Soaps smell!

Discussion in 'Shave Soaps' started by Grick, Oct 23, 2017.

  1. Grick

    Grick Active Member

    Don't know why I didn't notice it earlier: Soaps tend to have this subtle but noticeable soapy smell which I dislike. Is it due to the sodium hydroxide used to turn the fat into soap? You don't get that smell with creams though. I've always preferred creams to soaps anyway.
     
    Yehuda D likes this.
  2. Ijustmissedthe50s

    Ijustmissedthe50s The Warnee

    I suspect they smell that way because they're, well, soaps lol. Many shave soaps can be used as body soaps as well, so they're probably similarly made. I don't know their makeups, soap experts here will and I'm sure they'll weigh in with details. Great question btw, and I look forward to learning from the answers it brings!
     
    Yehuda D and Grick like this.
  3. Grick

    Grick Active Member

    Thanks for the input. Maybe it's the fat they use?
     
    Yehuda D likes this.
  4. Demidog

    Demidog Well-Known Member

    I've noticed that too. The biggest culprit is some tallow based sampler that I ordered, which his a pretty nauseating underlying stench. My veggie based soaps are pretty good and don't really have that soapy smell. I've also noticed the same thing as you regarding creams in that they don't have any malodorous stench at all. I think that creams are pretty chemically similar to soaps so it's a little surprising that they don't smell at all apart from the fragrance that is added in by the manufacturer.
     
    Yehuda D and Ijustmissedthe50s like this.
  5. Yehuda D

    Yehuda D Israeli Ambassador to TSD

    For the most part it doesn't really bother me.
     
  6. John Beeman

    John Beeman Little chicken in hot water

    It will be interesting to see the responses to this thread.

    I like to go into my shave den closet simply to take in the smells. Sometimes I'll take the lid off a jar and take a light sniff and then inhale deeply. Yes, I know; I have an addiction, I'm sick.
    (I also have a couple of scented candles that are called "Fresh Shave")

    I have bar soap in various places throughout the house to make things smell nice. Guest soaps out in a special dish in the bathroom, pieces of soap in sock drawers, a bar of soap in a coat closet and one near my stinky boot rack.
     
    Yehuda D, RyX, COMPNOR and 3 others like this.
  7. Demidog

    Demidog Well-Known Member

    I'm a soap sniffing addict too but I do it for the fragrances, not for the soapy smell itself. I've gone through periods after buying a soap where I will go over to my bathroom only to sniff some soaps.
     
  8. Ijustmissedthe50s

    Ijustmissedthe50s The Warnee

    Hmmm...do we need to do an intervention?
    Just being goofy, of course! ...Chris
     
    Yehuda D, Paul Turner and Demidog like this.
  9. Shaver X

    Shaver X Well-Known Member

    Soap is soap therefore it smells like soap. Those who do not like the smell of soap could always get one of the hyper-scented artisanal shaving soaps.
     
    Yehuda D and Ijustmissedthe50s like this.
  10. Shaver X

    Shaver X Well-Known Member

    Maybe some of the ingredients were rancid before the soap was made? I have never heard of that happening before, but suppose it is possible.
     
    Yehuda D and Demidog like this.
  11. heyello

    heyello New Member

    I've only noticed this with proraso, it has a very strong unpleasant scent, it almost completely masks the good scent of the soap. Out of all the artisans I've tried, stirling, B&M, PAA, razorock, none of them have had this soapy smell. Fine soaps had it very slightly, if their soaps were just scented a little more strongly I wouldn't have noticed at all, but they're very lightly scented.
     
    Paul Turner likes this.
  12. Drygulch

    Drygulch Snowballs

    My experience is that every soap maker has a different base. If I have quite a few of the same brand, I can begin to detect the base. Some of these smell off putting to me, some smell very appealing. I keep a soap with mediocre performance around in two scents because I love the scents so much, which is largely due to their soap base. I have tried a few well appreciated brands, and I didn't care for the base which made the fragrances added not really matter. I personally thinks its a YMMV thing.
     
  13. IDuck

    IDuck Well-Known Member

    Im kind of with you, I dont really smell "soap" with MOST of my shaving soaps, but that may just be because they are MOSTLY artisan soaps.
     
  14. swarden43

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

    I just accept them for what they are - scented soap.
     

Share This Page