Kind of a weird question, but I’m at the point in my life where I’d rather pay a premium for quality than just buy whatever is available at the supermarket. But I have no idea what “quality” even means for these products, so I’d love some pointers. Or if the answer is “just get whatever is available at the supermarket,” then that’s okay too.
Anyways, what is the best:
* Towel
* Blanket (I’m in Pittsburgh and have central heating, so it doesn’t need to be too warm)
* Hand wash (I use Method and I like it, but I’m wondering if there’s something better out there)
* Body wash
* Deodorant
4 comments
I use Dove for Men for my washes and it seems to work fine. A good quality towel or blanket can be felt. You just need to know the feel. Try grabbing a $10 towel and a $40 towel. You will know the difference.
idk about towel. You can certainly spend a fortune at a department store, but I usually opt for a quality bed band and beyond one (wamsutta) and replace them when they discolor or get thready or whatever
Blankets are personal. The Bloomingdales down duvet insert is pretty nice though, just sleeps a bit warm for my preference. But has nice mix of fluff and volume for a lightweight. I’d wait for a friends and family sale. They have a few versions. Not sure any are returnable though.
For soap and shampoo, I’ve really liked the Harry’s products at Target for everyday use. I think they lather better than Method and Every Man Jack, and have a more natural smell vs overly sweet or overpowering “manly”. Malin + Goetz and Le Labo make some great really premium stuff too if you want to spend more
For blankets, I’m partial to the afghans my grandma made for a blanket when watching a movie or whatever. If you go to a higher end department store they are likely to have good stuff, as their buyers need to maintain the store’s reputation. I have a couple Pendleton wool blankets, which are fairly famous. In terms of the temperature control they provide, I love them…. but they shed wool all over the place, which made me retire them recently (I did use them for years and they still look like new).
For hand wash, I just get the cheap stuff. It’s just soap… unless there is a certain scent you like. I actually get the normal hand soap and dilute it to put it in the foaming pumps. It’s the same thing, but way cheaper. I refuse to pay for water and air, which is all that foaming soap is.
Body wash and deodorant are pretty personal. Everyone is going to have their own preference and thing that works best with their body chemistry. Get a few options and try them for a while to see which one you like best. If you look around for what “best” you’re just going to run into a bunch of market with everyone claiming to be the best.
Towels are something I need to invest in as well. In college I was gifted some Egyptian cotton towels that held up great. I used them for probably 10 years. A few years ago I got some linen bath towels after reading a bunch of claims about the superior properties of linen… it was all over blown. They fold up small, which can be nice, but as far as actually using them, they aren’t my favorite. I have been using them for probably 5 years at this point. I needed some hand towels when I bought a house, so I bought some cheap ones just to get something without spending a bunch of time researching… they are falling apart after less than a year. So spending a little money absolutely makes a difference. I bought my mom some giant spa style towel that were super nice, but they’re really big and heavy, which is apparently too much to handle… it sounded like a better idea than it was. lol. My sister has these dual layer waffle hand towels I like a lot.
Just keep something in mind, with some of these soaps and stuff that is just competing based on smell, it can be a lot of BS. Years ago my dad told me about some drug store cologne that was really cheap and wasn’t selling at all. The company stuck the same product in a new box, charged $60 for it, and it became wildly successful. A lot of these expensive products just brand and charge in a way to make people think they are better, when they really aren’t. Try some things out, but if you find the $2 bottle works just as well for you (or better) than the $20 bottle…. get the $2 option and invest $18.
My thoughts:
* Towel: Like other linens, I like Wamsutta and some of the other brands at places like Bed Bath & Beyond. If you can, try to compare a luxury brand from a high end department store with towels from BB&B or a place like Ross or Kohl’s or whatever you have. There probably isn’t much difference, probably not enough to justify the price difference, and they might even be the exact same product with different labels to be sold at different stores. There’s also info online at what point threadcount makes less of a difference, which will help you from overspending.
* Blanket: Depends on what style/texture you’re looking for. If you want a good wool blanket, I’d say Woolrich or Pendleton. If you want velour, I’d say Vellux is the way to go. If you want a quilt/comforter, I’d say shop for something handmade locally.
* Hand soap: Method seems OK, but my household is usually happiest with Softsoap.
* Body wash: I like Old Spice and Dove Men for stuff you can get almost anywhere. I’m very curious about Duke Cannon though because several of my friends like it very well. I also use Dude Wipes for cleaning my face and for quick touch ups, and Chassis body powder in the undercarriage.
* Deodorant: I have yet to find anything I like better than Old Spice High Endurance.
* Aftershave (Bonus): I know you didn’t ask about this, but writing about grooming products reminded me. If you use regular liquid aftershave and want something manly smelling, I can’t recommend the classic brand of Pinaud enough. I switch between fragrances seasonally: Lilac Vegetal in the spring, Clubman in the summer, and I switch to Bay Rum for the fall/winter. I also mix in classic Brut from time to time.