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Longevity and beards/stubble!

post #1 of 18
4/19/07 at 7:06pm
Thread Starter 
Hey, I just noticed this, though I guess it's pretty obvious.

I'm someone who only shaves every two or three days, because it's too brutal on my skin. I've definitely noticed a pattern in scent longevity and diffusion. Clean shaven days get the most longevity and diffusion, and the most stubbly days get the least. I guess it's because alot of the stuff goes on to the hairs, where it doesn't get absorbed or heated up in order to project.

Anyone else notice this, or am I just imagining things?

I haven't had a beard for years, but does anyone here have one? how does it affect your fragrance habit?

I spray mostly on my neck and cheeks so it's right where the stubble is.
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post #2 of 18
4/19/07 at 7:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by GAIVS IVLIVS CAESAR View Post

I guess it's because alot of the stuff goes on to the hairs, where it doesn't get absorbed.

Actually..I think hair is suppose to absorb the perfume oils...and should last longer though bread stubble is rather short....it probably won't work. Also, try not to spray perfume on your cheeks....it's not so good for the skin on your face.
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post #3 of 18
4/19/07 at 8:12pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by nsamadi View Post

Actually..I think hair is suppose to absorb the perfume oils...and should last longer though bread stubble is rather short....it probably won't work. Also, try not to spray perfume on your cheeks....it's not so good for the skin on your face.

How is it bad for the skin of the face? I like to have it there so I can smell it more.
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post #4 of 18
4/19/07 at 8:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by GAIVS IVLIVS CAESAR View Post

How is it bad for the skin of the face? I like to have it there so I can smell it more.

Fragrance is really harsh for the facial skin, I wouldn't recommend it either. Most perfumes, especially mainstream ones, have ingredients that are very irritating over time for sensitive skin (like on the face). Infact, it could even cause almost permanent blotching on your face over time if a perfume has photosensitizing oils in it (oils that make the skin more susceptible to the sun, like citrus oils and cedar).
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post #5 of 18
4/19/07 at 9:21pm
Thread Starter 
Ooh! Thanks for the warning then. That's too bad, I love to have Xeryus Rouge, The Vert or Jardin en Mediterrannee on my face.
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post #6 of 18
4/19/07 at 9:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by GAIVS IVLIVS CAESAR View Post

Ooh! Thanks for the warning then. That's too bad, I love to have Xeryus Rouge, The Vert or Jardin en Mediterrannee on my face.

I know, I love a good smelling aftershave (all-natural kind) and wish the scent lingered longer. I suppose it wouldn't be too bad to wear a little fragrance on the face every so often, and as long as you're sure you won't be exposed to the sun.
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post #7 of 18
4/19/07 at 10:16pm
I don't wanna get too much in the details of it right now..I'm kinda busy but in general it isn't good to use alcohol based products on your face.

It dries the skin and it can cause irritation on a clean shaven face. After extensive usage your facial skin can look like a dried up prune.

But lately there has been some debate whether or not alcohol based facial products actually can be really harmful to your skin...because it depends on the type of alcohol (there are so many). Supposedly it has to be "pure" alcohol to be very harmful to the skin on your face. Thought it's being debated and might be a myth...who knows. They say most forms of alcohol in facial products shouldn't cause harm to your skin..but I'd still use non-alcohol products.

Whatever...do what you like...it behinds on your skin type...check out your skin...is it dry? or are you young and already getting wrinkles?....it might be okay with your skin type...it really depends.
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post #8 of 18
4/19/07 at 10:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by GAIVS IVLIVS CAESAR View Post

I'm someone who only shaves every two or three days, because it's too brutal on my skin.

Just a thought, you might want to cruise and dig through the forums at Badger & Blade - I'm sure the guys over there would be happy to help you figure out a way to avoid tearing up your face while shaving.

Oh, and not all alcohol products are bad for the face on your skin. Case in point: Aqua Velva may still be one of the best aftershaves on the market.
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post #9 of 18
4/20/07 at 2:26am
Heh. I was just noting something the other day. My roommate, who is a 29 year old Saudi man, sprays about 10 shots of Le Prince (an AdG ripoff) into his hand, then rubs it onto his face, cheeks, and neck. I don't have the heart to tell him that this isn't the most effective, nor hypoallergenic method of application.

Essential oils clog up pores, causing a bevy of problems, so it's best to avoid them on or around your face. Hypoallergenic products are almost always free of fragrances for this reason.
- Rich
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post #10 of 18
4/20/07 at 3:09am
I tend to find fragrances last longer when I have a bit of stubble.

