I'm relatively new to wet shaving (a few months in) and am looking for a soap with a reserved masculine scent. I got Blackbeard from WSP because it was advertised as a tobacco-based scent reminiscent of the rustic piracy of it's namesake (I get that's marketing verbiage but you get the idea), and it turned out to just be a HORRENDOUSLY overbearing Patchouli smell like a hippie van loaded with incense and weed - no tobacco and no rustic scent in sight. I tried Sweet Gale, which has the addition of Aberfeldy scotch, and while I like the smell it's not quite as rustic as I'd like and it fades very, very fast. It's a bit too Coca-Cola-esque. A reviewer on Amazon said that WSP Tobacco smells more like a Tom Ford men's cologne (not a fan of colognes in general) but that intrigued me. Can anyone recommend a shaving soap that has a rich natural, woodsy, masculine scent? I can't keep spending 15-20 dollars trying to sample stuff that I end up giving away. I'm not big on the "Smells Like my Grandpa"-type stuff you get from Old Spice products or Brut, if you know what I mean. Thank you so much!
Societal norms go through cycles. What was Manly a century ago is Floral (Lady like?) today. The description of a "rich natural, woodsy, masculine scent" means different things to each of us. Because my experience and tastes are different from yours I might suggest going to a site like Basenotes to search cologne types. That may give you a clue to finding soaps scented as you prefer. Have you encountered Pinaude Clubman Special Reserve? Some soap makers will make a custom batch just for you if you can identify the components desired.
Buy samples. TSD, Maggards, Stirling, WSP, and many others all offer samples. I recommend going with the fragrance samples, as that's the cheapest way to check out a scent.
Here is the recipe: Top Notes Bergamot Oil Heart Notes Clary Sage, Myrtle Oil, Clove Bud Oil Base notes Patchouli, Sandalwood, Vetiver, Tree Moss Many of these components are available as essential oils. You might experiment, but those little bottles can be costly. Caution when using these extracts. They are distilled from the sources and can cause irritation if applied directly to the skin.
A good natural woodsy scent is Chiseled Face Cedar & Spice, smells just like it sounds, very nice masculine cedar scent. Barrister & Mann Latha Taiga- more of a pine/balsam scent, but very woodsy These are the 2 I could think of off top of my head, but samples are a great idea, and both of these can be found in samples.
I have a few recommendations: (Keep in mind, all of these can be bought in samples.) - Stirling: Green, Executive Man, Sharp Dressed Man, Spice... (IMO, the best sample prices anywhere...) - Soap Commander: Courage - Chiseled Face: Ghost Town Barber (or try any or most that the description catches your eye.) - Route 66: Bourbon Jungle, Cavendish My recommendation is to go to maggardrazors.com and check out their sample section. Stirling has to be purchased from their website: stirlingsoap.com Route 66 the same: retroshaveshop.com My only words of advice would be that: If you can't get a 4-5 shave sample (or more), for a couple/few bucks..... Go elsewhere. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Lavender is timeless, as is sandalwood, in my opinion. Or you could directly go to Tabac Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk
How does one know when the soap fragrance has crossed over from moderately masculine to full-blown masculine?
While I wouldn't call it woodsy I just received an order from Stirling. The Barbershop has a very masculine scent to it as well as the Stirling Gentleman. On the Route 66 side their Barbershop Hop is fantastic. Like others have mentioned, look for samples. Good luck!
+1 for samples. Try "mama bear soaps." She has the biggest catalog of soaps i have ever seen, and they are some of the best on the world. $1 a piece, or you can get sets which are pre-prepared for under $1 each. She has sea moss on sale for $2.30 for a puck right now...light and masculine.
