Best BPAL for gym, workout, sports, exercise?

[ivyandpeony]

The gym I go to uses a lot of automatic deodoriser things and lately they've switched from something vaguely almondy to something that's like vanilla and burnt cookies...

...

 

Ugh, that would make me so sick I'm queasy thinking about it! Wonder if it would be worth complaining to management about? It's not like it actually makes the air cleaner or has some kind of health benefit.

 

Regular perfumes would get overwhelming really fast at the gym, and I can't imagine someone wearing Snake Oil to a cardio workout - but something citrusy applied with a very light hand, maybe just to your wrists so you can take a sniff, shouldn't overwhelm anyone else, especially if you're all having to breathe synthetic air deodorizer fumes. Sudha Segara is one that hasn't been mentioned lately, it's the kind of ginger that smells almost lemony.

[juntarou]

Today it was lemon wafers.

Rather odd.

 

Hurry hurry postal service, I want my nice smellies to wash my nose of the ick!

[emily2531]

My opinion is that you shouldn't wear perfume to the gym. Your body heat will make your scent over-project.

[Narya]

i wear sudha segara when i work out. it's not very powerfull and overwhelming, noone ever said they hated it, and it actually works great in keeping ME isolated from other people's scents, be it natural sweat or cologne abusers. so it's not about killing others with your perfume, just finding something that will keep "your" space clean

[laliloo]

I can't abide working out at the gym, but when I go out for a run I regularly put a dab of Mary Read on each wrist. It's like a blast of salty seawater in the face and completely wakes me up and energises me. I find a quick sniff as I'm running helps me to breathe easier. I love it!

 

I love to wear a soft, clingy scent to yoga as well - my latest fave is Mouse's Long and Sad Tale, but Budding Moon and Hunter Moon are both favourites too. A nice smell definitely helps me relax, although I'm careful to apply only a little to the back of my hand so that I don't bother anyone else.

[juntarou]

I'm going to be extremely selfish today at kickboxing and unashamedly stink coconut milk and flowers at the other bimbos.

Obatala

I REGRET NOTHING!

[Kabooki]

I am bringing this back in hopes that people have some recommendations for ones that help keep you motivated WHILE you are working out? Lucky for me the only person I can "stink out" is my hubby so suggestaway!

[nightbiscuit]

It is so weird to find this, since for the past 2 days I have been really enjoying wearing my BPAL to work out! A beautiful smell is so refreshing and soothing. For me I love something light and sweet to keep me motivated (that and funky techno music!). On Tuesday I wore Faith, and loved it. Yesterday I wore Eisheth Zenunim, and found it blended beautifully with my sweatiness (gross? sorry!). Today I am going to wear Marae, actually I am going to change and go right now! So I suggest light sweet florals, if you are into that kind of thing. Fun topic!

[jizatt]

my suggestion is Wensleydale - it already smells clean

[donnatron]

I jog by myself so usually I just smell like whatever I smell like when I put on my shorts. However, I've found that Green Phoenix is a great motivational scent, as is Ultraviolet. Anything fresh and clean makes it a whole lot easier to keep my asthmatic ass going.

 

Anti-recommendation: I was wearing Sacred Whore of Babylon yesterday and by the time I finished my run I smelled like rancid bananas and cat farts. Definitely scrub that one off if you're headed towards the gym.

[loverstreet]

My workout is mowing our lawn, and let me tell you, in Houston, TX, in the heat of summer, that involves a lot of sweat! I have found the scent that works best for me is Aries - the pepper keeps me motivated and the florals last the whole hour that I mow. Strangely enough, that's the ONLY time I wear Aries, as its too strong for me indoors.

[nightbiscuit]

Anti-recommendation: I was wearing Sacred Whore of Babylon yesterday and by the time I finished my run I smelled like rancid bananas and cat farts. Definitely scrub that one off if you're headed towards the gym.

 

Wow, that is really bad. I tend to think spicy scents are less conducive to sweatiness.

[Avery]

This thread called my attention because I have recently been (somewhat oddly) compelled to put on BPAL before the gym, and I love it!

 

Usually I would pick something light, like hungry ghost moon, that is just fresh and sparkly. That´s nice enough but this week I put on spooky (figured the mint would keep me feeling cooler, mingling with the coconut chocolate would be invigorating) and it was just delightful! I don´t know if anybody else noticed.

 

I LOVED wearing Tombstone during my yoga class, and was feeling a little mean the other day and wore Dia de los Reyes (yummy chocolate) to my cardio class. hehee. honesly I don´t think I could wear anything really heavy or powdery (like snake oil!) to the gym, but they tend to stay personal enough on me I don´t think it´s being TOO invasive to anybody else´s sensibilities (I hope!). I´d like to try Coiled Serpent to yoga next time...

 

ETA: On the topic of spicy perfumes... the one day that I had Shub on at the gym I noticed that *everybody* seemed a little bit friendlier. hee.

Edited July 25, 2008 by Avery

[Spork]

Bump! Heheh, have been going to the gym almost every day and want something to wear that's maybe...minty? grapefruity? not too floral though, maybe light floral? Any help will be appreciated!

[MisterShrapnel]

This is the first time I've seen a recommendations thread and knew exactly what to suggest in the same second. O_o

 

Sounds to me like Night-Gaunt (from A Picnic in Arkham) would be pretty refreshing for a workout:

Their scent of their slick, rubbery hides is bittersweet, ticklish, and skin-creeping: something akin to yuzu, white grapefruit, and kumquat mixed with the snow-dusted flowers of Mount Ngranek.

