Dove Men+Care Antiperspirant Deodorant Stick, Clean Comfort 48 Hour Protection
What is it?
It’s a stick of solid antiperspirant.
What is that?
It’s topical applicant that you smear on your pits to prevent underarm stank and leakage.
Gimme the rundown, my dude.
As a man in his mid-to-late twenties, I take my underarm perspiration seriously. Nothing spoils a sensual moment or an important business presentation like a surprise rorschach test on your button-up as you stutter through your monthly report or pre-coitus presentation of colors. Feeling sweat trail down the length of your arm and drip off your wrist is bad enough when you’re home and your dad refuses to turn on the A/C, but when it happens during a company meeting it’s enough to drive a man to commit seppuku. Believe me, I’ve been there, reader-san. Your lucky tie won’t save you.
I’ll be damned if Dove hasn’t completely fixed this issue for me. I know there are people out there that will change what kind of shampoo and deodorant they use on a bi-monthly basis and I was one of those people, but I think I’ve finally found my unicorn deodorant. I’ve been using this product for well over nine months and I can safely say I haven’t dealt with pissy-pits since.
Frankly, “Clean Comfort” is a good name for it. It smells good and keeps you comfortable in uncomfortable situations. Or at least it keeps your armpits dry and pleasant-smelling; not much can be said about how it affects generalized anxiety disorders. The scent reminds me of a bar of soap mixed with fresh laundry - soft, gentle, inviting, and clean. Some deodorants have a strong edge to their scents, spicy or just overpowering no matter how little you use. I’m not a fan of deodorants that also try to masquerade as colognes because in my experience they try to do both and excel at neither. But I digress, this isn’t an issue here. This scent is a fresh-out-of-the-shower smell.
Wow, that sounds great. 10 outta 10, right?
Well, almost. The only real problem I’ve encountered is the touted duration of the product’s effectiveness. Supposedly it keeps you dry and dandy for 48 hours but I’ve not experienced that. Around the 18 hour mark of application, I’m usually smelling a little bit ripe, regardless of how little I’d exerted myself during the day. Slothful or not, the following day requires a new application. That’s not that big of a deal to me though. Applying deodorant every other day is too much to keep track of and I’m not cool with adding more complication to an already complicated life. The 48 hours thing is a marketing gimmick on an otherwise delightful antiperspirant.
Some men swear that by shaving your underarms you will increase the effectiveness of antiperspirants, but I can’t attest to this as my pits are uncharted, untamed wildlands where no razor has ever set blade.
On a related note, long armpit hairs will have a tendency to gather stale clumps of antiperspirant after repeated use. It doesn’t affect future application or worsen the effectiveness; it just looks a little bit odd. To be fair, the clumping phenomenon might have more to do with my showering regimen than the product itself, so take this paragraph with a grain of salt.
Does it please the eye?
The container looks pretty slick. It’s dark gray plastic with light lettering, all words easily legible. You won’t strain your eyes while trying to sound-out the names of the inactive ingredients. Overall, the design of the stick allows it to blend in on any surface similar to a sink, dresser, or nightstand. Maybe even a chiffonier if that’s more your taste. Either way, the container looks good and won’t draw attention.
Tl;dr
It won’t last 48 hours but it keeps you dry and smells great. I recommend it.