How original.
The smell of Arko (standard shaving stick soap)
- Thread starter xiletero
- Start date
To me it is a combination of Ivory Snow laundry detergent from the 70s and Lemon Pez
Good description. Very accurate.
Why do they make urinal cakes smell like Arko?
I never quite got the "urinal puck" smell from Arko, to me, it smells like Ivory soap on steroids.
That’s what it smells like to me. Original or not. I’m not trying to be edgy, or original for that matter.
+2!! Leave it out for awhile and the smell will dissipate.
All soaps tend to do that- Arko is by no means unique. Soap disrupts the skin barrier. I haven't found a shave soap yet that doesn't require a moisturizer of some sort after shaving. You have to use something like a high end, brushless shave cream or gel to get results to the contrary.
+1 I agree.
I have come to realize that some people's sniffers are just out to lunch.
I had some people smell Arko and Williams and most said just classic soap smell. I got 1 that said detergent and 1 said it smelled like assorted candy..which is wack.
As long as I like the smell I could care less what the tiny few think.
I had some people smell Arko and Williams and most said just classic soap smell. I got 1 that said detergent and 1 said it smelled like assorted candy..which is wack.
As long as I like the smell I could care less what the tiny few think.
I used Arko in early days of DE shaving and making lather with soaps and a brush. Didn’t mind the smell, was like citronella or lemon pez....at the time. Now it just smells vile to me. I don’t know if it’s the tallow or what but it just reeks of lemon detergent and animal funk now.
I left an open Arko stick in my shave cabinet and that putrid stench migrated into all the cardboard products in the cabinet. Once I tossed that vile thing, it took several months for the smell to go away, which it did thankfully!
I left an open Arko stick in my shave cabinet and that putrid stench migrated into all the cardboard products in the cabinet. Once I tossed that vile thing, it took several months for the smell to go away, which it did thankfully!
I have many soaps, both traditional and artisan, that leave my face feeling soft, moisturized and well-conditioned, but they cost many times what a stick of Arko costs. To me, the higher quality soaps are well worth the added cost. The only post-shave product I normally use is generic witch hazel. The only time I apply a moisturizer is in mid-winter when temperatures are below 20 degrees and humidity levels are low.
I haven't found that to be the case for me. Artisan superfatted shave soaps are still soaps, and adding glycerin and unsaponified oils only buffers their inherent harshness.
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To each his own.
My point is that artisan soaps are expensive ways to moisturize ones skin, given that most of the moisturizer is going to go straight down the drain.
I love the smell of Arko in the morning 
Perhaps so, but I shaved yesterday morning with Zingari Man Sego formula and my face still feels wonderful 31 hours later. Heather Melton, the artisan behind Zingari Man, is a Certified Cosmetic Formulator through the hand-crafted Soap and Cosmetic Guild. To me, the post-shave experience is well worth the price of the soap. If you choose another way of doing things, that is fine by me.
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