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Stirling soap strange smell

Ad Astra

The Instigator
Someone described tallow as "dirty shirt smell." I'll buy that. "Tallow funk."

Old Valobra, several-year-old Stirling, some very old Cella of mine have a bit of it. Others have totally lost scent.

Exposure to air might do it, perhaps lathering on the puck exacerbates it. Don't know. None were exposed to heat.

One old soap has turned yellower, lost scent and has tallow funk. It's ok! It's a natural product. Still works fine.

Just use them up quicker, is all you have to do. Or consider all the excellent vegan soaps. Tallow's not needed, IMO, for superb shave soap.


AA
 
We should start another thread for soaps that smell just like something else. I just got a jar of Ethos Greenfresh and it smells exactly like Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit gum to me - which is joyous, but it surprised me. The Ethos website says it has cucumber, spearmint and lemongrass. I dunno, maybe that’s what’s in Juicy Fruit gum flavouring.

The Ethos Colonia smells precisely like AdP Colonia, though. It is exact. The best scent in the world. It’s how god would have made the world smell if he/she had spent a bit more time to get the details right.
 
I've used quite a few Stirling soaps but have never experienced what you describe. I think some folks are more sensitive to scents than others and you may one of them.
 
I've had a few Stirling soaps. All of them came smelling perfectly but after some time there was a something more that show up in the scent that puts me off. All of them had the same problem. I think it is the oxidation of some os it's oils, like rancid fats. I've always atributted this to the almond oil, but it is a guess.
 
I guess I've ben a lucky man. Many different Stirling soaps have passed through my den, and am currently
enjoying Sandalwood, Alighieri, Bay Rum, and Galstonbury. Really happy with all of the scents (and fabulous
lathering characteristics), and never an issue with any "strange smell."
 
I'm guessing it's the tallow base. It's faintly noticeable to me in all their soaps, probably because I've attempted to make tallow soap before. I wouldn't call it wet dog but I can see someone getting that impression.
Yeah, I think wet dog is probably the wrong term. If anything maybe it's more like a faint fishy smell? I do believe it's the tallow base scent that's coming through in a way I just don't get with other vendors. As a reference point, I tried a sample of Scott's Pine Sheep, and just couldn't use it. The pine smell was great, but there was such a strong underlying scent that completely dominated the profile for me.

For the record, I love Island Man!
 
I'm guessing it's the tallow base. It's faintly noticeable to me in all their soaps, probably because I've attempted to make tallow soap before. I wouldn't call it wet dog but I can see someone getting that impression.
Ok I'm glad you recognize it. I haven't made soaps - but I definitely get whatever you'd call that smell coming through. It drives me nuts, because I like everything else about their soaps.
 
Never had an issue with Stirling smelling like a wet dog/bleach/fishy. There’s three that I’ve tried that I probably won’t order again but it’s more that the scents didn’t match the expectations
 

Marco

B&B's Man in Italy
I'm starting to get this strange smell, too. Honestly, I'm getting it from all my tallow soaps. Quite light but still unpleasant in the new soaps, almost nauseating in the older ones. I'm seriously considering stopping using them. Furthermore, performance-wise I prefer tallow-free soaps, definitely slicker for me.
 
I think I know the smell you speak of …back when I first got my Stirling spice I smelt some strange smell almost wet dog alike ….that same smell as a new boar brush…it has popped up a couple of times but it always goes away..could be the soap didn’t dry enough or something I’m not sure but I know that smell lol
 

Hannah's Dad

I Can See Better Than Bigfoot.
Maybe we’re all just suffering from this …
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I didn't realize so many folks smelled dogs when they were wet!! Now I'm curious and must run out and smell the neighbors dog the next time it rains, although it might be a little hard to explain why I want to smell their dog...

I've been using Stirling almost exclusively since 2017 and have had tubs or samples of a pretty wide variety of the line and never smelled anything off putting in any of the scents. Sure, there were a few I didn't care for but nothing rancid for sure. I for one am not crazy for the mutton tallow line as my sniffer does pick up the mutton scent though very very muted, I can still detect it...and yes, I've smelled lamb when it was cooking in the house and for that reason I only order it when out and about!!

As we all know, YMMV plays on us differently and in so many ways in this hobby but something I've experienced with one of my favorites in the Stirling line-up is Bay Rum is that a high percentage will say it is very clove forward and compared to several out there I'd have to disagree as according to my sniffer it is very nutmeg forward which is something you won't find in any other offerings of Bay Rum out there any other artisan's... It wasn't until I walked into the kitchen one day when my niece was baking something and she had just opened the jar and I got a good whiff of it and thought I'd smelled that before and went to the cabinet and smelled my tub of Bay Rum and with a quick search on the Stirling site it was confirmed that it was an ingredient of the soap... It is also one of the reasons I love the smell of it also!!
 
I know what you're talking about and it is, in fact, the tallow. As the scent diminishes over time, the tallow smell takes over the tub. Wouldn't say it smells like wet dog, but I agree that it isn't pleasant.
 
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