Steve Hultgren asked me an odd question the other day. Come to think of it he's always asking me odd questions! Most likely to stimulate some content for these blog posts. He asked me whether or not I think a hint of body odor on a guy smelled sexy. There really was nothing to think about, hands down the answer was no. He was surprised at my answer and said he likes musky smells. As a woman, I have been trained since birth that what is sexy is something that smells good (I know, "good" and "sexy" are subjective.) Body odor to me is the epitome of uncleanliness. In fact, when I buy my husband's antiperspirant, it has to have scent, most times smelling like cologne. My husband does not wear cologne so his antiperspirant is the closest I can get to having him wear fragrance. The bottom line is that good underarm scent makes me want to snuggle closer to him, while the scent of body odor...not so much.
There is a difference between antiperspirant and deodorant, that being that antiperspirant is for controlling both underarm wetness and controlling body odor, while deodorants kill the bacteria that causes body odor. Antiperspirants can contain deodorant, but not vice versa.
I recall in the early 80's some male family members using aerosol deodorants (even using them myself), but as time went on and CFC's were cited as a major cause in the depletion of the ozone, I saw that soon fade away and the solid antiperspirants coming into play.
The biggest misconception among the public is that sweating causes staining of the underarms in your clothing, when in fact it is your antiperspirant that is the culprit. Antiperspirants are acidic and contain aluminum chloride. Aluminum chloride is what is used to plug your sweat glands to prevent perspiring from your underarms. You need to find what works best for you when it comes to sweating that will work properly with your unique body chemistry to combat wetness and odor.
When perusing the many men's forum's out there, I found that an overwhelming number of men recommended using Certain Dri to fellow wetness and body odor victims. The second most recommended antiperspirant was Old Spice. Again, this surprised me as I associate Old Spice with my father. Old Spice was something he used for shaving and for after shave lotion while I was growing up (and still does) and it is not something that I would not want my husband wearing.
I'm sure there are women out there that find a hint of body odor sexy on a guy. I'm just not one of them.
Posted by Shannon Nelson on December 5, 2006 7:43 PM
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