New idea:
Not only does a1 raise cortisol levels. It also raises blood pressure.
Every time I lift weights or do weight bearing exercises like pushups, I get a temporary but splitting headache. I thought maybe it was the colognes I was wearing. But stopping colognes and switching to EO fragrances didn’t help.
I also thought maybe it was some of the supplements I was taking. But switching them up also didn’t solve the problem.
Instead I think the problem was a rise in blood pressure caused by a rise in cortisol caused by wearing a1. The days when I wore a1 were also the days when I had the worst headaches during weight lifting. Almost blindingly painful.
A1 is known to raise cortisol. And cortisol is known to raise blood pressure.
So it’s probably time to return to safer mone mixes such as a314, p74 and IH (or TAL & TAH) instead of a1. The a1 fallout effect after a single exposure can be impressive but it is not worth the side effects.
Observation:
I think that the a314 oil scent was inspired by Le Male by Jean-Paul Gaultier. I recently got a sample of Le Male. It’s a classic 90s scent that I never knew. As soon as I smelled it, it reminded me of a314.
Probably a lot of mones users out there already know that, but it was an interesting realization for me.
I’m mostly using the Stealth version of a314 these days. So how the regular a314 smells doesn’t matter much to me any more. But maybe it’s time to update the scent of regular a314 to something more modern. Maybe something sweet, or something oudy or ambery. Just a thought.
On the other hand, I’d be horrified if the a314 scent changed to something I don’t like personally, eg Acqua di Gio. So maybe better to stick with the current scent.
Colognes:
Smelled a couple of scents from a brand called Costume National recently. One was called Soul and the other Homme. They both rock, IMO. Check them out if you want to smell great.
I gotta admit that I used to look down on sweet scents, but now I’m starting to warm to them. Hell, I sometimes wear Dior Homme Intense and that’s a sweet scent (though not as sweet as Mugler A* Men, for example).
Someone on a cologne site wrote that sweet scents are great for attracting women with diabetes. That’s a funny line but maybe there is also a grain of truth in it.
Regardless, there are a lot more sweet scents now than 20 years ago. The psychology is that sweet scents also remind women of sweet and pleasant memories in their lives, which is obviously a good thing.