Essential Oils for Men: How to Make ‘Man’tastic Scents

Guess what…essential oils aren’t only for girls!

But you probably already knew that 🙂 ANYONE can enjoy using them including your men folk.

And while the emotional and health benefits are great, sometimes it is all about the smell.

You might be lucky enough to have a man that embraces essential oils. But if you are like many of us, they may take some convincing.

Lots of men think essential oils are for ‘girls’ which is a real shame. Using the right oils and blends, they can smell manly, with no need for artificial colognes. Plus, another advantage is they (and you) can enjoy all the wonderful benefits of the oils.

So, if you have a man you’d like to get using essential oils to smell great, this article is for you. It includes a list of masculine essential oils to get him hooked plus some ‘man’tastic oil blends.

Masculine Essential Oils – What Do Men Like?

Like women, men have strong biases when it comes smell preferences. And while many aren’t interested in ‘perfuming’ themselves, most like to smell nice and not be a stinky turn off.

But what they prefer for themselves is often very different to what they like to smell on women. Men don’t want to smell like flowers and prefer scents that are musky, earthy, spicy, and woody. While floral aromas can be included in blends for men, they are usually toned down by other oils.

Here is a list of some of the more popular essential oils for men.  There is also a description about the scent to help you in selecting the ones you think will be most appealing.

Basil – sweet and spicy.
Bergamot – fresh, citrus, refreshing and slightly spicy.
Black Pepper – pungent, spicy, warm and herbaceous.
Cedarwood – similar to camphor with rich, woody, balsamic undertone.
Cinnamon – sweet, spicy-hot.
Clary Sage – earthy, herbaceous and slightly floral.
Clove Bud – sweet, spicy, strong and hot.
Cypress – fresh, woody and pine like with a smokiness.
Fir – fresh, softly balsamic, invigorating and forest like.
Frankincense – soft and balsamic.
Ginger – peppery, sharp, pungent and warm.
Grapefruit – sweet, tangy, citrus.
Juniper Berry – pungent, herbaceous, peppery, pine like.
Lavender – sweet, floral, herbal with balsamic undertones.
Lemon – clean, sharp citrus.
Lemongrass – rose and lemony, herbal and slightly bitter.
Lime – fresh, sweet, slightly tart citrus.
Mandarin – very sweet, fruity, citrus.
Melissa – sweet, soft and lemony.
Myrrh – warm, spicy and bitter with smoky, musky undertones.
Nutmeg – rich, spicy, sweet and woody.
Oakmoss – rich, earthy and woody.
Orange – sweet, lively, citrus.
Patchouli – heavy, earthy, musty and penetrating.
Peppermint – minty fresh and slightly camphor like.
Petitgrain – fresh, sweet, subtle woody undertones.
Pine – fresh, pungent smell.
Rosemary – herbaceous, woody, sharp and camphor like.
Sandalwood – soft, warm, woody and balsamic.
Spearmint – minty, slightly fruity.
Vanilla* – sweet and honey like.
Vetiver – heavy, bitter and very earthy.

* Vanilla is not an essential oil and comes as an absolute or extract.

How To Make a Male Perfume

Now you know what scents to experiment with, the fun begins. There are many ways you can use these oils to give a manly scent. But one of the best ways to get your man smelling nice is to make up a ‘manly perfume’ or cologne.

I’ve written a guide on how to make perfume with essential oils.  It gives a good overview of perfume notes.  When it comes to combining essential oils, you need to get a ‘balance’ between notes to ensure the final result smells good.

Each of the masculine essential oils listed above is categorized by note below.

• Base Notes – cedarwood, frankincense, sandalwood, vanilla, vetiver, oakmoss, patchouli, myrrh
• Middle Notes – black pepper, ginger, pine, rosemary, juniper berry, clove bud, cinnamon, nutmeg, clary sage, fir, cypress
• Top Notes – basil, bergamot, coriander, grapefruit, lemongrass, lemon, lime, mandarin, melissa, orange, peppermint, spearmint, lavender, petitgrain

The guide on making perfume has a step-by-step recipe for you to follow along with recommended ratios for the different notes. Remember, it is a guide only and you are best to follow your nose (or your man’s nose).

Male Essential Oil Blends to Get You Started

Here are some essential oil blends perfect for men to begin with. They can all be used as a base for male perfumes or colognes.

Start with the base note, add a middle note and finish with the top note. Add the essential oils to jojoba or fractionated coconut oil in a 10ml amber bottle (as per this recipe).

Mr Mysterious

5 drops sandalwood
5 drops cedarwood
3 drops lavender
3 drops coriander

Lover Boy

1 drop frankincense
6 drops sandalwood
1 drop ginger
4 drops coriander
2 drops mandarin

Wildman

5 drops cedarwood
1 drop oakmoss absolute
3 drops clary sage
2 drops lavender
3 drops petitgrain

Hippy Man

12 drops patchouli
3 drops spearmint

Man Cave

3 drops cedarwood
7 drops clary sage
5 drops bergamot

Surfer Boy

8 drops vetiver
4 drops ginger
6 drops grapefruit

Superman

5 drops sandalwood
5 drops frankincense
5 drops lavender

Not Just for Perfumes!

The above blends can be used in many other ways, not just for perfumes. Adjust the quantities as needed and try some of these ideas.

• Diffusing – an easy way for any guy to enjoy the aromas and therapeutic benefits of essential oils.  Adjust the quantity of oils to suit your diffuser size following the guide in this post.  Single oils or blends can be diffused.
• DIY skin and bathing products – the oils and blends can used in homemade recipes for deodorant, soaps, beard oils, after shaves and more.  Choose their favorite oil or blend for the recipe.

If your man has been resistant to using essential oils try the oils and blends listed above.  They are an ideal starting point for creating a ‘manly perfume’ he is sure to like.  Make sure to come back and let us know what oils and blends he enjoyed the most.