Apparently some Brits were successful growing Saville oranges way back. I don't know about now, though.
Hair Tonic Heaven
- Thread starter joto
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Apparently some Brits were successful growing Saville oranges way back. I don't know about now, though.
Good evening chaps. I have to admit the comments about a tobacco note in Clubman's Eau de Portugal really piqued my interest. I usually just absorb the orange notes and go my merry way. However, I wanted to see if I could discern what it is you gents speak of. So at lunch break today, I came home and applied a few spritzed of it on my hair. I then took a deep whiff of the air since there is always a good amount atomised in the air when you do this. Orange, orange, orange...okay, yes. I think I get it now. A slightly earthy, musk, I-don't-know-what. I like it. This is why I have such a hard time describing scents. I am not sharp enough to catch those notes at times. It is really nice. Thank you for pointing it out cstrother.
I would also like to add a few more comments for those out there who are lurking about this posting and those who are on the fence about these hair tonics. Anyone who has seen my long winded posts on the subject knows what a HUGE fan I am of Pashana Friction Lotions. These are essentially the same thing as the greaseless hair tonics from Clubman. The scents are superb. The Origninal, Blue Orchid, and Bay Rum are phenomenal. I have also used their EdP and to be frank, the Clubman is easily superior in scent. The Pashana version is "cold" to me. The Clubman version has this bright, warm, wonderful orange explosion on your locks and I love it. I think the same would apply to the Eau de Quinine. The Pinaud versions of these two take a back seat to nothing in the scent department. They are just wonderful.
One thing I think bears pointing out is you should not expect these to really hold your hair or provide styling body. They are not meant for that. If you want hold, use pomade or gel. If you want shine, use the versions of these lotions "with oil". Usually mineral oil. I don't like them since they make blond hair look dirty. I wish I could find some of these lotions with a pure vegetable oil that may give the shine without the motor oil look. What they do is provide a softening of your hair since the glycerin draws moisture and keeps your hair from drying out. They are also allegedly good for the scalp and I cannot say they have ever irritated me or made me have flaky scalp. I am also not prepared to say they helped or cured those conditions either. To me, the real draw are the scents. They don't evapourate away like scents you spray on your skin. At least not as quickly. You hair does not perspire so that helps. Yes, I realise if you work very hard in the heat you will get wet hair. That will dilute them as quickly as anything so keep things in perspective. Yet the prices are surprisingly low. Even for the Pashana lotions which usually run about $12.50 per 250ml bottle. The Clubman scents are even less at usually around $8 per 370ml bottle. Truly bargain prices. I also recommend you decant them into four ounce glass rounds with a pump atomiser. This provides a more consistent coverage of you hair and wastes very little. I think it opens the scents up somewhat as well. Now for finding someone to blend me a custom friction lotion...
Regards, Todd
I would also like to add a few more comments for those out there who are lurking about this posting and those who are on the fence about these hair tonics. Anyone who has seen my long winded posts on the subject knows what a HUGE fan I am of Pashana Friction Lotions. These are essentially the same thing as the greaseless hair tonics from Clubman. The scents are superb. The Origninal, Blue Orchid, and Bay Rum are phenomenal. I have also used their EdP and to be frank, the Clubman is easily superior in scent. The Pashana version is "cold" to me. The Clubman version has this bright, warm, wonderful orange explosion on your locks and I love it. I think the same would apply to the Eau de Quinine. The Pinaud versions of these two take a back seat to nothing in the scent department. They are just wonderful.
