Epitome of Barbershop Scents

[Dominic]

The first time I picked up Clubman in the pharmacy, I immediately thought "barbershop." Now, Avon is my youth as my mom bought lots of Avon products. Wild Country and Black Suede are the two most prevalent childhood aromas. After haircuts, my mother had my brothers and me take showers to wash our hair and get rid of clippings. This was inevitably followed by Avon splash. So the Avon has a barbershop scent to me as well.

I have some Black Suede. It's been in the house for very many years. I never knew where it came from. Never knew it was Avon. If that's the case, it was probably my Mom who bought it. I will guess she bought it for Dad.

 

[Dominic]

When I first started going to barbershops, those establishments were the sole domain of males. Nearly all barbers were men. If a boy needed a haircut, his father brought him to the shop until he was old enough to walk or ride his bike by himself. The barbershops smelled of worn leather chairs, talcum powder, Barbasol foam, and Pinaud Clubman, Lilac Vegetal or vintage Old Spice or English Leather. There was also the smell of magazine ink, old newspapers, and tobacco. There was often a game of checkers going on in.

Likewise, hair salons were where women went to get their hair washed, cut, bleached, colored straightened, or curled using horrible smelling chemicals. I hated even walking bay the door of one of those places; there is no way I would go in. Barbershops definitely smelled better back then.

Today is different. At least in my area, traditional barbershops are few and far between. Barbers are required to serve women as well as men or potentially be sued for discrimination (It has happened). Similarly, many men like my son-in-law go to hair salons to get their hair cut.

In order to maximize profits, man barbershopd often skip the use of talc and after shave products. The machine made shave lather has minimal scent. My barber even uses a disposable razor to trim my neck; back in the "good ole' days" barbers shaved my neck and around my ears with a traditional straight razor stropped on leather and you could get a full straight razor shave on special occasions. Smoking is prohibited inside all establishments here. Thus, my barbershop has little or no identifiable scent. That makes my shave at home even more enjoyable.

I've only had a straight razor shave once in the barbershop, and he did use the disposable razor shavette. I suppose that is now some sort of regulation like no smoking. I haven't the slightest idea if women around here (Oklahoma) would want to go to an old-fashioned barber, but I doubt one would be turned away if they went in. I don't think there is any sort of law about it.

The barber I go to is a woman. Her husband was a barber, and she eventually went to barber school to join him in the business. He has since died, and she now runs the barbershop alone, but she never changed the name of it, which is her husband's name. To be honest, I have never had the powder applied after a haircut...ever. The barber (or hair stylist when I was younger) always just used the brush to sweep away hair clippings on the neck. As you said, there is little scent these days. The scents I remember are from when I went to the barbershop with Dad when I was a kid.

 

[SharpieB]

Just because my barber uses it and I love the scent - 4711.
I know, unpopular but I love the citrus freshness!

Not sure why it’s not more popular. It has been around forever and has a light citrus smell. About as inoffensive as it gets IMO.

 

[haggis]

Not sure why it’s not more popular. It has been around forever and has a light citrus smell. About as inoffensive as it gets IMO.

I tried 4711 based on a passing conversation here and liked it quite a bit. The pleasant scent was so fleeting it made Lucky Tiger seem enduring. Everyone should have some

 

[SharpieB]

I tried 4711 based on a passing conversation here and liked it quite a bit. The pleasant scent was so fleeting it made Lucky Tiger seem enduring. Everyone should have some

Oh, you are right there. It doesn’t last hours or minutes. Literally just seconds. Perfect for going into the office IMO.

 

[RayClem]

I've only had a straight razor shave once in the barbershop, and he did use the disposable razor shavette. I suppose that is now some sort of regulation like no smoking. I haven't the slightest idea if women around here (Oklahoma) would want to go to an old-fashioned barber, but I doubt one would be turned away if they went in. I don't think there is any sort of law about it.

