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Do unscented shaving soap bars absorb fragrances?

Hello, well wishes to you all! I am currently researching the supplies needed for a streamlined transition into wet shaving. Regarding soaps/lathers/etc, in evaluating my options, I had the above question about shaving soap pucks/bars (as I would like to avoid an unnecessarily large unusable stockpile :p ).

Unscented is a critical feature in all my products. For hand/body bar soaps, and shampoo/conditioner bars, it’s been a struggle because they absorb so much fragrance around them, from production to delivery, that it renders them essentially fragranced. They don’t air out effectively, and washing or otherwise removing layers to get them back to an unscented state loses so much that it’s wasteful and costly. I’ve ended up using bottles instead of bars for those.

Given the different makeup of shaving soap pucks/bars, my main question is: do unscented shaving soaps absorb fragrances that they’re exposed to? Corollary questions:
  • If there is some fragrance absorption, does it require a lot of soap loss in the washing or layer removal to get them back to unscentedness?
  • If applicable, what minimum time frames have you found most effective for airing out soaps back to unscentedness?
  • Are softer shaving soaps more likely to absorb fragrances than harder shaving soaps (and if so, is it significantly different)?

It’s not a consideration I saw mentioned in the threads when I searched. However, I’ve also not seen tons of internet discourse on the hand/body soap bar issue either…so I’m not sure if it's because it’s a non-issue for unscented shaving soaps, as they don’t absorb fragrances; or, if they do, but it’s just not been discussed much. I realize scents are very relative to the person, and that everyone has different experiences. But, wondering if your noses have any experiences that could aid mine, haha.

Thank you so much!
 
No, but your nose does. You’re doomed.
Yes, fragrance absorption on my end has been challenging in general 🙃 I have a rather large pile of allegedly unscented products that further agrees with your prophesy.

That said, my current products in use, admitedly smaller in number, deliver promises of a more unscented sort. And, my nose has come in handy identifying water damage that inspectors missed, so perhaps it's not total doom...at least for the kitchen.

Also, thanks for your feedback!
 
So, your concern is cross-contamination of scents from other products? Seems like there is not much you can control until the product gets into your hands from the warehouse, store, shipping, etc.

I think the best thing would be to only buy soaps that come in sealed containers. When you are ready to shave, take a small amount of soap out and put it in a separate bowl to load your brush. Keep the lid on your container and put it on a closet shelf or something like that away from the bathroom.

There were several good threads recently about unscented soaps.


 
So, your concern is cross-contamination of scents from other products? Seems like there is not much you can control until the product gets into your hands from the warehouse, store, shipping, etc.

I think the best thing would be to only buy soaps that come in sealed containers. When you are ready to shave, take a small amount of soap out and put it in a separate bowl to load your brush. Keep the lid on your container and put it on a closet shelf or something like that away from the bathroom.

There were several good threads recently about unscented soaps.


Thank you! Those were very helpful links. I know cross-contamination is always going to exist, so my question is more in regards to how well unscented shaving soaps tend to hold up against cross-contamination.
 
I occasionally get unscented soaps for testing purposes. After evaluating the soaps, I sometimes add essential oils or a cologne to the tub. However, the best way to scent an unscented soap is during the lathering process. It is somewhat difficult to do if you face lather, but if you bowl lather, you can add essential oils or cologne to the bowl as you are building your lather. That works quite well.
 
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