Foamy, but neutral

**redbranchwarrior** · 10-07-2009, 04:36 AM

Goodmorning,

I am pretty new to DE shaving. Currently I am trying to find the right combo for a pleasurable shave, and a happy woman. I have chosen Penhaligon's English Fern as an aftershave and am looking for a nicely foaming shaving soap that is neutral in scent. I don't have sensitive skin (but the woman does, does that matter?) Finding a scent to please both the little woman and I is hard enough, I'd prefer not to try to mix and match scents.

All help is welcome.

Thank you,

Matthew

**Klopstick** · 10-07-2009, 05:05 AM

Cella has a very mild raw almond scent that goes away almost immediately after you rinse it off. It's very nice soap too, with great lather. Short of going to a totally unscented type, that would be my choice. shoeboxshaveshop.com has it on sale right now too!

**mdunn** · 10-07-2009, 06:19 AM

MWF is pretty scentless

I think Arko is basically scentless (that is to say, it is very lightly scented), though some disagree.

Either way, the scent of the lather doesnt last any longer than that lather is on your face

**The National Razor** · 10-07-2009, 07:08 AM

Just so you know, even the strongest-smelling soap pretty much only lasts for the shave itself. I don't think that you will notice any conflict between your soap scent and the aftershave scent.

That said, for a mild scented soap, I highly recommend Pre de Provence or Provence Sante, too excellent French soaps that are easy to lather, subtlely fragranced, and highly moisturizing.

**redbranchwarrior** · 10-07-2009, 07:27 AM

So this might lend itself to another conversation itself, but then why do manufacturers seem to put such emphasis on shave soap scents, if you're just going to wash it down the sink? I imagine the market is aimed towards the scent being part of a pleasureable shaving process?

Thank you for all your replies, gentlemen. Knowing that the shave soap scent won't stay and mingle or muss an 85 dollar per bottle after shave will make this all a bit easier.

V/r,

Matthew

**markb** · 10-07-2009, 07:32 AM

Originally Posted by redbranchwarrior

the scent being part of a pleasureable shaving process?

Bingo!!

**The National Razor** · 10-07-2009, 07:43 AM

Originally Posted by redbranchwarrior

So this might lend itself to another conversation itself, but then why do manufacturers seem to put such emphasis on shave soap scents, if you're just going to wash it down the sink? I imagine the market is aimed towards the scent being part of a pleasureable shaving process?

Thank you for all your replies, gentlemen. Knowing that the shave soap scent won't stay and mingle or muss an 85 dollar per bottle after shave will make this all a bit easier.

V/r,

Matthew

As Roy Orbison would say, "you got it." A good scent really adds to the lathering experience. And because it doesn't last, you can use fragrances that you might otherwise shy away from because they're "girly." Say, for instance, Violets or Rose.

Eventually, though, you may even start wearing florals as aftershave or cologne. Because they smell nice, and it takes a real man to smell like a flower.

**poppi** · 10-07-2009, 08:06 AM

Van der Hagen Deluxe Shave soap might be what you're looking for. For me, it gives a great shave, has little to no scent and is very inexpensive.

**my19** · 10-07-2009, 08:22 AM

Since it's Tabac-tober, I've been using my Tabac each morning -- mostly to get better whipping up a good lather from soap. Tabac smells great, but I wouldn't say the soap is strongly scented. And when the shave is done and I've rinsed a couple of times, I don't detect a hint of scent left ... which makes it a lot easier to choose a nice aftershave or cologne.

I'd guess that just about any scented soap would be that way.

**kingfisher** · 10-07-2009, 09:19 AM

Originally Posted by poppi

Van der Hagen Deluxe Shave soap might be what you're looking for. For me, it gives a great shave, has little to no scent and is very inexpensive.

+1.

I came to this thread to post this, but I was beat to it. Used it again this morning and got a nice shave.

**chris456** · 10-08-2009, 02:26 PM

Originally Posted by mdunn

Either way, the scent of the lather doesnt last any longer than that lather is on your face

This has not been my experience with Tabac or Proraso. Both of these tend to linger after the lather has been rinsed off for me.

Which I enjoy.

**beginish** · 10-08-2009, 05:36 PM

The Valobra hard stick is completely neutral, and you can't go wrong with the AoS soaps either.

**FLTiger** · 10-08-2009, 06:36 PM

Originally Posted by beginish

The Valobra hard stick is completely neutral, and you can't go wrong with the AoS soaps either.

+1 on the AoS--some folks who buy scented AoS soaps complain that the scent is too faint.

**henkverhaar** · 10-09-2009, 03:21 AM

Originally Posted by redbranchwarrior

So this might lend itself to another conversation itself, but then why do manufacturers seem to put such emphasis on shave soap scents, if you're just going to wash it down the sink? I imagine the market is aimed towards the scent being part of a pleasureable shaving process?

Yes, especially since a pure (fatty acid) soap itself doesn't smell pleasant. Some people don't mind, some (like myself) find it slightly disagreeable, but I think that scenting is first and foremost a way of masking the smell of the soap itself. When you're scenting anyway, there's no reason why you shouldn't choose a scent that people actually like. And yes, in a well-formulated soap, it will only last for the actual shave. Any A/S you use will immediately mask what little remains.

Henk