One thing I think bears pointing out is you should not expect these to really hold your hair or provide styling body. They are not meant for that. If you want hold, use pomade or gel. If you want shine, use the versions of these lotions "with oil". Usually mineral oil. I don't like them since they make blond hair look dirty. I wish I could find some of these lotions with a pure vegetable oil that may give the shine without the motor oil look. What they do is provide a softening of your hair since the glycerin draws moisture and keeps your hair from drying out. They are also allegedly good for the scalp and I cannot say they have ever irritated me or made me have flaky scalp. I am also not prepared to say they helped or cured those conditions either. To me, the real draw are the scents. They don't evapourate away like scents you spray on your skin. At least not as quickly. You hair does not perspire so that helps. Yes, I realise if you work very hard in the heat you will get wet hair. That will dilute them as quickly as anything so keep things in perspective. Yet the prices are surprisingly low. Even for the Pashana lotions which usually run about $12.50 per 250ml bottle. The Clubman scents are even less at usually around $8 per 370ml bottle. Truly bargain prices. I also recommend you decant them into four ounce glass rounds with a pump atomiser. This provides a more consistent coverage of you hair and wastes very little. I think it opens the scents up somewhat as well. Now for finding someone to blend me a custom friction lotion...
Regards, Todd
Excellent post, observations and suggestions, Todd.
The Pashana Tonics are nice in their own way, but they were never able to hold a candle to the Pinauds to me.
The Pashana Tonics are nice in their own way, but they were never able to hold a candle to the Pinauds to me.
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- #44
Does anyone have experience decanting Pinaud (or other) products in plastic containers into glass bottles? I take Jeris tonic in an aqua velva bottle (cleaned with bleach) to the gym for the post-workout shower, and I would swear the scent is diverging over time. I notice it more upon initial application- the (original) plastic bottle stuff has a noticable but distinctly skunky kind of smell, the decanted Jeris in the AV bottle little or none. The stuff in the AV bottle has spent a few months in there and there is not much air at the top, while the plastic bottle is nearly empty and in contact with a lot of air in the bottle. Both are originally from the plastic bottle, so it's the same batch of stuff- the only difference is one is stored in plastic and the other in glass. Well, and one spends time in a gym bag, the other in a bathroom closet. I suppose there is the possibility of cross-contamination from the original AV musk, but that bottle got a REAL good soaking in bleach water (about 10% I think), and I don't remember it smelling like much of anything when I decanted. The dry down is much more difficult to tell a difference, I still think there may be a little 'skunk' in the plastic bottle stuff. After 30 minutes or so, the two seem indistinguishable, but I swear there is a distinct difference upon application.
I have a couple of bottles of the clubman aftershave, and one sat half empty for a while as I was using the other one. It also has that kind of skunky smell to it, the one exposed to the atmosphere during use, much less. I have read several times in different threads that people seem to prefer the Pinaud in the glass bottles, especially the Lilac Vegetal. Is it possible the product has remained more or less the same over the years, only it is now being carried in inferior packaging that may be reacting in some way with the product? Alcohol is a terrific solvent, and it could be leaching something out of the plastic. I am fully aware that my mind could be playing tricks on me- the more I go back and forth between them to try and tell the difference, the more similar they smell. I should sterilize and clean a few more surplus AV bottles and conduct an experiment with different products. It may take a few months though!!
I have no experience with the older Pinaud stuff, so I can't compare the 'now' to the 'then.' Anyone else tried this?
I have a couple of bottles of the clubman aftershave, and one sat half empty for a while as I was using the other one. It also has that kind of skunky smell to it, the one exposed to the atmosphere during use, much less. I have read several times in different threads that people seem to prefer the Pinaud in the glass bottles, especially the Lilac Vegetal. Is it possible the product has remained more or less the same over the years, only it is now being carried in inferior packaging that may be reacting in some way with the product? Alcohol is a terrific solvent, and it could be leaching something out of the plastic. I am fully aware that my mind could be playing tricks on me- the more I go back and forth between them to try and tell the difference, the more similar they smell. I should sterilize and clean a few more surplus AV bottles and conduct an experiment with different products. It may take a few months though!!
I have no experience with the older Pinaud stuff, so I can't compare the 'now' to the 'then.' Anyone else tried this?
