Arko the scent. I finally figured it out.

[chillyjr]

Today was my first day smelling the wonderful bouquet that is the Arko Shave Stick. You know how certain smells will trigger memories? Well that smell triggered some fond memories all right.

It was 1991. The Perisan Gulf. Bahrain. The war had just ended and our Battle Group was in charge of patrolling the No-Fly zone up near Iraq. We had the chance to visit Bahrain and got to check out the areas off base. We all climbed into a middle-eastern taxi and the sharp sickly sweet smell eminated from both the cabin and the driver. Once we arrived to the gold souqe area I again smelled this fragrance. I never was able to figure out where it was coming from but I suppose it embedded a memory.

Flash forward to today. My mind had an ah-ha moment and I was able to put it all together. Many of the men had to have been using this shave soap and it must have lingered on the air long enough for me to smell. I think I'm going to step out on a limb and try this stuff tomorrow. Wish me luck.

 

[Loric]

Thanks for sharing. I like the simple clean smell myself. Arko is great stuff, especially for the price. I'm sure it will serve you well.

 

[azrichter]

Scent - the most direct sense to memory AND emotion!

I love Arko. Its great under Proraso cream.

Smell is good, too...reminds me of.......shaving!

 

[instpasr]

My arko has been out of it's wrapper for several months so the scent is gone but the lather is great. I wish I'd had it with me on the last trip over the pond, next time I'll know to ask at the hajji (local national) market if they can get it.

 

[djh]

It is hard to go wrong with Arko- whether you crush it into a bowl and lather as if it were any other hard soap or simply rub the stick on your face- it is a great performer!

 

[rtt]

The ingredient list says it had camphor which does have an overwhelming smell but sublimates quickly, hence the mellowing out of the smell over time. If I am not mistaken, camphor is also the prime ingedient in mothballs and incense, that may be more of a cause for the strong smell you mention, rather than the faint remnants of a shave soap

 

[snookdog]

Good luck but not really needed. Get ready for an explosion of foam! It's great stuff.

 

[BentonClay]

That is an amazing story!

 

[LU02]

Nice story, and yes you should go ahead and use the Arko, as long as you are ok with the scent it won't disappoint you performance wise. I always keep a stick around as not only is it a great performer its superb value.

 

[DFrancis]

Great story, thanks for sharing. I love how some scents trigger old memories.

 

[steveclarkus]

I read that smell triggers more memories than any other sense - now you know.

Arko must be the least expensive soap in the world. I just bought a dozen sticks from a seller on Amazon for $15 including shipping and it is a very good soap.

I gave a couple of sticks to my son who really started sniffing it wondering where he had smelled it before. Last year is was in Europe shooting video of a rock band on tour and had trouble finding laundry mats. I suggested he buy a bar of laundry soap to wash his shorts and socks. Shockingly, he took my suggestion and bought a bar in Italy. That was the scent of the laundry soap. The soap was in the laundry room so I went and sniffed it and by golly, it was the same.

By the way, Chillyjr's story was great and I appreciate what he did in '91.

 

[Go West Young Man]

OK, so Arko smells like a Middle Eastern cab driver? This officially marks the last time I ever use it!

 

[chillyjr]

OK, so Arko smells like a Middle Eastern cab driver? This officially marks the last time I ever use it!

Yeah, Arko and underarm body odor. Can't ever forget that combo. '

Flash forward to my last deployment. I was over in Singapore. Was strolling through an indoor shopping mall and walked into some type of grocery store. As I was walking along the bath soap isle I again smelled this Arko'ish type of smell. So knowing what I know now, I'm pretty sure that scent can be found in a lot of lower priced soap products. Which by no means does it indicate a lower quality product. I'll never make that assumption again.

I used the Arko yesterday and was very impressed with the shave. Slick and smooth and it didn't dry out as quickly as the Spiek along the neck area. Will I puchase this? Absolutly! (the Arko was a freebie with a Gillette red tip SS puchase).

 

[Darjeeling Express]

Chilly, that was a wonderful reminiscence. I have a few sticks but have not got around to them yet. After your tale, I am looking forward.

 

[fair enough]

I could be wrong about this but perhaps Arko is made with sheep tallow. Mutton is a staple meat in many places in the mideast and it's a meat that has a strong gamy flavor. Is it possible that some vestiges of that mutton essence survive saponification and persist in product? There is more to it's scent than laundry soap, to my nose at least.