I'm unscented

[Bluestaco]

I'm congenitally anosmic, which is a fancy medical way of saying I was born without, and never developed, a sense of smell.

As such, I am really paranoid about smells. I go strictly by the date on the milk bottle, and I have natural gas sensors in my home. I gravitate toward unscented products anyway (laundry soaps, deodorant, etc) for a couple of basic reasons:
1. I have no way of knowing whether something is too strong/I have too much, and I don't want to ever be that guy...
2. I occasionally do actually get a "whiff" of something, which doctors have told me is either me tasting it or it is the trigeminal nerve conveying a "smell" to my brain (it tells you when there are fumes, among other things). When this happens, it makes me nuts because all I know is that a smell "is." It could be me, cologne, fire, poop on my shoe, cookies baking somewhere, or just concrete--I have no point of reference.

So, with that overexplanation, my question is: can any of y'all recommend unscented or VERY mildly scented products I might try? I'd 'preshiate it.

Answers to the usual questions I get, for the record:
-Yes, I can taste. (Different organ, different neural pathway, different part of the brain.)
-Yes, colds make a difference; I can't taste then, either, just like you.
-Farts? Just a funny noise to me. I've been told I'm great to drink with.
-Cookies. I'm most curious about cookies. Also coffee, rain, bread, fresh-mowed grass, roses, and yes, farts (I am curious!)

 

[Badger Boo]

First of all, what a fascinating post! I learned something new today.

Second, what type of products are you looking for? Shaving products specifically?

I would recommend Em's Unscented Shaving Cream and Saint Charles Shave Unscented Shaving Cream.

 

[robertw]

SCS has an unscented bulk tub of shaving cream you may want to look at. . .
http://www.saintcharlesshave.com/products.htm

Drat you beat me!

 

[spiffykyle]

Wow...I never knew...just thinking about never having smelled anything blows my mind

Anyways, I use KMF (Kiss My Face) Unscented all the time. Plus it is usually available somewhere locally.

spiffy

 

[Must Dash]

All the DE blades I've tried are unscented.

Hope that helps.

Cheers

Jeremy

 

[Must Dash]

And + 1 on the fascinating. I'm trying to imagine life without a sense of smell.
Also, to be constructive, Provence Sante is one of my favorite shaving soaps. It is ultra-moisturizing, lathers beautifully and has the tiniest scent to it - almost non-existent.

Cheers


Jeremy

 

[Bluestaco]

Thank y'all for your recommendations!

I'm definitely going to quit paying extra for unscented DE blades. Imagine: ripping off the handicapped...unconscionable!

 

[Felix]

Thanks for the interesting post. Apparently I take cookies very much for granted.

I have an extremely sensitive sense of smell, so I try to avoid strong scents as well, but for different reasons (though ultimately because, like you, I don't want to be THAT GUY either).

Regarding products, I tend toward minty products in general, because in my experience, they aren't overwhelming. Unless they're applied in excess, I find that they just leave a mild clean scent.

 

[McTeague]

I avoid daily use of strongly scented products because I find they're distracting at the office. For that reason also I almost never wear after shave or cologne. So I like to use soaps and creams that are moisturizing enough so I don't need to put anything on my face after I shave.

Once in a while when my face feels a little irritated I use AOS unscented after shave balm. AOS unscented products really have no scent.

I also like AOS lavender products because I find the scent is light to begin with and then disappears very quickly. I use Yardley's English Lavender as my daily soap for the same reason (but I really like lavender, so maybe I'm biased!).

AOS's sandalwood is AOS's biggest-selling scent, but for me it's too strong. And, with apologies to the many B&B members who use it, all of whom I love and respect like brothers, it's too "pretty" for me.

Speick shave stick and shave cream have a very light scent also, and I use them more than any other soap or cream because they produce tons of lubricating, moisturizing lather. But I find the other Speick products to be too strong. Especially the Speick after shave balm, which smells like boiling cabbage when it goes on, and then later mellows out to become a very pleasant scent of spicy musk. Nice, but still too strong for the office.

Old Spice solid deodorant (the invisible solid) has a very light scent, and I recommend it also because it doesn't have so much alcohol that it burns your underarms. But the other Old Spice products are too strongly-scented. I'm thinking mainly of OS after shave, which is real strong.