Does anyone have experience decanting Pinaud (or other) products in plastic containers into glass bottles? I take Jeris tonic in an aqua velva bottle (cleaned with bleach) to the gym for the post-workout shower, and I would swear the scent is diverging over time. I notice it more upon initial application- the (original) plastic bottle stuff has a noticable but distinctly skunky kind of smell, the decanted Jeris in the AV bottle little or none. The stuff in the AV bottle has spent a few months in there and there is not much air at the top, while the plastic bottle is nearly empty and in contact with a lot of air in the bottle. Both are originally from the plastic bottle, so it's the same batch of stuff- the only difference is one is stored in plastic and the other in glass. Well, and one spends time in a gym bag, the other in a bathroom closet. I suppose there is the possibility of cross-contamination from the original AV musk, but that bottle got a REAL good soaking in bleach water (about 10% I think), and I don't remember it smelling like much of anything when I decanted. The dry down is much more difficult to tell a difference, I still think there may be a little 'skunk' in the plastic bottle stuff. After 30 minutes or so, the two seem indistinguishable, but I swear there is a distinct difference upon application.
I have a couple of bottles of the clubman aftershave, and one sat half empty for a while as I was using the other one. It also has that kind of skunky smell to it, the one exposed to the atmosphere during use, much less. I have read several times in different threads that people seem to prefer the Pinaud in the glass bottles, especially the Lilac Vegetal. Is it possible the product has remained more or less the same over the years, only it is now being carried in inferior packaging that may be reacting in some way with the product? Alcohol is a terrific solvent, and it could be leaching something out of the plastic. I am fully aware that my mind could be playing tricks on me- the more I go back and forth between them to try and tell the difference, the more similar they smell. I should sterilize and clean a few more surplus AV bottles and conduct an experiment with different products. It may take a few months though!!
I have no experience with the older Pinaud stuff, so I can't compare the 'now' to the 'then.' Anyone else tried this?
All the Pinaud stuff has been reformulated for plastic, some more extensively than others.
<A slightly earthy, musk, I-don't-know-what. I like it. This is why I have such a hard time describing scents. I am not sharp enough to catch those notes at times. It is really nice. Thank you for pointing it out cstrother.>
Ha! Turns out I actually was onto something. I'm not always right! I find scents really difficult to "parse out" (someone else can tell me what notes/accords are in C&S 88 and what makes something smell so "dark") and really hard to describe. I am sure that any of us could be a look better at figuring out scents if someone made us sit down and smell things "blind," and then let us know that "that was Neroli" or "this one begamot," "they are said to smell like . . . ." But one thing I really like about scents is how not everything that does in to a good one smells good. Something may change when it is added to the scent to make it smell good, or it may have some roll in the scent that does not call for it to smell good at all. (Is K 10 supposed to smell "good"? It seems to me, only if motor oil and old industrial leather smells good to one. Turns out they sure do to me.)
I suspect that burned, earthy notes in EdP, are not intended to be obvious and likely intended not to be noticed at all, but to subtly make the perception of EdP be more masculine. And I think they work!
I saw some write ups for Pasha. I will get some if I get a chance. Thanks for the heads up re "not the EdP."
Also intriguing using EdP in one's hair would make it long lasting. Like I said above, I could never figure of what a hair tonic was for as far as I was concerned. If dosing my hair with it gives it legs, what the heck!
Hemingway really used EdP? Very cool. I thought Ian Fleming was fond of Floris No. 19. Even more cool of him if he liked Clubman EdP. Lots of folks seem to think Floris No. 19 is James Bond's scent. Floris sure seems to think so!
When accurate that type of info is really interesting, but even old line companies seem to hype some really sketch stuff. For instance, Creed Green Irish Tweed was famously supposedly originally designed for Cary Grant. Now maybe I have it wrong and Creed make it exclusively for CG for decades before releasing it to the public, but CG died in 1986 at the age of 82. Creed released GIT in 1985. I suppose it is possible that CG really rocked the GIT the last year of his life. But I would guess it is nearly impossible that Creed decided, "hey, let's design a scent for an 80 year guy. That name recognition will really move some juice. Just hope he manages to stay alive through 90 + yo." 80 year old CG is not the image I am going for!
