Soap smell help!

[Hamilton]

As my payday approaches and I get ready to approach straight razor shaving, I have realized that I have no idea what to look for in a shaving soap scent.

The problem is, I have no sense of smell so I have no way of knowing from past experience or through smelling soaps, what I am getting into.

I was wondering if anyone could recommend and maybe even give me a small "description" for a soap(s) that smells good. I will eventually want soaps of varying levels of smells.

Thanks for the help in advance, its hard for me to articulate about smelling things, so I am sorry if it is a little confusing/vauge.

 

[Texas Don]

This is probably not a question best asked of a group of cyber associates. What might be pleasing to me might not interest you at all. If you have no sense of smell, why not ask a personal friend to accompany you to your favorite emporium and recommend a scent for you?

 

[Rivguy]

This is probably not a question best asked of a group of cyber associates. What might be pleasing to me might not interest you at all. If you have no sense of smell, why not ask a personal friend to accompany you to your favorite emporium and recommend a scent for you?

In large part, I agree with Texas Don. Since sense of smell will not be the driving factor to your shaving experience, you will probably do well to concentrate on other factors that will bring you pleasure. I am thinking of lubricity, latherability, presentation and moisturizing. You would most likely do well with more mild and pleasant scents like Cella or VDH. Others on this forum will have other suggestions as well.

Happy shaving,

Doug

 

[MikeLip]

The best soap smell out there is lime. No, don't argue. Lime is the best. All others are secondary.

Actually while I am joking I am also sort of not joking. Lime is generally an easy scent to handle, almost everyone likes it well enough and some of us love it. It's non-controversial is the best way to put it. There are lots of lime soap out there. I'd go to Mama Bear for my first lime soap, or Pirates Cove. Both are good performers and reasonably priced. Any of Mamas soaps are good ones, but her scent selection is overwhelming.

 

[kingfisher]

The best soap smell out there is lime. No, don't argue. Lime is the best. All others are secondary.

....

+1. Lime rules! Lime FTW.

 

[beginish]

Hamilton, welcome to B&B. Since you said that you're getting ready to approach straight razor shaving, you should probably look for a combination of good scent and protective lather. All of the AoS soaps have great lather with very modest scents (lavender, lemon, sandalwood, unscented). I have never used it, but Tabac is reputed to give excellent lather, but has a strong but divisive (love it or hate it) scent.

 

[deshaveman]

Tabac...what else is there?

Seriously though, it would help if you let us know what you think smells good. Some colognes you like perhaps?

Shave soaps run the gamut from cologne-like to flowery to gourmand to soapy-smelling and everything in between.

 

[Arctic]

+1. Lime rules! Lime FTW.

Just not Col. Conk's lime, It smells like dishwashing liquid. The only soaps I frequently hear people say they dislike the scent of are Williams, Arko, and Tabac. Also, there are some good unscented soaps out there, like AOS and Mama Bears.

 

[mblakele]

Welcome to B&B!

Most soap scents don't persist after the shave is complete and you have rinsed away the lather. But I agree that advice on scents should come from associates more intimate than we can be. If you want to play it safe, select soaps that are known to have a neutral or mild scent. From my own rotation I would nominate MWF and PSGT.

 

[roboboticus]

Or you could go with an unscented soap. Curious— do you mean you literally have no sense of smell?

 

[DFrancis]

I'll suggest MWF, it's clean, mildly soapy smelling soap.

 

[BEAR DEN]

Another vote for Tabac...I like the smell and it seems to make a difference for me when I use a Str8 razor. Welcome to B&B!

 

[Luc]

Welcome to B&B!

MWF is a good recommendation, it's very mild and the scent is soapy. It might be difficult to lather with it.

Tabac is a lot/hate type of scent. I can't stand it. It works very well but the scent reminds me of the gym...

Proraso would be my top pick, cheap and the scent is close to barbershop/soapy scent. The menthol cools you in the summer, that's the green tub. The white tub is more "green plant" type of scent. Very nice soap, both of them and easy to lather.

 

[Go West Young Man]

Wait - you have no sense of smell literally, or just figuratively as in you don't know much about scents?

 

[petr]

Go to a health food store and pick through some oils in the little bottles - lime, almond, sandalwood, lavender...

they will all be there and you can zero in of what you like.

 

[Hamilton]

Thanks for the responses.

To clarify I literally have no sense of smell. As in I have 4/5 of the major senses.

As for finding someone to help me pick stuff out, I am recently single so I am pretty much flying solo in this endeavor. Unfortunately my other friends wouldn't really be much help either. The only cologne I have ever used is R.S.V.P by Kenneth Cole, and that was picked for me by my sister (who lives 3 states away).

I think I am going to start with AoS Sandalwood or Proraso (depending how much I decide to spend initially). I will eventually try others, (Tabac, etc) but for now I would just like a simple classic scent (even though I can't enjoy it).

 

[roboboticus]

If I had no sense of smell I would use Tabac. But I do, so I don't.
It's worth noting that the scent of whatever soap you use won't linger very long if at all after you're done shaving. That's been my experience, at least. Aftershaves might be a different story.

 

[kingfisher]

If you have no sense of smell, then what does it matter what your shave soap smells like? I'm confused.

 

[Hamilton]

If you have no sense of smell, then what does it matter what your shave soap smells like? I'm confused.

In case anyone else ever smells it, I don't want them to be repulsed. Not having a sense of smell makes you WAY more paranoid about how you may or may not smell than you would think, you can't just smell to figure it out.

 

[petr]

Just get TABAC. Seriously. No one is going to smell your shave soap.