Normally whenever I go shopping for men's products I usually go with the flow and go with what I know. So I end up with unisex products or products which are kitted out for women; especially in the under arm department.

When I was younger I did the Lynx and the Insignia brands but always at the end of the day body sprays designed for men to combat sweating have never managed to meet their promise. And the prices for such products have been overpriced between £3 and £4 just for a 150ml to 200ml spray can, not counting in the associated body gels and shampoos which accompany the same product. As a man it seems its not just good enough to own a body deodorant; thanks to the pressures of marketing you are supposed to buy the entire range at the same time.

One product, which I have been using over a period of time, has been Sure's Oxygen cream roll on. Older packaging never suggested that this was a women's product but sure enough (literally) Sure have now gone and put "for women," in small black writing on their latest capsules of this excellent cream - and that puts me off because of the endless remarks made by Female cashiers stating the obvious - yes Nar knows it's a women's product but at the end of the day Sure's cream product and Vaseline Intensive Care's own Pro Derma cream roll on for women appear to work better on my underarms against men only products which seem to bring me out in red rashes and horrible lumps - Lynx included, here.


So to change views and to perhaps see what was out there, I have been using a spray called "Vaseline Intensive Care Anti-Perspirant Deodorant For Men with Skin Caring Pro Derma." Yes it is an awfully long winded wordy product but given the excellent dry protection the women's cream has been giving me, I decided to give this product which is designed for men, a chance to see if the claims work.


Dressed in a dark blue spray aerosol bottle with white lettering stating the main brand image and the Pro Derma in dark silver writing, it is really the only white letters in a larger font, which will stand out from a shelf from a distance. As the song goes, "From a distance the world looks grey and blue," it could never be any more than a fitting tribute to this rather understated product which looks slightly sporty from its colouring and also worryingly close to the size of Impulse body spray for women, albeit with a slighter wider diameter and height; so at best at least it slips into bags easily for men who work out at gyms or have a sporty life. Travel to the back of the bottle and the writing gets worse. You'll need to peer closely to the light aqua coloured writing showing the claims of this product against a dark blue background. Quite why Vaseline have bothered to do this is beyond me; The product claims it is alcohol free, offers 24 hour dry protection and a further claim to "keep you dry all day," whilst the Pro Derma contents suggest that it will not cause irritation to underarm skin.


So, upon showering in the mornings before heading out to work, I apply this spray just as I have applied other sprays in the past. And just like most it suggests that the user sprays the product 15cm away from their body/underarms. Most men won't recognise the use of cm however but ironic as it seems, I bet most men know how long 6 inches is..!

Upon application the spray is cold against my underarms but not icy cold enough to make me wince. It sprays on easily and in a fine grey-white mist that goes on easily just as good as the spray's direction is. Having sensitive underarms caused by abrasive deodorants in the past (Lynx) I do feel a certain peace of mind that this spray is suitable for sensitive skin and another claim at the back of the bottle maintains that this product is dermatologically tested. And the product doesn't bring me out in lumps or rashes; so perhaps one claim so far seems to be true.


The scent of this product is quite sporty; it has shades of pine and shades of soft and light musk aftershave, thus perhaps showing its Men only purpose. However despite the lack of alcohol contained in the product, there is an after-smell of alcohol, which can be off putting and further shades of a whole mix of manly aftershave smells which conjure up a man's changing room of completely different sprays going on at the same time. At best it is a little like the kind of scent older men may recognise from aftershaves by Marks & Spencer's or even Old Spice. I would not suggest that it is perfectly suitable for use if like me, you use a strong aftershave because it gets difficult for most aftershaves to work in tandem with the scent in the spray. The longevity of the scent lasts for a few good hours and against my underarms, which aren't overly hairy, the scent starts to die down before it has completely disappeared by lunchtime. However I am still quite dry and my underarms still feel dry and pampered.


So it is a pity that whenever I return home at 5pm, my arms are literally soaking wet in sweat; the scent has died down, my arms are sticking to the insides to the top of my arms and generally I'm feeling uncomfortable. Does this happen with the Vaseline cream roll on marketed for women which I have used? No - and they also have Pro Derma added which kind of makes this product look like a has-been. What about the 24-hour stay dry all day promise? Sadly in my case, this seems to be a false promise whilst the horrible smell of wet sweat has outlived the sporty understated scent Vaseline for Men gave in the morning.


Which kind of means, the men only product for this man hasn't worked; and I have two other tins of this stuff to get through thanks to a special offer of buying one and getting two free! Vaseline need to have a look at this spray again however, particularly when it is priced at £1-99 and appears to be a bargain with claims that suggest its as good as the rest of Vaseline Intensive Care. A poorly written over worded deodorant with an under-handed underarm promise! Thanks for reading. ©Nar2 2008