Ha! Turns out I actually was onto something. I'm not always right! I find scents really difficult to "parse out" (someone else can tell me what notes/accords are in C&S 88 and what makes something smell so "dark") and really hard to describe. I am sure that any of us could be a look better at figuring out scents if someone made us sit down and smell things "blind," and then let us know that "that was Neroli" or "this one begamot," "they are said to smell like . . . ." But one thing I really like about scents is how not everything that does in to a good one smells good. Something may change when it is added to the scent to make it smell good, or it may have some roll in the scent that does not call for it to smell good at all. (Is K 10 supposed to smell "good"? It seems to me, only if motor oil and old industrial leather smells good to one. Turns out they sure do to me.)
I suspect that burned, earthy notes in EdP, are not intended to be obvious and likely intended not to be noticed at all, but to subtly make the perception of EdP be more masculine. And I think they work!
I saw some write ups for Pasha. I will get some if I get a chance. Thanks for the heads up re "not the EdP."
Also intriguing using EdP in one's hair would make it long lasting. Like I said above, I could never figure of what a hair tonic was for as far as I was concerned. If dosing my hair with it gives it legs, what the heck!
Hemingway really used EdP? Very cool. I thought Ian Fleming was fond of Floris No. 19. Even more cool of him if he liked Clubman EdP. Lots of folks seem to think Floris No. 19 is James Bond's scent. Floris sure seems to think so!
When accurate that type of info is really interesting, but even old line companies seem to hype some really sketch stuff. For instance, Creed Green Irish Tweed was famously supposedly originally designed for Cary Grant. Now maybe I have it wrong and Creed make it exclusively for CG for decades before releasing it to the public, but CG died in 1986 at the age of 82. Creed released GIT in 1985. I suppose it is possible that CG really rocked the GIT the last year of his life. But I would guess it is nearly impossible that Creed decided, "hey, let's design a scent for an 80 year guy. That name recognition will really move some juice. Just hope he manages to stay alive through 90 + yo." 80 year old CG is not the image I am going for!
Ian Fleming himself used Floris 89 as a fragrance along with EdP as well, and in fact in (I think) On Her Majesties Secret Service, Bond uses Pinaud Elixir Shampoo. I don't think Bond ever "officially" got a scent in any of the books, but when asked in an interview what cologne Bond liked, Fleming said something to the effect of "I've given him all my personal traits, so I suppose Bond is a Floris man."
Man it warms my heart to hear people are enjoying the Pinaud EdP. One of my all-time favorite products since I found this site a while back. That hair tonic label scares a lot folks but that is one fine, light, and fresh aftershave/splash. Nothing better on a hot humid day....
I hope this thread inspires a few more folks to give EdP a try. I would be surprised if someone didn't like it. It just fantastic..
I'm going to give the Eau de Quinine a spin next. Although I'm not sure if that will have the same aftershave/splash qualities to it. I trust Clubman Rob though--if he likes it it probably doesn't suck....He was right on target with the EdP.
Marty E.
I hope this thread inspires a few more folks to give EdP a try. I would be surprised if someone didn't like it. It just fantastic..
I'm going to give the Eau de Quinine a spin next. Although I'm not sure if that will have the same aftershave/splash qualities to it. I trust Clubman Rob though--if he likes it it probably doesn't suck....He was right on target with the EdP.
Marty E.
Well, to be fair... I don't see how anyone could not like EdP... but I could see where some wouldn't cotton to the EdQ. It is a bit medicinal and soda-like- and I don't think it's for everyone. I love it though!
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- #50
They're all good! It was love at first smell... 
I ordered up some "travel sizes" of various Clubman products from ebarbershop.com. Finally got to try some Osage, and some Clubman vanilla, and Eau de Quinine. $2.29 an ounce.
They are all great! The vanilla was not very vanilla at all. I was prepared for that by ClubmanRob. I really like the quinine, but again does not smell anything like quinine to me. The Osage was not as overpowering as I thought, but still great. Wish I had gone for full size bottle of each. But not from ebarbershop.com, which seems pretty darn expensive!I want some Dragon Noir and some Coachman.