Is it not the same principle as women spraying perfume on their hair for improved longevity?
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post #11 of 18
4/20/07 at 8:46am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dante View Post

I tend to find fragrances last longer when I have a bit of stubble.

Is it not the same principle as women spraying perfume on their hair for improved longevity?

Not quite, because women spraying on their hair don't let the perfume come in contact with the facial skin.
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post #12 of 18
4/20/07 at 10:07am
Like Caeser, I tend to be slightly schizophrenic with my facial hair: clean shaven one week, full beard for a month or so, goatee for a few days. You get the picture.

Honestly, I have not found facial hair (or lack of it) affecting longevity of my scents at all...however, I do not apply any of my scents near my face - just my non-hairy neck line.

Now this thread got me thinking, does body hair (arms, chest, etc) affect longevity, 'cause I spray fragrances on my body and I have hair on my chest, arms. etc... I do not shave my body hair, but if I did would this affect longevity?

Any body hair shavers (pro swimmers, fashion models, card carrying metrosexuals?) out there in BN who could answer this?
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post #13 of 18
4/20/07 at 10:31am
All Hail, Caesar!!!!
Very interesting question! I'm also intrigued that it didn't come up before. Maybe there's a diminishing trend in beard usage?

I'm clean-shaven, so that doesn't come up for me, but every so often I get antsy and grow a moustache and small beard.

I've thought about taking a poll on a related subject that doesn't seem to come up much; I never use aftershave, only cologne. Aftershave is, IMHO, just overly weak cologne. But that's probably off-topic.

I've side-stepped all of this, because after much experimenting with where to spray, I don't spray on the neck or head at all. I found I was getting a rash on my neck all the time, and yes, generally where I was shaving. I spray the soles of my feet. No, not really. I just spray on the backs of my hands, where I never have allergy problems at all, and I get good sillage.

Cheers, Dave
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post #14 of 18
4/20/07 at 12:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Maxwell View Post

Not quite, because women spraying on their hair don't let the perfume come in contact with the facial skin.


But what I'm saying is, perhaps fragrance lasts longer with stubble because hair holds onto it longer.
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post #15 of 18
4/20/07 at 12:53pm
Thread Starter 
Hmm - I find spraying on hair really doesn't accomplish anything. I basically spray for my own enjoyment, and where it sticks is the neck/throat (the part you do shave) and the face - though it seems like that's a bad idea!

I'm quite sure that clean shaven days, the scent projects more and lasts longer than unshaven days.

It's funny that people have the opposite experience!

While I find spraying on hair does nothing, I've noticed that if you spray the fur (incl fake fur) lining of a coat, that *really* projects for some reason. A female friend took a shot of my M7 and the sillage was silly! I thought it was her skin and I was jealous, but it was just her coat lining around her neck!
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post #16 of 18
4/20/07 at 5:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dante View Post

But what I'm saying is, perhaps fragrance lasts longer with stubble because hair holds onto it longer.

Oh yeah, definitely. Hair holds on to scent much longer than skin does. After a period of time, the skin will "digest" the scent and start to absorb a portion of it, whereas on hair the fragrance will last until it's washed off or evaporates. If you have really dry hair, though, part of the fragrance will get absorbed into it as well and reduce the sillage.
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post #17 of 18
4/20/07 at 5:50pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Maxwell View Post

Oh yeah, definitely. Hair holds on to scent much longer than skin does. After a period of time, the skin will "digest" the scent and start to absorb a portion of it, whereas on hair the fragrance will last until it's washed off or evaporates. If you have really dry hair, though, part of the fragrance will get absorbed into it as well and reduce the sillage.

I guess my hair is dry because fragrance just disappears into it - but could it also be that since hair is not heated the way your skin is that the fragrance tends not to evaporate and so it may be there but you won't smell it?
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post #18 of 18
4/20/07 at 6:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by GAIVS IVLIVS CAESAR View Post

I guess my hair is dry because fragrance just disappears into it - but could it also be that since hair is not heated the way your skin is that the fragrance tends not to evaporate and so it may be there but you won't smell it?

Dry skin and hair actually "eats" fragrance, literally absorbs it. If you moisterize, but you're in a cold environment, the frag will still be there but there's no heat to diffuse it. If you spray fragrance on the hair on your head, it won't be as diffusive (unless it's summer) as the hair on your body. Fragrance tends to last the longest on chest hair, because it's close to the skin, and the chest is generally the warmest area of the body so you get more sillage.

A good, natural scentless hair conditioner helps a lot, and moisterizing the body with a scentless oil (jojoba oil is awesome) will almost always make fragrances last a LOT longer. The only trade-off is you get slightly less sillage because the oil holds the fragrance down a little, but it's minimal.
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