Recently, the idea of “smelling like a man” has become something of a media and marketing phenomenon. Seriously, if you don’t recognize this guy:
then you have probably been living under a rock for the past couple years. But let’s think about this. Is that guy up there on the white horse, wearing white capris, with a shirt tied around his neck really a representation of manliness? No, my good sir, I don’t believe it is.
Now don’t get me wrong, I love a good commercial just as much as the next guy. I can also appreciate a good marketing scheme and I really do think Old Spice is on to something. I also appreciate the fact that they stayed away from the temptation to take the over-sexed and extra annoying approach to “manliness” that Axe took.
But I digress. This idea of smelling like a man leads you to ask the question, “What does a man really smell like?” Well, let’s be honest, its not pleasant. Without the aids of soaps and deodorants, men stink. But why does cleanliness mean having to smell like some froo-froo capri wearing hairless guy that none of us will ever really resemble? Well take heed, men, there is another option.
It is my thesis that men should smell like the ground they were made from. They should smell like the mighty cedar, strong and resilient. They should smell like a glacier, unchanging and steadfast. So how do we smell like that, you ask? Well, you could just spend your life out among these natural elements, but I am guessing that most of us live in a slightly more suburban setting. So if you are like me and can’t get out and spend time with trees and rocks and, well, nature as you’d like to, then check out Juniper Ridge.
Juniper Ridge makes soaps, room fragrance sprays, essential oils, teas and a variety of other things. All of their products are completely natural and don’t have any added artificial fragrances. I was fortunate enough to check out 3 of their soaps, a couple room sprays, and their Douglas Fir tea. It is now my pleasure to recount for you my experiences with each of these products.
Soaps
I will admit that prior to receiving these soaps I was using whatever body wash I happened to have a coupon for. I didn’t really concern myself too much with what scent I had because they all basically smelled the same. When I got these soaps, I hurriedly opened one of the boxes, gave it and whiff and exclaimed, “Holy cedar trees, this smells like outside!” Of course, by that statement I meant the GOOD outside, not the pollution filled outside we are used to. These soaps smell like the outside we all dream of.
Room Sprays
“Aromatic Room Sprays” are something we are familiar with. We’ve seen the glade plugin commercials where rooms are transformed in cutesy puppy and flower filled realms of happiness that almost make you want to throw up. They come with scents like “Spring Rain” or “Fresh Linen” or “Tropical Paradise” but who really wants their man cave smelling like fresh linen? These Juniper Ridge room sprays are exactly what you need to bring a little of the outdoors, indoors. When I sprayed this in my house, I said out loud, “Great gushing glaciers! This smells like outside!” (are you beginning to see a pattern here?) This stuff is incredible.
Douglas Fir Tea
One of my favorite shows is Man vs. Wild. On numerous occasions I have seen Bear Grylls take some fir needles, steep them in boiling water and make tea. I always thought to myself, “there is no way that tastes that good. He is probably half dehydrated, he’s eaten nothing buy rotting animal carcass, so of course “tea” made of nothing but pine needles is going to taste like Ambrosia.” Well, it looks like I will have to write Bear an apology letter for not believing his exclamations about how good tea made from good ole natural douglas fir needles really is. What were my thoughts upon that first taste? ”Holy potent pine needles! This taste like a pine tree!” I don’t know if that sounds good to you or not, but trust me, it is.
Over all, Juniper Ridge is just a cool company. 10% of all their profits are donated to protecting the wilderness and they definitely stay true to what nature has to offer in their products. If you are looking for something to man up your life and bring in a little of the great outdoors, you definitely need to check these folks out.
Pros:
- The soap will make you smell like a man you wouldn’t be embarrassed to look like.
- The tea is delicious
- The room spray will absolutely blow your mind
Cons:
- I found that the room spray fragrance didn’t hang around very long, but I think that is by design.
- They don’t offer a cologne. I want them to make a cologne, BADLY.
Modern Vintage Man Score: 5/5
