: deoderants for man-cubs

Will someone please correct the spelling in the title of this thread. It's Deodorant.

Pua, I'm surprised you didn't already have your own answer for this question.

Get what's on SALE. Cheaper the better. Especially if he's just a "man-cub". Heck, I've used generic deodorants from the 99 cent store that had a great fragrance, and were just as effective as the name-brand stuff from Long's.

One of the sticking questions (no pun intended) to this is, what TYPE of deodorant to buy?

Roll-on?
Spray?
Stick?

Don't matter to me. I just get what's on SALE. lol

I do tend to go for those that have "sport" on it, as I assimilate that with being for someone who is active, like I am.

One brand I dislike the scent of is BRUT. Bleh.

Looking at the one I'm currently using, the active ingredient is Aluminum Zirconium Tetrachlorohydrex. (17.8%) Antiperspirant. Isn't that the same stuff they put in frozen TV dinners? lol

[Vanguard]

Re: deoderants for man-cubs

Nature's Gate is a good brand. Anything aluminum-free. I hope you can find that brand at a mainstream store.

[cynsaligia]

Re: deoderants for man-cubs

old spice deodorants come in more than just the original old spice scent. none of them smell old man-y to me. many smell better than axe, which to me, smells like teenaged boy trying too hard to smell sexy.

don't forget the diff b/w deodorants (fights odor with some sort of antiseptic agent) and antiperspirants (usu. have some kind of aluminum compound thing that plugs the sweat pores. most anti-ps have deodorant in them, adding to the confusion). sweat, in and of itself, IIRC, does not have smell, but sweat in pits + bacteria in pits (and the hairier you are in the pits, the more surface area for bacteria to hang out) = stinky. which is why bathing is so important.

some folks have rash reactions to the aluminum compounds used in anti-p, like eric, who, if he uses anything at all, uses the rock. the rock, made of salt, creates an environment unfriendly to bacteria. it doesn't help with wetness.

on the other hand, some people have rash reactions to the rock, like me. i can mostly get away with a regular deodorant or nothing at all. however, certain days of the month *ahem* i feel like i HAVE to use lady mitchum, which has the same level of aluminum zirconium tetrachlorohydrex gly (20%) as secret clinical strength (and it's had that same level for at least ten years back plus it's cheaper than secret clinical strength). the nice thing about lady mitchum is that it's a solid gel that does not stain black clothing, even if you put your clothes on right away. however, you do have to make sure your pits are absolutely dry before you glide it on, otherwise it doesn't "stick."