A "manly" scent?

H

helium

Member
Nov 16, 2007
1,596
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#1
I make my own lip balms because I really like doing it, and I have a vegan friend who is convinced that most lip balms have beeswax in them (I don't know whether this is true or not) but she likes it when I make them so she can make sure it's not animal derived. I don't know why I just typed all that, it's not even relevant to anything.

Lol to the point: my boyfriend doesn't wear lip balm but he really... really needs it. His lips are so cracked and when I see him my lips start to hurt because they look so painful! He said he finds lip balm uncomfortable, he doesn't like the oily feeling on his mouth, but if I made him lip balm he'll use it because I made it.

So yes, I am making him lip balm. The fragrances I use in mine are usually lemon, grapefruit, or 'passionfruit and rose (how much girlier can you get?)', none of which seem to suit him. He is a man after all. I thought about leaving it unscented but I use apricot oil and avocado butter, and those two mixed together seem to make a smell that isn't too great? Either way, any advice is appreciated over a 'manly' scent.
 
#2
LOL helium, you're so funny.

Anyway, what about mint? Or no scent? Grapefruit is kinda manly too...

I think that lip blams are usually pretty fruity anyway, so as long as you don't make him a rose-scented one, it should be ok... I don't know if mint will tingle his lips though! I used to be just like your BF - I hated that oily feeling (also because my mum used to smear is on my lips and right up under my nose LOL). Now I love it - I just hate when my lips feel raspy and scaly.

I taught my BF to wear lip balm when we went skiing - I made him put the thinnest, stingiest layer on and rub his lips together so it wouldn't be too greasy... would your BF do that?
 
#3
Sandalwood is about the only thing that comes to mind right now. Or maybe lavender if he doesn't find that too girly. I think you're spot on with rose oil for dry skin though ... maybe try just one drop of rose oil to four or five of sandalwood ... maybe try a little orange in there? My nose gives up in confusion if I try too much experimenting, but anyway, have fun!
 
#4
SOrry, I just reread the avocado butter and apricot oil bits. Does it really smell that bad? Or just neutral and/or medicinal?

Actually, what about apricot? Very faintly? That's kind of nice - not particularly manly, but short of getting sandalwood or some kind of spice (blurgh), in which case his face will smell like aftershave, I don't think you'll find a very manly scent...
 
#5
PinkCupcake said:
Sandalwood is about the only thing that comes to mind right now. Or maybe lavender if he doesn't find that too girly. I think you're spot on with rose oil for dry skin though ... maybe try just one drop of rose oil to four or five of sandalwood ... maybe try a little orange in there? My nose gives up in confusion if I try too much experimenting, but anyway, have fun!
Click to expand...

LOL - posted at the same time Pink Cupcake! Great minds, great minds... :sweatdrop:
 
#6
i_wona said:
LOL helium, you're so funny.

Anyway, what about mint? Or no scent? Grapefruit is kinda manly too...

I think that lip blams are usually pretty fruity anyway, so as long as you don't make him a rose-scented one, it should be ok... I don't know if mint will tingle his lips though! I used to be just like your BF - I hated that oily feeling (also because my mum used to smear is on my lips and right up under my nose LOL). Now I love it - I just hate when my lips feel raspy and scaly.

I taught my BF to wear lip balm when we went skiing - I made him put the thinnest, stingiest layer on and rub his lips together so it wouldn't be too greasy... would your BF do that?
Click to expand...

Aww shucks i'm glad you think i'm funny :shame:.
My mum used to do that too! Maybe I should do what our mothers did to my boyfriend, and then do what you did to yours... i'm sure suddenly it wouldn't feel greasy at all!

PinkCupcake said:
Sandalwood is about the only thing that comes to mind right now. Or maybe lavender if he doesn't find that too girly. I think you're spot on with rose oil for dry skin though ... maybe try just one drop of rose oil to four or five of sandalwood ... maybe try a little orange in there? My nose gives up in confusion if I try too much experimenting, but anyway, have fun!
Click to expand...