The barber I go to is a woman. Her husband was a barber, and she eventually went to barber school to join him in the business. He has since died, and she now runs the barbershop alone, but she never changed the name of it, which is her husband's name. To be honest, I have never had the powder applied after a haircut...ever. The barber (or hair stylist when I was younger) always just used the brush to sweep away hair clippings on the neck. As you said, there is little scent these days. The scents I remember are from when I went to the barbershop with Dad when I was a kid.

Traditional straight razors are prohibited many places these days for hygienic reasons. I have no issue with the use of a replaceable blade shavette. Howwever, a few months ago, my barber purchased a quantity of cheap disposable razors for use at home. However, he decided he did not like them for shaving. Thus, he brought them to the shop and now uses them for shaving the back of client's necks. Oh, well. I shave the back of my neck in the shower every couple of days using a cartridge razor, so I guess having the barber use one won't kill me. It is just that I can still remember when I first became old enough to have the barber shave my neck and around my ears with a straight razor. It was a right of passage from being a child to manhood that made me feel special.

 

[UglyDuckling]

Not sure why it’s not more popular. It has been around forever and has a light citrus smell. About as inoffensive as it gets IMO.

I mean in Europe it's considered like a grandma/grandpa fragrance, it's super cheap, but great citrus and lightly floral scent and I don't care it doesn't last, I just like walking out of the barbershop smelling like that!
For my own, I buy fragrances that last for hours so probably not 4711 but I like the scent and it's nice as aftershave!

 

[tyoung]

4711 is awesome. I even keep a bottle in my car that I splash on for a refreshing burst of citrus, and also use it on my hands as a way better smelling hand sanitizer

 

[BrianP]

A combination of barbasol, barbicide and lilac. There's gotta be lilac.

 

[pbrmhl]

I think the answer to this question depends on the barbershop experiences of your youth. My barber of my youth was my assistant Boy Scout master, who was a barber on “The Hill” in Boulder in the early ‘70s, when Boulder was engulfed in a cloud of hippie-inspired patchouli incense. His barbershop also doubled as a head shop, with its own aura of patchouli incense floating amongst the bongs. Ergo, one of my barbershop scents is a pure or front-forward patchouli scent.

I spent a few months in London in the late ‘70s in London, and got my hair cut exactly once. Unlike my hometown barber, the shop had a very distinctive scent that I rediscovered a couple of years ago. Pashana. To me, Pashana is the scent of a London barbershop.

 

[Dominic]

I think the answer to this question depends on the barbershop experiences of your youth. My barber of my youth was my assistant Boy Scout master, who was a barber on “The Hill” in Boulder in the early ‘70s, when Boulder was engulfed in a cloud of hippie-inspired patchouli incense. His barbershop also doubled as a head shop, with its own aura of patchouli incense floating amongst the bongs. Ergo, one of my barbershop scents is a pure or front-forward patchouli scent.

I spent a few months in London in the late ‘70s in London, and got my hair cut exactly once. Unlike my hometown barber, the shop had a very distinctive scent that I rediscovered a couple of years ago. Pashana. To me, Pashana is the scent of a London barbershop.

What is Pashana?

 

[Whisky]

The barbershops smelled of worn leather chairs, talcum powder, Barbasol foam, and Pinaud Clubman, Lilac Vegetal or vintage Old Spice or English Leather. There was also the smell of magazine ink, old newspapers, and tobacco. There was often a game of checkers going on in.

This is exactly how I remember the barbershop of my youth in the mid/late 70’s in Lockhart, Tx.

 

[Member 113878]

Recently discovered PAA's CaD and it's amazing!

 

[Paul Bearer]

Recently discovered PAA's CaD and it's amazing!

love CaD but is a 'fresh clean linen' scent rather than barbershop

 

[Member 113878]

It's true it's less sweet/powdery than the usual barbershop smell.
But Barbasol rings as barbershop to me.

 

[pbrmhl]

What is Pashana?

Pashana is an aftershave splash that is apparently quite popular in the UK. Not so much in the States.

 

[KeenDogg]

Clubman talc. No exceptions