It's mostly delicious fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice to me, with a light floral emerging later on. Even seems a little chilly ("snow-dusted"?) in the first few seconds. I love it!

[lainevierge]

I'm not supposed to wear perfume to yoga, but sometimes I put a wee little swipe of Obatala on my wrists before class. Sometimes.

[Apple]

I'm not supposed to wear perfume to yoga, but sometimes I put a wee little swipe of Obatala on my wrists before class. Sometimes.

I definitely understand why many yogis ask that you not wear scent to group practice (I'm sensitive to scent and have even been distracted by the strong scents of other people's deodorants!), but I don't think there's anything wrong with a teeny swipe that's just for you. I find Sudha Segara to be wonderful during yoga. It's very gentle and fresh - both invigorating and calming - and very non-intrusive. It's light and sticks close to my skin, so I don't have to worry that it's affecting someone else's mindfulness.

 

One time I made the mistake of going to an afternoon yoga class with the remnants of that morning's BPAL still clinging to my wrists. The Candy Butcher was not a good choice... very distracting, and not in a pleasant way.

 

I often wear Alice at martial art training - it's not too sweet and not too soft, and works well with sweat.

You know, I've been doing this as well. It's very fresh and keeps me feeling clean, even when I'm literally drenched in sweat and dragging myself across the mats.

 

O and Bengal have both come with me to martial arts and stayed for the whole class and the drive home. The amber and honey notes seem to be really durable.

I find honey to be extremely long-lived and good for counteracting sweaty funk, too. Bengal makes a great underarm deodorant, as do White Rabbit and Alice.

[lainevierge]

One time I made the mistake of going to an afternoon yoga class with the remnants of that morning's BPAL still clinging to my wrists. The Candy Butcher was not a good choice... very distracting, and not in a pleasant way.

 

I try to make a point of washing my arms right before going into the yoga studio to try and get rid of the traces of whatever I applied that morning. It usually works unless I've put something super sweet on that morning, which I try not to do if I can help it.

 

I really like applying Sudha Segara after a workout. I find it really refreshing, and it doesn't burn my post-workout skin like some of the minty scents tend to.

[ami226]

Velvet Nudie has become my personal gym scent. I love the skin musk and I find that it doesn't turn too sweet on me. More of a lemonish kinda fresh scent. It also doesn't have to much of a throw, so it is more personal refreshing. Also, I like the idea of wearing Nudie to the gym... Hee hee! It makes me want to work out.

[laslibres]

Wow, everyone wears Sudha Segara to yoga! I thought that was just me! It was totally the first place I wore my imp as soon as I smelled it.

 

Other than that, though, I can't abide ANYTHING foody or resinous or sweet when I'm getting all sweaty. Just can't. Don't know why. Or floral, either! If I'm going to be exercising or doing anything very physical (scenic strike at the theatre! argh), it has to be something fresh and clean, maybe green, maybe citrusy, if I even wear scent at all.

 

To that end, I like Tempest, Szepassony (a bit floral, but it's more like floral soap and that I can stand), Night Gaunt, Aizen-Myoo, Gennivre, maybe Dorian, Ostara (mostly bergamot on me), Long Night Moon, Garden Path With Chickens, Fairy Market, Dyan Moon, Stormhold, or Host of the Air.

[AnArtfuldodger]

Dirty or Wensleydale all the way!

[The Forest Floor]

I'm not sure if there is already topic for this... I think I read that 3-letter words like "gym" are not searchable.... Anyway, what are some good BPAL scents to wear to the gym? I take a lot of outdoor walks too, and I feel like I can just wear whatever suits my mood and the weather and the season for outdoor activities, but I need to find a couple of good scents (preferably GC) to wear to the indoor, sweaty, and sometimes fairly social environment of a gym. I would love some input and recommendations for things to try that you guys think would work well for that.

I'm thinking clean, bright smells that are generally regarded as pleasant/unoffensive with medium throw and several hours wear length. I've mostly been wearing Alice on gym days lately, which is ok, but it isn't what I am looking for. And I have Claircognizance, which has a nice, clean, fresh-linen type scent, but I'd like something more unique and fun, and from the general catalogue. I thought Snake Oil was nice until someone told me I smelled "like a baby", haha. I've learned that some scents behave badly on me when I'm sweaty. Red musk is a huge no-no!

 

If you go the the gym, what do you wear? What are your thoughts, experiences, and recommendations? Thanks for any insights!

 

[sqwook]

Right, I totally get what you mean, even your favorite scents can be awful at the gym because it's such an environment with a lot going on, in a lot of different ways. I like things much lighter than normal, and they dont' really need any base notes (Snake Oil seems like all base notes, I wore it once too and even /I/ was annoyed with myself though I love it ordinarily).

 

Embalming Fluid and Mag Mell are things I've worn before & are light enough for me for that situation.

 

What you might want to do is think of GC scents that you liked but that you felt didn't have enough "oomph" for all day, of that seemed lighter than you prefer. If they're too light for your typical use, then they may be perfect for the gym.

 

I feel like there *is* a thread with more ideas somewhere.

Oh! I found it:

http://www.bpal.org/topic/299-best-bpal-for-gym-workout-sports-exercise/?hl=exercise

[ioleda]

Alice and Sudha Segara to yoga. I work out at home besides that (bodyweight fitness and pilates), but I usually reach for something with champagne or mint as a note. If it feels zingy, upbeat or herbal I'll probably LOVE it for working out. Bon Vivant keeps me movin'!

Edited January 9, 2016 by ioleda

[Klepz]

I was gesticulating with an open decant of Pere Noel this morning and spilled some on myself before my run. It is an amazing workout scent! That orange