I can't remember what Sandalwood smells like... does it smell like a yoga studio? I can't figure out what my yoga studio smells like but he hates it. I will go check it out tomorrow.

I think I might go with mints. It will make the lips tingly, but I feel like if your lips are tingling it doesn't seem greasy anymore.. or is that just me?

Hehe i'm browsing a website of lip balm flavours... there's pepper and parsley and ick, ginger! Should I use him as a lab rat :graucho: (that emoticon looks so... sleazy)?
 
#7
Ack, you all post while I post!

I don't know if manly is the right word... I was just thinking suitable for a man. For some reason lemon and grapefruit make me think of summer days with the girlfriends while we have tall cocktails and facials and... uh stuff like that. And apricots make me think of cuticle oil (?).

And about the avocado apricot thing. I don't actually know what an unscented batch smells like because i've never made one! I just add fragrance last so for a while it's just all the melted ingredients in the jug, and it doesn't smell very good to me. Or maybe it's actually the smell of my kitchen... ahaha... it needs to be cleaned.
 
#8
helium said:
I can't remember what Sandalwood smells like... does it smell like a yoga studio? I can't figure out what my yoga studio smells like but he hates it. I will go check it out tomorrow.
Click to expand...

I think that might be patchouli.

helium said:
I think I might go with mints. It will make the lips tingly, but I feel like if your lips are tingling it doesn't seem greasy anymore.. or is that just me?

Hehe i'm browsing a website of lip balm flavours... there's pepper and parsley and ick, ginger! Should I use him as a lab rat :graucho: (that emoticon looks so... sleazy)?
Click to expand...

Sounds like a good idea to me - if you mix up a few varieties, all different, there's a better chance one of them will appeal to him.
I've actually had to stop using anything on my lips at all, because I'm so :cursing: allergic to so many things, and you can't help but lick anything off (I have food intolerances, not skin problems). Had horribly dry lips for about two weeks after I stopped using moisturiser etc but then they settled down and haven't given me any trouble since. Just wish there was a lippy out there I could use ... you know, if I thought I could do something like you're doing, I'd be in the kitchen melting and mixing in a flash. Sort of like cooking. Go for it with the mints and things ... I'm sure he's worth the effort!
 
#9
UGH patchouli ugh ugh ugh LOL

I love that tingly feeling, helium - have you ever tried Mentholatum lip balms? I used to love them! Unfortunately, they don't tingle on me anymore because I used them so often, but I gave some to my friend a while ago and she was like "OWWWWWW!"
 
#10
I used to love the Mentholatum lip balms! They stopped tingling for me too, and I found they're not greasy enough for me anymore ever since I got the coffee shop job, because I can't constantly reapply.

Lol i'll keep patchouli away from him... I just thought sandalwood... sand coloured wooden floors... my yoga studio?

And pinkcupcake: http://www.notmartha.org/tomake/lipbalm is what got me started on my craze. I don't know what exactly it is that you're allergic to, but surely if you were in control of the raw ingredients used in your lip balm you'd have no problem? Home made lipbalms are really just 40% wax, 30% butter (oil at solid temperature), 10% oil (liquid), and the rest fragrance oils and essential oils and stuff like that, melted and poured into small tubs. So if you shopped around for those (my combination is canauba wax, avocado butter, apricot oil) then you should have no problems. Good luck!
 
#12
Vanilla or Almond should work. Not too girly. You might want to ask him to do a sniff test on some of your scents and then he can pick something out that he likes. Me, I only like stuff that smells like food. As soon as it crosses over into the floral or perfume categories, I don't like it. My DH on the other hand, can tolerate some of the more masculine perfumes.
 
#13
Ah I forgot about vanilla... I buy my scents off the internet so I wish I could sniff test them too! I only have the girly ones lol.

Hehe beer... now that you mention it... when was the last time he had a beer? I feel like we've had no beer all vodka. It's weird!
 
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