They are all great! The vanilla was not very vanilla at all. I was prepared for that by ClubmanRob. I really like the quinine, but again does not smell anything like quinine to me. The Osage was not as overpowering as I thought, but still great. Wish I had gone for full size bottle of each. But not from ebarbershop.com, which seems pretty darn expensive!I want some Dragon Noir and some Coachman.
I need to add a "stay away from Ebarbershop" line in my sig.
Expensive is an understatement. The Dragon Noir is a knock off of Drakkar Noir which I actually like better than Drakkar. The Coachman is now pretty much the spitting image of Clubman (it used to smell much weaker than it does now). Trust me, if you've ever used Clubman in the plastic bottle, you have had Coachman.
Hey Rob. That is some good information about the Dragon Noir. It didn't take much imagination to know where they got the name. What I like is your take on the scent. I used to really like Drakkar when I was younger but it is off my radar these days. A bit better you say? I believe that. A few years ago someone on one of these forums suggested that Clubman, Brute, and Canoe were all very similar and that Clubman was a superior scent to the others. I sniffed them side by side and darned if it wasn't true. Just a richer scent altogether. This makes me want to try the Dragon! I just wish I could use them as a/s splashes. They burn me like no other and so I have to use Clubman as cologne most times. It gets VERY strong on me so I rarely use it. The DN may be a better choice.
Regards, Todd
Regards, Todd
I loved Drakkar too when I was a young teen, now the smell is a little... putrid to my nose. Too many days spent trapped in a locker room being engulfed by the guys that bathed in that and Cool Water. The Dragon Noir is much tamer, more subdued. Not quite cheap knock off, but close. It pretty much brings back the good memories I had of Drakkar and not the stinky locker room flashbacks I get when someone is wearing the real thing.
So just Dragon Noir and a full-sized bottle of the Vanilla, the Osage, and the Quinine. I have a good supply of Clubman.
I assume some place carries all of this stuff besides maybe the Dragon, other than ebarber!
Aside from the Vanilla, I can buy that stuff locally, but I used to get it all from Drugstore.com and rysbarbersupplies.com, which I guess has now gone defunct... Anybody got the scoop on Ry's? He had the best prices on the web.
http://www.appletonbarbersupply.com has lots of tonics and aftershaves.
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- #58
In my experience, they offer excellent customer service and fast shipping. Shipping is priced a little high at $10 or something like that, but it drops if you order more than some minimum order (I think $50, but don't quote me). At their prices, that's a lot of aftershave!
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- #59
I was browsing the shaving section at the local supermarket today, and noticed the Vitalis hair tonic- interestingly enough, it has the PPG-40 Butyl Ether listed second, just like the Lucky Tiger 3- Purpose tonic. Logically, there should be some similarity in the behavior of these two products (slight greasiness?). I think about picking some up sometime, but the scent in the bottle always puts me off. Probably smells better on the skin, as do most alcohol containing products in my experience.
JOTO. I agree about the Vitalis. It is dirt cheap and a complete turn off for me. It is an old school product. It has been around for decades. My dad bought me and my brother a bottle each of this stuff when we were little. Back in the late 60's. We thought we would be right uptown with that stuff. A cursory sniff was not encouraging but I went ahead and slapped a good teaspoon of the stuff in my palms and went to work. Whew. It is heavier and certainly feels greasier than our Pinaud and Pashana tonics but it allegedly contains no oils. It is not bad and not really "greasy" per se but I just cannot bring myself to love the scent. And the scent lingers close to you all day. You can never stop realising it is there. Much the same way I dislike the newer Brylcreem scent, I just can't like it. To be honest, before I would use Vitalis I would buy a small bottle of cheap cologne that I like, decant some into an atomiser bottle and add dose of gycerin to it. Maybe even a little bit of aloe juice. It would have to smell better. Now I will duck so as to avoid those who like the old V7.
Regards, Todd
Regards, Todd
