# Man scrub



## cgawlik (Apr 23, 2015)

I don't know if this has been covered already, my powers of search are nit working right now, 
I have a great ( I mean really great) emulsifyed sugar scrub recipe I use for myself and other females,  but want to make a "man scrub" but what do men look for in a scrub? Is this something worth trying? Do I use sugar? If not what other medium could I use? I find coffee gounds to be very harsh.. im sure there are more questions on this subject.. thanks


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## Cindy2428 (Apr 23, 2015)

I'm curious, so please don't think it's catty - Do you really think it's the sugar that men think is less masculine? I would think it's more about the scent. I can't use my hubby as an example because he uses whatever I put in the shower for him.


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## cgawlik (Apr 23, 2015)

Same with me! Hes just so indifferent.


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Apr 23, 2015)

It depends more on how it is put over:  "make you skin gleam with a rosey hue that will make your angelic appeal shine through" will not really do it.  A manly scent, as has been said, along with some good reasons for men to use it...............that'll be enough.


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## snappyllama (Apr 23, 2015)

The only thing I'd add is to think a little about the different reasons a man might have for wanting a scrub.  I'm treading in sterotypes here. This is not based on any personal anecodote.

Guys hands get dirty and cut up from fiddling with things when they should be wearing gloves. Now those gloves that you bought for them are in the garage. They know that they exist. But, they aren't going to use them for fixing the greasy, sharp-edged machine thing.  So they get goopy hands with little cuts.  They need to clean them with a scrub, but those little cuts are going to make salt scrubs an incredibly bad idea... much like refusing to wear perfectly wonderful gloves that are in the garage.

I'd stick with things that won't hurt a man's hand any more than his stubborness already has.  Oh, it should smell outdoorsy and have packaging that screams "Grandpa's shed" instead of "MeeMaw's kitchen".


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## Seawolfe (Apr 23, 2015)

My husband is going through a patchouli phase, so he might use a scrub scented with that, or something like patchouli orange. And he loves the Prorasso (sp?) eucalyptus and mint scent  - Im sure theres some menthol in there too, but I don't know about adding that to a scrub, would that work?

Edit to add: cedar and fir also scream "manly workshed"


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## shunt2011 (Apr 23, 2015)

I make a scrub with pumice and orange eo. Husband is a machinist and he and his co-workers love it.


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## pamielynn (Apr 23, 2015)

Are you talking scrubs for hands or body? 

I don't think any of the men I sell to (including my DH, who gets it all for free) really use a body scrub, unless some woman has talked them into it.  But they love scrub for their hands.

Make it smell "manly" - but I don't think there's a need to add any more "scrub" than usual for the body.


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## SplendorSoaps (Apr 23, 2015)

My husband really likes the soap I make with coffee grounds. I try to grind them really finely, but I can see where they could feel harsh to some. What about a salt scrub in lieu of the sugar? Salt seems somehow more manly. LOL


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## vyadha (Apr 23, 2015)

I make a hand bar with coffee grinds for when I get home from work, I am a male, and I use it daily. My gf does think its a bit scratchy but it does clean very well.


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## Rowan (Apr 23, 2015)

My husband loves my coffee ground soap too. He found pumice too fine.  I found a sense of humour works wth men too.  I gave my brother an oat soap for Christmas. I labelled it "Scrub Soap for Seriously Dirty Bast...s". He laughed so much on Christmas Day and couldn't resist trying it out and now only uses my soap!  

TEG and the others are right.  The label has to scream manliness, in a way they can understand what it does.  I tried to explain a sugar scrub to my brother and couldn't work out why he looked so blank.  My husband said its like "swarfvega".  The lightbulb went on immediately.  My sister in Law wasn't too pleased though - he keeps using hers!! She's had to hide it!


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Apr 23, 2015)

Rowan said:


> ......................  My husband said its like "swarfvega".  The lightbulb went on immediately.  My sister in Law wasn't too pleased though - he keeps using hers!! She's had to hide it!



I am sat here chuckling at this!  Now I know what a sugar scrub should be like - good for getting engine grease off of my hands.


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## Rowan (Apr 23, 2015)

The Efficacious Gentleman said:


> I am sat here chuckling at this!  Now I know what a sugar scrub should be like - good for getting engine grease off of my hands.



It made me chuckle too. it wasn't quite an appropriate lightbulb, but it worked! I now know what to make him for his birthday, along with a seriously manly label of course!


