Why do you use unscented soaps?

[TropicalHotDogNight]

Over the years, I have come to prefer subtly scented, or altogether unscented soaps, because heavy or complex fragrances tend to be obnoxious to me. I find that shaving is more enjoyable when I don't reek of fragrance all day, but it seems that very few others agree. The market for unscented and lightly scented soaps is small, and apparently it mainly consists of wetshavers who have skin sensitivities, and those who cannot wear fragrances in their line of work. (Doctors and nurses, etc.)

I'm curious who uses unscented soaps by preference, and who uses unscented soaps out of necessity, so here's a poll for discussion.

Why do YOU use unscented soaps?

 

[bluesman 7]

Is Arko unscented? I have damaged olfactory nerves so I can't smell scents very well. I figure that if a soap had enough scent for me to enjoy it, it would be way too much for the rest of the world.

 

[BigJ]

I prefer to let my AS provide the scent most days.

 

[MaineYooper]

My wife is very sensitive to scents, and my line of work demands I be as unscented as possible. I have found many artisan unscented soaps, but not so many creams.

 

[CigarSmoka]

I work at a cancer clinic and fragrances aren’t allowed, but that’s not why I use an unscented soap. I shave at night anyhow. It seems I get sensitized to many soaps usually within a couple weeks after adding them to my rotation although sometimes it can take months. There are a few that haven’t bothered me yet, but when my skin gets irritated or I just don’t feel like chancing it, I’m just fine with an unscented soap.

 

[Heron]

It's not that I'm sensitive to fragrances; it's that a few of my friends are. If I know I'll be around them, I'll use unscented that day.

 

[frenchy]

There are excellent unscented soaps from both WhollyKow and Grooming Department...Two best bases out there imo...

 

[cyberdog]

I give away those I can't smell, it's all part of the experience for me. Soap scents fade quickly, so no conflict with aftershave.

 

[Kurtis]

I have Wholly Kaw's Bare Naked with donkey milk. I like to use it with soaps that don't quite perform for me. Example being Proraso Red. Love the scent, but it doesn't quite give me the shave I want. Mix in some Wholly Kaw and I get the best of both worlds.

 

[Pierce13]

Over the years, I have come to prefer subtly scented, or altogether unscented soaps, because heavy or complex fragrances tend to be obnoxious to me. I find that shaving is more enjoyable when I don't reek of fragrance all day, but it seems that very few others agree. The market for unscented and lightly scented soaps is small, and apparently it mainly consists of wetshavers who have skin sensitivities, and those who cannot wear fragrances in their line of work. (Doctors and nurses, etc.)

I'm curious who uses unscented soaps by preference, and who uses unscented soaps out of necessity, so here's a poll for discussion.

Why do YOU use unscented soaps?

Most of the perfumed soaps that I've tried irritated my skin. I can handle a lightly scented soap or cream (I like Proraso blue in the tube) but my skin gets too much of a burn with a heavy scent. Also, I prefer to use aftershaves or colonge if I want a particular scent. I just want the soap to be 'pleasant' smelling, provide a nice cushion and be slick.

 

[Marcos1]

Sensitive rosacea type skin that I just don’t want to roll the dice with on what aggravates it and what doesn’t. I have tried some scented soaps and had some success and some failure but I don’t feel like rolling the dice every time I shave I just want results. So when I can get a fantastic soap with no scent at all I go for it. As an added aside I have not come across anything that remotely smells like what I want my projected scent to be. I prefer to let my cologne do that talking.

 

[lancre]

I wrote "Other". LOTH objects to strong scents and most scents don't do much for me either. So I'm as comfortable with unscented as with scented.

 

[Storch4]

Sometimes I just don't want to smell anything especially when my skull is migrainous. Not often but like to have the option

 

[davent]

A momentary whiff, a suggest of a scent is enough and then i don't want to smell it again for at least another 24 hours, that's the ones i might like or at very least tolerate.

Won't go near aftershaves of colognes. I don't want to taste what i ate for breakfast all day long even if was a plate of bacon, i don't want to hear the same song on endless loop all day long no matter how much i like it, absolutely no way do i want to experience the same scent that started the day all day long.
dave

 

[TonyJoe]

My wife developed crippling migraines for which fragrance is a strong trigger. We have pretty much unscented everything in the house now.

 

[member 119848]

I normally shave early in the morning, after the shower and before breakfast. During this particular time of the day, when the process of waking up takes a while, I cannot really enjoy flagrances. Complexity of scent is overwhelming. Neutrality is welcome. The soapy scent of Mitchells Woolfat bothers me the least.
However, when I shave later during the day, or in the evening, I do enjoy (stronger) scents.

 

[musicman1951]

I often get unscented soaps. I only had one croap react to my skin. I do have a GD amber and oud that smells not a lot like any of my amber or oud colognes. I would not say I like the scent - not much at all, really. But it's not horrible. I do, however, wish I had purchased unscented.

Generally that is my main concern. I have a jar of MdC (unscented) that looks like it will last for about 390 shaves. That's a lot of shaves if you don't like the scent.

I don't think most soaps have a scent with any real longevity. I was using CF Lime (a scent I like, but it's a cream) and know my wife loves lime scents. Very shortly after my shave I told her to smell my cheek. Her response was that it smelled like soap. So I generally don't worry about conflicts with my cologne.

I don't want to suffer with a scent I find disagreeable. My shaves only take about 10 minutes and I don't feel at all deprived about the lack of scent. I do understand that some of you really get into the soap scents, but it's apparently not what floats my boat.