Kicking off my first article of the New Year, I am happy to come full circle and cover a product in the adult industry, the same way I did for my first article ever on Muscle Service. Poppers.
If you’ve been with me since day 1 on my adventures in porn journalism, my first article covered Balldo, a revolutionary sex toy that incorporates the balls. Today, I bring to you a new blend of “Video Head Cleaner”, created by a couple of actual scientists (like neuroscience scientists) in reaction to their situation during the pandemic.
While once upon a time in porn, poppers were used behind-the-scenes, you can now occasionally see the little brown bottle roll around amongst the actors or be seen used mid-scene. Now, as someone who uses poppers (total bottom here), I have researched the topic of poppers use on many sites which range from personal blogs to Vice.com. Safe to say, I was eager to jump on the chance to talk to the people behind the new brand.
I bring you Video Head Cleaner, a new company of poppers mixed with an aesthetically pleasing retro look that takes you back to the 80s and 90s of pop and porn culture. Check out my Q&A with someone behind the brand on what made them get started, what makes them different from any other brand and what to expect from them. Including popper themed vending machines! Great, now you don't have to hope the straight clerk at your local porn shops knows what poppers are.
Eddie: Where did the idea to start a poppers company come from? With so many other established brands, did you think you would make an impact so quickly?
VHC: The idea to start a poppers company came near the beginning of the pandemic. I was on leave from my job, and was working construction at a local bar to keep myself from going insane. The bar owner knew I had a background in the sciences, and joked one day about me making some poppers for him. I probably took that suggestion too seriously, and ended up spiraling into what turned out to be a deep obsession. It helped that there was little to do, no one to see, and a lingering dread about what was going to happen. This helped take my mind off things and focus. As for impact, I think I was cautiously optimistic. I knew there were lots of brands, but I also knew that I loved our formula. I went into our launch thinking that it would take a good long while before we gained traction. Instead, we launched and things went well from the get go.
Eddie: Before you created VHC, which brands did you use / were familiar with?
VHC: I like to think of myself as a popper fanatic. I've tried them all. The one that I always ended up coming back to was English White Label. I had some religious experiences with that brand. I wanted whatever we came up with to be at least on par with the feeling that brand tended to give you. We succeeded.
Eddie: What makes VHC different from the other brands out there?
VHC: VHC is different for a couple of reasons. The main one being we spent a ton of time testing blends to find out which ones heavy users found most appealing. The one people responded best to was a mixture of sec-butyl and isobutyl nitrites. Sec-butyl is the nitrite that most people haven't tried because most brands don't use it. Sec butyl hits differently than what you're used to, and I'm obsessed with it. The second reason being we put a heavy emphasis on the quality of what we put out. We purchase high purity ingredients, test every batch, and try to get each batch into [the] user's hands within a couple weeks of it being produced.
Eddie: Now I assume, the name is a play on what people have always been calling poppers to avoid stating what it is. I myself have gone into porn shops and have had to say I was looking for tape cleaner instead of poppers. Is that where the name came from and were there other names you thought of before creating VHC?
VHC: Yeah, the name came from what I used to have to call them when I lived in Texas and would go to sex shops. They are much stricter down there, and I was told by one attendant that if I referred to them as poppers again I would be kicked out of his shop. Several friends informed me that I needed to call them “Video Head Cleaner” if I wanted to avoid issues – so I did. Those memories stuck with me. So, when I needed to come up with a name for our brand, I kept coming back to how strange and old fashioned “Video Head Cleaner” sounded. We chose that for the name, and then based the entire look off of that older late 80's/early 90's aesthetic. The other name we toyed with was “Head”. That would have a sort of double meaning of giving head and also “Video HEAD Cleaner”.
Eddie: Your website states you were “engineered by scientists”, which I hope you would be haha. Who was involved in the process you work with? What kind of scientists are they?
VHC: Yeah, so I have a deep science background. I spent 5 years working in neuroscience and animal behavior labs, and my degree is in neurobiology. I also spent some time in a PhD neuroscience program (which I left after realizing it was unlikely to provide me a decent job). I have an excruciating amount of chemistry lab experience as well. The only other person who aided me along the way was a good friend that works in pharmaceuticals as a quality analyst, and whose background is in biophysics. We spent hours and hours combing chemistry forums trying to figure out the exact best methods for making nitrites. I think we found some good ones.
Eddie: You may have answered this directly with my previous question but are you yourself a user of poppers? If so, for how long? How do you like to use them?
VHC: Like I said, I'm kind of obsessed with poppers and have been for around 6 or 7 years now. I use them in a bunch of different ways, but typically during sex or bating. I also like to go out dancing to some House and Techno music and use them. Not enough people know how good poppers can be on the dance floor.
Eddie: I know the use of poppers has come with a lot of stigma with some countries banning the sale of it (Canada & Australia for example. Although Australia reverted). What do you have to say to countries and regulations that aren't too supportive of the use of poppers?
VHC: I'd say that their banning isn't tied to any piece of rigorous scientific evidence, and that banning them only drives users to buy them on the black market. Poppers aren't going away anytime soon, regardless of what legislation is passed. They've been an iconic piece of gay culture for 50+ years. They are part of our history and identity.
Eddie: Any myths you want to debunk in your research in creating them?
VHC: As for myths, the one that keeps coming up when people hear I make poppers is “Well poppers used to be way stronger right? Wasn't Amyl the best kind?” The answer is no and no. Amyl was indeed one of the original poppers that gained popularity – and lost it when it was banned in the late 60's. But amyl is actually the least reactive of all the nitrites available, and produces the least intense of effects. It's one upside is that it tends to last longer than other, more reactive nitrites. Poppers have never been as varied and as strong as they are now. The perceived “golden age” of poppers never existed. The only warning I'd like to put out there is that the quality of poppers differs wildly between brands. Try out different types – but stay away from ones that aren't bringing you joy.
Eddie: A few questions I ask all my interviewees, who are your favorite pornstars? Men you think are so damn sexy? Men you want to use VCH?
VHC: Honestly, I don't have any favorite pornstars. My brain doesn't find conventional porn very appealing. I typically only jerk off to dingy, poorly produced amateur porn. I dunno. It's just what floats my boat.
Eddie: From your social, I can tell the brand was at Mr. International Rubber in Chicago. Do you see yourself sponsoring any sites, events or being at any others where people can find you guys? What can we expect in 2022.
VHC: We will see! MIR was a lot of fun, and I hope we can represent the company at IML later this year. We have no concrete plans right now though. I think we will start fairly slow with events and ramp up as we see fit. As for sites, we typically like to direct people to ours at vhcleaner.com. The one thing I would like to plug is that we are installing a couple of themed popper vending machines in two different bars in Chicago in the coming weeks. So, if you're in Chicago, go check out SoFo Tap and Meeting House if you want to buy some bottles in person!
Eddie: Where can people find you? The brand?
VHC: People can find us for ordering online at vhcleaner.com. We deliver anywhere in the US. We are also @vhcleaner on twitter, where we repost fun content from our users and any promos we are doing.
Eddie: Anything else you may want to share or speak on… 🙂
VHC: Not much else I need to say other than watch out for a different formula launching sometime this year. We are taking a lot of time to test and come up with a fun different blend for people to use. It will be good.