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## cgawlik (Apr 23, 2015)

Scent really isn't the question.. I have thoughts for that.. I guess my main questin is the medium.. I feel like sugar would be "off putting" to the majority of guys. With the amount of sugar I use it would take a ton of ground pumice,  my stepson has acne and uses my scrub and seems to like it, I am really just trying to alter what I have with a more "manly" seeming scrub for guys that can be used on hands and face..


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## snappyllama (Apr 23, 2015)

For a facial scrub, I really like ground adzuki beans.  That's it, just ground beans. Use a quarter size amount and wet in hand. Rub on face and rinse. Bobbi Brown sells them for an insane price and calls them buffing grains. The smell is very lightly beany - nothing offensive. 

http://www.bobbibrowncosmetics.com/product/14014/7312/Skincare/Exfoliator/Buffing-Grains-for-Face


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## DeeAnna (Apr 23, 2015)

If you want ideas for how to appeal to the manly man, check out Duluth Trading Company http://www.duluthtrading.com/ They cater to workin' man types (and workin' girl types) with "buck naked" underwear, "ball room" jeans, long-tail tees with the slogan "Plumber's butt - Fixed!", and more.

I don' think guys will care whether it's sugar, coffee, or pumice as long as it gets the job done and appeals to a manly sense of humor. As I see it, I'd sell a sugar scrub to guys with the idea that the scrub rinses down the drain clean and quick, so you can get back to the job and the "ol' lady" won't complain about a messy sink. With pumice or coffee, that's not so true. Salt would work but I wouldn't use it in a scrub -- too stingy in cuts and nicks.


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Apr 24, 2015)

Aye, just call it a scrub and use the sugar - if you call it a sugar scrub it might be off putting to some, but if it is a "body scrub" that just so happens to have sugar in it.  There will be a lot of things in there that aren't part of the title.


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## green soap (Apr 24, 2015)

I make scrub soaps that are very popular with the dudes.  Coffee as the liquid, poppy seeds and salt soap shreds.  They are meant as hand scrubs, but guys use them on their bodies to shower.  Crazy I say but who am I to judge?  dudes will be dudes.  Tea tree and peppermint sells well, citrus rosemary sells really really well.  Only essential oils are used for scents but this might not matter.

Maybe you want a scrub soap rather than a scrub?


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## TwystedPryncess (May 5, 2015)

I think a body scrub would be popular among your men because the feedback I get from mine has been an almost unanimous 'please send me exfoilants'.  I have been using the ground walnut shell powder and they really like it.  Men are different in that you will have picky and not-at-all picky.  Mostly I am surrounded by not-at-all picky,  at least concerning scent,  and they tickle me because they will soon as pick up a bar or scrub of something scented like a moonflower (and these are my mechanics and warehouse workers) as much as something manly or woodsy.  I have also had several men request lavender, and honey almond,  and white colored soap.  Maybe use tool-themed words to market the scrub? Buffers?  Shiners?  Hide-smoothers? Lol.


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## cmzaha (May 5, 2015)

I sell to many men but not a one would use an emulisified scrub. In fact at one market my largest customers base is men. I make an extra scrubby mud bar with some orange oil and they are extremely popular. I also make a DB soap that has an extra scrubby layer of Coach's Steel Cut Oatmeal from Costco. It is an oat that still has some of the husk in tact. It is a win win for me, I use rebatched soap so I recycle all my discarded soaps and trimmings.


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## zolveria (May 5, 2015)

*Men toiletries*

Most men I believe are Homophobic SMH... If it has sugar they squint. My hubby squinted one day when i said Hey let scrub your lips with a sugar scrub. All he said was HMM Do go telling anyone i used this stuff LMAO. He did say his lips felt so soft like they did when he was younger. 

However salt scrubs he is okay with ? Go figure.



Cindy2428 said:


> I'm curious, so please don't think it's catty - Do you really think it's the sugar that men think is less masculine? I would think it's more about the scent. I can't use my hubby as an example because he uses whatever I put in the shower for him.


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## TwystedPryncess (May 5, 2015)

I recycle all of my soap trimmings as well.  They all go in a 'Soap Scraps'  Tupperware-type container until there is enough to make a pound or two or three.  Usually it's not pretty (last batch resembled raw breakfast sausage) but they are lovely to use.  

On with the scrubs,  that is something I haven't played with yet,  but I am imagining my son would love them.  He works in insulation and has worked in asbestos removal,  and even though they 'suit up',  he still says it feels like all that mess gets in his skin.


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## cmzaha (May 5, 2015)

TwystedPryncess said:


> I recycle all of my soap trimmings as well.  They all go in a 'Soap Scraps'  Tupperware-type container until there is enough to make a pound or two or three.  Usually it's not pretty (last batch resembled raw breakfast sausage) but they are lovely to use.
> 
> On with the scrubs,  that is something I haven't played with yet,  but I am imagining my son would love them.  He works in insulation and has worked in asbestos removal,  and even though they 'suit up',  he still says it feels like all that mess gets in his skin.


