Guys, it’s time to start smelling like your grandfathers. I don’t mean how they smell now, but more like how they smelled back in the day. When they were your age, they dressed like a million bucks and smelled like real gentlemen.
The best colognes back then smelled like a barbershop and like real men. They dressed in suits every time they left the house and always had a sharp hat to wear over their immaculate haircut.
While it may be a lot to ask to dress like they did back in the day, you can still smell like them even now. There are a lot of colognes that evoke that many scent that men back then appreciated.
1 – Look for sandalwood
When you think of old school scents you usually think of what an old timey barber shop smells like. If you have ever been to one of the classic shops that have been around for a couple of generations, then you know the smell I mean.
That smell is almost always from the essence of sandalwood. It is the scent that many older shaving creams use as their fragrance. I don’t mean the ones in a can but the ones that you have to use a shaving brush and mug to generate.
Look for this as a fragrance in the cologne that you are looking for. Even new scents like Drakkar Noir have sandalwood and evoke the spiciness of shaving cream.
2 – Vetiver
If you have ever used Irish Spring soap then you are familiar with the scent of vetiver. It is a freshly cut grass fragrance that is used in many of the older generation colognes. This is the ideal scent to look for in the summer when you want to avoid the deep, amber fragrances that are a bit heavy.
Vetiver is crisp and fresh but still packs a punch so use colognes with this as their primary fragrance sparingly. A little spray over the collar and you’re good to go.
3 – Bay Rum
If you are on a budget, then using anything with bay rum is a good go to scent. It is a spicy blend that is usually found in old after shave lotions. You’ll get a bit of black pepper plus mace, nutmeg and even a bit of sandalwood to round it out.
You can get these at any drugstore shaving section at just a couple of bottles a pop. Or, you can look for cologne that uses it as a primary scent.
The key to remember is that an aftershave will only last for an hour or so where a cologne will last most of the day. The reason is that they are formulated differently because they have different purposes. An aftershave is meant to close up the pores after shaving and to disinfect the skin. It is usually alcohol based so it evaporates quickly. A cologne has less alcohol and more essential oils so it lasts longer.
If you can’t find either a cologne or aftershave, then you can always make your own DIY cologne.
