Fresh Man-baby scent.

Zak lacks that "baby" scent, as I don't put him in scented diapers, nor do I use commercially prepared baby products. I recently made a chamomile soap for him, and his all-purpose baby oil has chamomile and a bit of lavender, but otherwise, he smells like sour milk. And while I'm not fond of the artificially scented junk for babies, I kind of feel like the son of a woman who whips up handmade body products ought to have some interesting-smelling stuff on hand.

When Zak was born, I had to mentally file away my lovely patterns for girls, but also my plans for lavender-infused products for the most part. Lavender is not the best thing for little boys, so he gets very little of it in his baby oil, and none elsewhere. Chamomile is fine, but the essential oil is quite expensive, leaving me wondering what I could use on Zak that I can afford.

I'm considering rosemary and tangerine for Zak: tangerine is a less-common citrus allergen, and rosemary is antiseptic and good for enhancing memory. It's also not a "girly" scent. If you think finding a "manly" scent is tough- guys can be prickly about that- try a "manly baby" scent, or anything that's both masculine and appropriate for an infant.

This may be relevant beyond personal preference: I would like to include baby products in my line. Also, as I'm looking toward the end of Ramadan, body products and Zak are coming together in an interesting way.

This is Zak's first Ramadan and Eid. Last year this time, I was hoping that some miracle would occur to save my marriage and make Zak's first Ramadan one with him going to the mosque for prayers with Dad tucked in his Bjorn and family photos sent out with Eid cards. That miracle didn't happen, obviously. I'm in no way sure that Zak will get a gift from his dad, as there's nothing for my ex to get out of it personally. So, I decided to ensure that Zak will get at least one gift that didn't come from me, by participating in a gift exchange.

My lucky (or not, depending on how you feel about it) recipient will get some bath salts and hand cream. Any suggestions for the hand cream scent? The bath salts are already prepared, with bay, rosemary and eucalyptus. In return, I'm hoping that Zak will get a book or a toy that he will like; either way, he'll have a bit of the Eid I'd wanted for him- a few gifts and lots of love.