Does it really matter ?

I'm a newbie, so forgive my question if it's foolish.

Does it really matter what "scent" soap or cream we use , if we are going to use an aftershave or cologne anyways ?

Or does the "scent" just get covered up once the AS or cologne is put on ?

No. It's just nice to use stuff that smells good, especially when it's stuff we're slathering on our face.

Most soap/cream scents don't last much beyond the shave in my experience. That being said, I love variety. Sometimes, I just have to have a classic like Tabac. Other times, only English Fern will do. Next might be Arko (controversial I know, but this might be the best soap of all time and certainly is the best performance per dollar in my opinion). The shaving world is full of really great stuff. Unfortunately, I won't live long enough to try them all, but by God I am going to try as many as I can.

You're correct. Once the shave is over the soap or cream's scent is lost very quickly. The enjoyment of scented soap/cream is DURING the shave is all. After that the Aqua Velva takes the stage

Ollie4ISU said:

Most soap/cream scents don't last much beyond the shave in my experience. That being said, I love variety. Sometimes, I just have to have a classic like Tabac. Other times, only English Fern will do. Next might be Arko (controversial I know, but this might be the best soap of all time and certainly is the best performance per dollar in my opinion). The shaving world is full of really great stuff. Unfortunately, I won't live long enough to try them all, but by God I am going to try as many as I can.

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Arko is my go-to every day. No other soap lathers as easily yet costs so little, lol

For me is depends on the soap/cream. The scents in some of my soaps will last for quite a few hours after the shave. Others... not so much. I've been steering away from heavily scented AS because I love how all of my soaps smell. Recently though, I received HTGAM Cavendish AS as a PIF, and I love how it smells paired up with Tabac, Mickey Lee Soapworks Pantie Dropper, or D.R. Harris Marlborough. I also don't mind Nivea Sensitive ASB after shaving with Nivea Sensitive Cream, Maggard Razors London Barbershop soap, or Pre de Provence. I've also made my own AS, and choosing the right essential oils to put in it can compliment a few of my soaps. I like the scents of all of the soaps I own, though. So, I try not to use AS when I don't have to.

I like to keep the whole deal within one scent family. A couple of my favorite soaps do hang around after my shave, so I don't like to spoil it.

What counts most is the soap's performance for you; Scent is secondary.

love_the_experience said:

I'm a newbie, so forgive my question if it's foolish.

Does it really matter what "scent" soap or cream we use , if we are going to use an aftershave or cologne anyways ?

Or does the "scent" just get covered up once the AS or cologne is put on ?

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Doesn't matter at all. However, there are just some soap and aftershave pairings that go together and complete the shave

Tabac/Tabac
Proraso/Proraso
La Toja/La Toja
Arko/Williams/MWF/Aqua Velva

Makes the shave experience better for some. It also makes the brush smell good.

A great shave with a wonderfully scented soap is the perfect start to a day.

There is nothing worse than shaving with a horribly scented soap that lingers. How do you get away from yourself???

What Ollie said. Variety is the spice of life.

Ollie4ISU said:

Most soap/cream scents don't last much beyond the shave in my experience. That being said, I love variety. Sometimes, I just have to have a classic like Tabac. Other times, only English Fern will do. Next might be Arko (controversial I know, but this might be the best soap of all time and certainly is the best performance per dollar in my opinion). The shaving world is full of really great stuff. Unfortunately, I won't live long enough to try them all, but by God I am going to try as many as I can.

Click to expand...

Claudel Xerxes said:

For me is depends on the soap/cream. The scents in some of my soaps will last for quite a few hours after the shave. Others... not so much. I've been steering away from heavily scented AS because I love how all of my soaps smell. Recently though, I received HTGAM Cavendish AS as a PIF, and I love how it smells paired up with Tabac, Mickey Lee Soapworks Pantie Dropper, or D.R. Harris Marlborough. I also don't mind Nivea Sensitive ASB after shaving with Nivea Sensitive Cream, Maggard Razors London Barbershop soap, or Pre de Provence. I've also made my own AS, and choosing the right essential oils to put in it can compliment a few of my soaps. I like the scents of all of the soaps I own, though. So, I try not to use AS when I don't have to.

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+1

The scent of the soaps makes the shave much more enjoyable. I have the same aftershaves for LPV and LTV soaps of Catie's bubble. They pair really well.

I guess old habits die hard. Way back when, one soap was all that was needed. Williams soap was pretty popular, gave a sufficient lather. There were no computers, so information about shaving products came from ads from newspapers, magazines and some tv. I guess most seniors now, got used to using one kind of soap. Van Der Hagen became another popular soap and is what I used till recently, due to finding these forums and on line shaving supplies. So now I have 2 soaps VDH in my mug and Cella Croap in my bowl. So personally scents don't really matter, It's the lather that helps give a great shave, the scent is secondary and don't last long, This Cella croap has a nice almond scent and makes a great lather and it is said a kilo is supposed to last two years.

While scent is secondary, nothing beats a relaxing good-smelling shave!

What??? Of course scent matters!

Look, you're going to be picking up your shaving brush to sniff it every time you walk into the bathroom, or by the bathroom door, or in that general part of the house. Or when you're just kind of bored. Anyway, you want it to smell good when you sniff it, right??

This may be controversial as well, but depending on how good my shave was, I might just lather my face and let it sit while I'm cleaning up. Then I just wipe it off with a towel. A good soap won't give you razor burn or soap burn (from the caustic nature of it). If I know I won't need an aftershave this works out fine.


Sometimes I lather up my whole face and just let it stay there when I go to work.

no I'm kidding

kyro

some folks like like match the soap/cream scent with the AS scent.

For me it's just something nice to sniff during my shave.

rodmonster said:

A great shave with a wonderfully scented soap is the perfect start to a day.

There is nothing worse than shaving with a horribly scented soap that lingers. How do you get away from yourself???

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+1

I try and keep them similar. Proraso green cream with the green AS or I have a Vanilla and Vetiver cream I pair with Clubman Vanilla or Fine Fresh Vetiver.