Why the importance of scent?

Discussion in 'Shave Soaps' started by Der Koenig, Jan 15, 2018.

  1. Der Koenig

    Der Koenig Member

    Well I have enjoyed shaving with a handfull of creams and soaps and it is now time to shop for some hard pucks.
    Just wondering about why the scent of the media while shaving is of such importance. I mean after the shave I wash 2 times then alum then Witch hazel and then AS. If it doesnt smell badly I just dont see the imortance..
     
  2. swarden43

    swarden43 "It's your shave. Enjoy it your way."©

    For me, just another part of the experience I enjoy. Scent is certainly not a necessity to shaving.
    Besides, I rather like having my wife snuggle up to me and tell me I smell good. :angelic013:
     
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  3. Der Koenig

    Der Koenig Member

    Good points.
    I like the scent of almost all my stuff too. Just that cushioning, glide, price and feeling against skin seems of less importance reading the forums thats all.. Here to learn..
     
    brit likes this.
  4. RyX

    RyX DoH!

    I have two soaps that qualify as Vintage. A shave stick of Williams, and a puck of Colgate-Palmolive Cup. Both are old enough that they have very little scent. They are also great soaps for the lather they produce. Having little scent left, when I use them I may add a couple drops of alcohol based aftershave while I'm whipping up my lather. On the other end of the scale, a quintuple milled puck of Klar Mandel (Almond) that's the strongest scented soap I own. It's a great soap and it fills the room with scent when used.

    After my shave, rinsing off brush, bowl, and razor pretty much finishes off the scent of the soaps (and added AS if used), but I enjoy it while it's in the air.

    I could use unscented products, but I suffer no ill effects from any essential or scent oils. It has helped change what was the chore of shaving into the Joy of Shaving.
     
  5. Rusty blade

    Rusty blade The Good Humor Man

    Well, I am guessing that when they first started developing shaving soaps they were faced with a choice: either make them appealing by scent or taste. Fortunately they opted for scent.
     
  6. Sara-s

    Sara-s This Pun for Hire

    Assuming no allergies, scent (or lack of it) is all a matter of preference. I love the lingering scent of my husban’s shave soap. Given that he has been deployed overseas before, it is a delightful reminder that he is home, safe & sound.
     
  7. Der Koenig

    Der Koenig Member

    Cool. I think I may be to concentated on my shaving to notice. The AS on the other hand...
    Tough sport this.
     
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  8. Der Koenig

    Der Koenig Member

    Oh and Rusty blade: think you said scent were not that important to you in another thread. True?
     
  9. wchnu

    wchnu Duck Season!

    I think scented soaps are a fairly new thing arn't they? Williams..colgate..the older palmolive creams..burma shave soap.none of them are really scented. They were made for men to shave with. And they work good at it. Now a days most men treat their face like girls any way so a lot of stuff is added to a soap. I have plenty of soaps that I like the scent of. But it does nothing for the shave at all.
     
  10. Rusty blade

    Rusty blade The Good Humor Man

    I enjoy both scented and unscented soaps. I must admit some scents are unpleasant or too overpowering, so if given a choice I do prefer unscented. And it depends on my scent-sensitivity...there are some days when I find it hard to tolerate any scented products. Other days scents don't bother me. I am an enigma.
     
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  11. ordinaryshaver

    ordinaryshaver Well-Known Member

    To me, it's about memories.
    For instance, I have RazorRock essential oil of lime, every time I use it, I am transported back to the summer I spent on the beach, being a true blue dyed in the wool beach bum. It was in the Florida Keys, I could smell the salt, the sea and the key limes.
    My mother and grandma rest her soul, both made top notch key lime pies, so that scent brings back memories.
    Tabac, reminds me of my grandfather smoking his lucky strikes when I was a kid, and all the summers I spent with him.....
    Plus in south Texas, the summers are brutal so menthol is a PLUS!!!
    I suppose it's about good memories and reliving a time that I treasure.
    Plus who doesn't like menthol, when it is 100 in the shade with 100 %humidity?
     
  12. Primotenore

    Primotenore missed opera tunity

    Article Team
    But it does add to the overall experience of the shave. Why go to the opera when you can listen to a recording? It's the total package my friend.
     
  13. wchnu

    wchnu Duck Season!

    Nope. All the added stuff is like the popcorn and coke at the movie. Listening to the recording is more what cart and can guys do. I like popcorn and coke by the way, but they have nothing to do with the movie.
     
  14. LevelupShaves

    LevelupShaves Well-Known Member

    I thoroughly enjoy a nice scent while I shave. I agree that it does nothing for the shave itself and once I’m done the soap scent is replaced with AS so it doesn’t do much for anyone else. That being said it does a lot for me, I just love the scents of my soaps while shaving.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  15. wchnu

    wchnu Duck Season!

    BULLY!!
     
    LevelupShaves likes this.
  16. Der Koenig

    Der Koenig Member

    Thank you all for posting. I guess I get the point(s).
     
  17. MisterGrain

    MisterGrain New Member

    A good scent helps me relax, be it designer fragrances, high quality incense, or shaving soap + aftershave. Even better if I can get one or more of these to match.

    Every now and then I like to have a sandalwood day: Stirling Sandalwood soap, aftershave splash, and balm, Diptyque Tam Dao EdP.

    Sometimes a Vetiver day.

    We also can't forget one of the best scent matches around.
     
  18. wristwatchb

    wristwatchb wristwatch "danger" b

    1.jpg
     
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  19. wchnu

    wchnu Duck Season!

    wristwatchb likes this.
  20. Rusty blade

    Rusty blade The Good Humor Man

    I agree. A nice scent (note I said nice)...can add to the overall ambiance of the entire shave. If we look at the stages of the shave, pre, during and post,. there are many aspects that are not truly necessary....but they are nice....pleasant. If we reduced a shave to its bare bones it would be splash water, lather, shave, splash water, done. Not very exciting eh? Add in a nice pre-shave cream, a hot towel, a finely scented (good quality ) soap, some post shave splash or balm and presto...life is good.
     

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