Color your rebatch with charcoal and it will look better than spam or sausage


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## LBussy (May 5, 2015)

shunt2011 said:


> I make a scrub with pumice and orange eo. Husband is a machinist and he and his co-workers love it.








Sorry, not trying to be snarky. I'm going through a "branding" exercise myself and it's just frustrating. 



DeeAnna said:


> I don' think guys will care whether it's sugar, coffee, or pumice as long as it gets the job done and appeals to a manly sense of humor.


That.

Guys are gross. They like gross and funny things. Farts are funny. Anti-Money Butt Powder is popular because it's funny and gross:





Some ideas:

Ditch Scrubber
Funk Fougere
Funk Be Gone
Clean up da' Funk
Man Polish
True Grit - and ya got yer picture right there
Pumice me parts!
Pull my finger Pumice Scrub
Smell my Finger Scrub
(In a Schwarzenegger voice Scrub my back
Dirty Harry's Ditch Scrub
Crud Crusher
It's amazing how creative you can get while sipping a nice small-batch Bourbon.


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## TwystedPryncess (May 5, 2015)

Will do!  Thank you for the idea,  cmzaha!


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## shunt2011 (May 5, 2015)

LBussy said:


> Sorry, not trying to be snarky. I'm going through a "branding" exercise myself and it's just frustrating.
> 
> 
> That.
> ...


 
I call my foaming scrub Dirty Deeds Pumice Scrub.  It's great on feet and hands.


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## JayBird (May 5, 2015)

I'm around midwestern men who like my CO soap swirled with charcoal, comfrey, and black walnut hull (hint: it looks like hunting camo); the charcoal bars made with any oils; anything with citrus EO or FO (especially orange); and plain white soap with lots of lather.


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (May 6, 2015)

I don't think homophobic is the right word - it didn't sound like he was afraid of homosexuals!

As has been said, the key is not the ingredients but the branding and the way it is marketed. I think men would happily use a sugar scrub, as long as it is not called 'angel shine skin super lovely sugar scrub'. I don't know if it needs to go so far over to 'dirty bum lumberjack scrub' either. Just say what it does


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## LBussy (May 6, 2015)

The Efficacious Gentleman said:


> I don't think homophobic is the right word - it didn't sound like he was afraid of homosexuals!


I think we lack a good word for what men are and why we think like we do.  Twenty years ago it would have been perfectly descriptive and universally understood if you said "I don't want to look gay."  (I am not pining away for days when we were less respecting of diversity, just making a point.)

A lady can use a man's deodorant, but a man would not be caught dead wearing "Secret."  Wearing pink, "messenger" bags (it's a purse), makeup, floral scents, pedicures, manicures, spa treatments, driving a Miata, all of these are seen as feminine and most men would not broadcast that they do/wear/use them.  My wife drags me to get a pedicure (never a "pedi!") before vacation so my feet don't look so bad.  Yes it feels great.  No I would not tell a random group of men "I have to go get my pedi", whereas "I have to go to the barber" is completely "manly."


So, I don't know why we're so .. femininephobic?  We don't have a good word for it.  We're just dumb men, pity us.


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## dixiedragon (May 6, 2015)

I personally don't care for sugar scrubs, not because they are "girly" (I'm a girl) but because I feel like they would leave me sticky. I like salt scrubs, salt bars, bars with oatmeal. I just don't care for sugar for scrubbing.

I don't think it's homophobic to want to be perceived as "manly" - whatever a particular man's definition of "manly" is. 

FWIW, the men around me never choose the camo bar scented with manly fragrance. They pick vanilla or peppermint. The women go CRAZY over the manly bar. Hint - the FO is "Sexy Man".


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## DeeAnna (May 6, 2015)

"...I feel like they would leave me sticky..."

But they truly aren't sticky. You rinse a sugar scrub off with water, just like a salt scrub, so the effect is exactly the same except no irritation from salt.


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## dixiedragon (May 6, 2015)

DeeAnna said:


> "...I feel like they would leave me sticky..."
> 
> But they truly aren't sticky. You rinse a sugar scrub off with water, just like a salt scrub, so the effect is exactly the same except no irritation from salt.


 

Intellectually I know you are right - but for whatever reason a salt scrub is "cleansing" in my mind and a sugar scrub is not. Plus I think about bacteria etc that like to eat sugar but don't eat salt.


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