Continuing the series in which I discussed my top five favorite household cleaning products, today's post focuses on Reggie's five favorite drugstore staples. These are inexpensive products widely available in pharmacies and supermarkets. Many have withstood the test of time and have been sold for many, many years. While Reggie's bathroom cabinets are full of expensive potions, lotions, and soaps from the likes of Kiehl's® and Molton Brown®, he doesn't use such products exclusively. The more quotidian, everyday products that he reaches for are the subject of today's essay.
1. Listerene® Mouthwash
Reggie is a great fan of old fashioned Listerene® antiseptic mouthwash, America's oldest over the counter mouthwash. Reggie prefers the original yellow formula—first sold to the public in 1914—that burns the inside of one's mouth free of germs with the intensity of a propane torch.
Reggie doesn't care for all the new-fangled, less assaultive, minty- and citrus-fresh flavored versions the company has brought out in recent years to appeal to a broader consumer base. If Reggie is going to use a mouthwash (which he does), he wants it to be the real thing—and for him that means the original Listerene® antiseptic mouthwash that is so intense that rinsing one's mouth with it for more than a few seconds brings tears to one's eyes. Pow!
2. Pinaud Club Man® Talc
I first learned about Pinaud's "World Famous since 1810" Club Man® Talc from a barber I went to many years ago, who ritually dusted his clients' necks with this wonderful, old fashioned talcum powder.
Club Man® Talc isn't all that easy to find in drugstores these days, since when it is stocked at all it is usually relegated to the bottom shelves, along with other low-priced goods that appeal to an older, less-affluent clientele. When I do come across Club Man® Talc's iconic green containers, though, I am sure to scoop up several of them to take home with me to stockpile. I love Club Man® Talc's retro name and its packaging adorned with an image of a top hat and frock coat wearing, dandified swell from the 1930s. I like the scent of the talc, which is not too over-powering. And I believe it does a marvelous job for what it is intended for: namely, to sooth one's overheated, clothes-constricted body with soft, moisture-absorbing powder.
3. Rubbing Alcohol
Another drugstore staple that I return to again and again is rubbing alcohol.
When administered with a nail brush, rubbing alcohol is an extremely effective agent for maintaining the hygienic cleanliness of one's toes. And that's all I'm going to say about that here.
4. Mentholatum® Ointment
Introduced in 1889, this menthol-infused ointment has been a bedside staple in the Darling households for generations.
Mentholatum® is particularly useful for moistening the inside of one's nostrils during the heating season, when one's bedroom's air can be dry as a bone. Not only is it effective, Dear Reader, but a single jar of it can last for years.
5. NyQuil®
A newcomer when compared with the other staples discussed here, NyQuil® was introduced relatively recently, in 1968. Described as "the nighttime, sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, best-sleep-you-ever-got-with-a-cold medicine," NyQuil® is my "go to" over the counter cold medicine.
There is nothing more effective than a healthy dose of NyQuil® to help get one through the night when laid low by a nasty cold. And yes, I do sometimes take a swig of it directly from the bottle instead of measuring out the suggested dose in the provided plastic cup.
And there you have it, Dear Reader: Reggie's five favorite drugstore staples. Open the bathroom cabinet in our city apartment or at Darlington House and you will be sure to find these waiting there to greet you.
Tell me, what are some of your favorite drugstore staples?
Please note: Reggie has not, nor does he expect to, receive anything for recommending these products. He is doing so for the sole purpose of entertaining his readers, which is why he writes this blog in the first place.
IPhone photographs by Boy Fenwick
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