I have a tube of Musgo Real shave cream and a bottle of Musgo Real after shave balm sitting in my medicine cabinet. They've got a manly Portuguese barbershop kind of scent that would be great for say, going to a salsa club or a whorehouse. But they are way too strong for the office. Alas, I never get to wear them.

 

[OldSaw]

John Michael Kohler after shave balm is my favorite after shave product. It also happens to be nearly scent free. You will never have to worry about being "that guy" with too much fragrance using this.

 

[Hun]

Thanks for sharing! It is a very interesting story

 

[thirdeye]

+1 on the AOS unscented produces. The do a fine job.

 

[cr8n]

+1 for interestingness.

I find that some "unscented" products smell "bad." With some items, it's not the added scent that annoys, it's the ingredients.

The biggest culprits that I can think of are some after shave balms. For example, AOS Lemon Balm is lightly scented, disappears quickly, and is a LOT nicer (to me) than the Unscented product.

I also like to use unscented products under strongly scented after shave splashes or colognes, so that the scents don't clash.

I don't think you can go wrong with lightly-scented products like:

Aqua Velva
Mitchell's Woolfat Shaving Soap
Dickenson's Witch Hazel
Booster After Shaves - say Polar Ice or Lime

You are saving a fortune on colognes.

Paul

P.S. I disagree with Jeremy. Russian Gillette (Wal-Mart) blades do "stink."

 

[R-James]

+1 on the MWF and Niveasoft moisturising cream is light and unscented and makes your skin lovely and supple.

 

[Sue]

I've read your post a couple of times, amazing; I've never heard of this before. Fragrance is nice but there is nothing wrong with not using it. I think most all products are available in 'unscented' or very lightly fragranced. If you can't find what you are looking for without fragrance, ask the manufacturer.
Sue

 

[JayKay]

I hear alot of people like the Crabtree and Evelyn Nomad which is just about unscented. As for mild scents which barely exist you could use GFT Coconut which is amazing. GFT Almond also has a very subtle almond scent but by the time you put your clothes on and are ready to go out there really is no scent of it left with you.

For some reason GFT coconut is just amazing. It makes me feel all luxorious and relaxed. The cream is wonderful. I would recomend it, its worth it. Also, if your friends really love you, they'll cup a fart and make you taste it. They taste the same way they smell. You'll get the idea.

Btw, ever get a bit of that lather in your mouth and want to gag? The ingredients in the pruduct are probably not good for you and there is probably a strong scent attached to it.

 

[Bluestaco]

I'm really grateful for the recommendations and I'll be trying some of them. AOS unscented soap is fine, but not great for what it costs.

I had no idea my "affliction" was that fascinating! People forget easily, and I always get "Man, can't you smell that!?" Uh...no. Mostly, people (including doctors) don't believe I can taste. I forgot and ate a tuna sandwich during an important business meeting one day. (Tuna fish smells a bit, evidently). That was a complicated apology.

My friends love me too much, and any of them would be all too happy to cup me a fart (or, for that matter, save me a gallon of 'em), hook up a mask, and film it for posterity! Fortunately, they're all heathen blues musicians who wouldn't come to B&B and don't shave anyway. They also know paybacks a #*!%##!!

 

[Silb3r]

And I thought I had a poor sense of smell! Educational post but also tragic--like the end of that Burgess Meredith episode of the Twilight Zone when he's got all the books but breaks his glasses. If this condition manifested itself now I'd have 40+ creams I'd be unable to smell

The Nancy Boy creams are all great, give them a shot!

 

[SP Log Dog]

This kind of reminds me of another sensory disorder, I can't remember what its called, but the girl who had it "tasted" music. For example, Bach had a creamy taste, and other music tasted like grass. I believe it can also make you see colors when hearing things. Kind of random thought I guess.

 

[Stanley]

I hear alot of people like the Crabtree and Evelyn Nomad which is just about unscented.

I gotta disagree about the Nomad. It is one of the more fragrant of the soaps I've had, which is a total of 5. Very strong aroma in the bowl, I love it. It being a soap though, I think most of the smell is gone by the time you have rinsed and apply AS.