Brotherhood of Unscented Gentlemen Shavers

[Ribeye]

B.U.G.S.

For those of us who prefer (or need) to use no (or limited) scent in our shaving routines.

Finally we have a place to lay our weary heads.

 

[ralph029]

I'm in! Can't do fragrances except a straight lime (with no other foo foo scents mixed in). I did try and really like Snake Bite from Fine. The menthol dissipates very quickly: usually before I have left the bathroom. The soap and aftershave make a really nice combination. It is a little brutal in the winter though . I've had really good luck with Classic Shaving Mug Soap (unscented obviously). I would love to know what else is out there that everyone has had good luck with.

 

[KeenDogg]

Present! Will add to my sig line later!

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[Ribeye]

I'm in! Can't do fragrances except a straight lime (with no other foo foo scents mixed in). I did try and really like Snake Bite from Fine. The menthol dissipates very quickly: usually before I have left the bathroom. The soap and aftershave make a really nice combination. It is a little brutal in the winter though . I've had really good luck with Classic Shaving Mug Soap (unscented obviously). I would love to know what else is out there that everyone has had good luck with.

Hey Ralph. Welcome to the club.

At the moment I'm using Stirling Naked and Smooth (scent free but with lanolin and shea butter) and AOS unscented.
Both are great shave wise. The Stirling is a bit better post shave but that's not a knock on AOS. Some days I don't need all the extra stuff because my skin isn't particularly dry and too much extra stuff causes a minor break out. So I go back and forth.

I'm hoping to try Williams and Proraso Green soon. My research and arm fold tests look promising.
Lavender absolute is one of my big triggers according to the patch test. Also the oxidized versions of linalool and limonene which are in everything. I assume oxidized is how they are presented in hard soaps. But trial and error will tell.
I'm hoping lime will be okay too but I think it's full of limonene. I'm also hoping creams and soft soaps don't oxidize like hard soaps do. But I have no idea. We'll see.

 

[Ribeye]

Present! Will add to my sig line later!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

Hey KD

Welcome aboard.

 

[ralph029]

Hey Ralph. Welcome to the club.

At the moment I'm using Stirling Naked and Smooth (scent free but with lanolin and shea butter) and AOS unscented.
Both are great shave wise. The Stirling is a bit better post shave but that's not a knock on AOS. Some days I don't need all the extra stuff because my skin isn't particularly dry and too much extra stuff causes a minor break out. So I go back and forth.

I'm hoping to try Williams and Proraso Green soon. My research and arm fold tests look promising.
Lavender absolute is one of my big triggers according to the patch test. Also the oxidized versions of linalool and limonene which are in everything. I assume oxidized is how they are presented in hard soaps. But trial and error will tell.
I'm hoping lime will be okay too but I think it's full of limonene. I'm also hoping creams and soft soaps don't oxidize like hard soaps do. But I have no idea. We'll see.

Thanks for the welcome. I can't do any of the Proaso's. Even the white is too strong for me. I smell like it all day long and so does my bathroom. Ick. I don't have any issues as far as skin irritation, only nasal irritation. Tonight is a head shaving night and I'm going to try the Taconic Lime. Looking at the list of ingredients, there is no limonene listed. We'll see how the "essential oils" fare though. I'll put the two you mentioned on the list to buy next time I'm out and about (or surfing online).

 

[Ribeye]

Thanks for the welcome. I can't do any of the Proaso's. Even the white is too strong for me. I smell like it all day long and so does my bathroom. Ick. I don't have any issues as far as skin irritation, only nasal irritation. Tonight is a head shaving night and I'm going to try the Taconic Lime. Looking at the list of ingredients, there is no limonene listed. We'll see how the "essential oils" fare though. I'll put the two you mentioned on the list to buy next time I'm out and about (or surfing online).

Oh, you have a sensitive nose ?
My issue is allergic contact dermatitis. Basically my skin has decided it doesn't like certain chemicals. Go figure.

 

[ralph029]

Oh, you have a sensitive nose ?
My issue is allergic contact dermatitis. Basically my skin has decided it doesn't like certain chemicals. Go figure.

The nose thing is a curse. It goes way beyond just scented items.
BTW... You'll have to wait for a report on the Taconic. I forgot the Bruins were on tonight playing Calgary. The B's take priority over hair removal. The hair will be there in the morning .

 

[Rusty Blade]

I thought the air smelled better in here...

Finally, a place to blabber on about the wonders of scent and fragrance free products! I have several that I really enjoy, including Truefitt & Hill Ultimate Comfort, Soap Commander Integrity, Valobra Unscented, Martin de Candre Unscented and Le Pere Lucien unscented. I can handle some of the milder scented products, but as I use them up they are only being replaced by unscented products.

 

[ralph029]

The nose thing is a curse. It goes way beyond just scented items.
BTW... You'll have to wait for a report on the Taconic. I forgot the Bruins were on tonight playing Calgary. The B's take priority over hair removal. The hair will be there in the morning .

So I tried the Taconic this morning. Straight to the trash! It was a very nice soap for all the properties that a shaving soap should deliver but I didn't smell any lime at all. It smelled like black pepper and talcum powder. I get that ingredients have a natural fragrance, but a little quality control on this one would have been nice.

 

[ralph029]

I thought the air smelled better in here...

Finally, a place to blabber on about the wonders of scent and fragrance free products! I have several that I really enjoy, including Truefitt & Hill Ultimate Comfort, Soap Commander Integrity, Valobra Unscented, Martin de Candre Unscented and Le Pere Lucien unscented. I can handle some of the milder scented products, but as I use them up they are only being replaced by unscented products.

I have a tin (for the lack of a better word) of the Valobra in the rotation to try soon.

 

[KeenDogg]

I've tried Mike's Natural, Wholly Kaw Naked , and Haslingers Marigold so far. I seem to do okay with them. None of which smell great, but their performance is very good.

A question to us allergy sufferers, When did you first notice it and how? I was using Tabac soap and aftershave 1x a week. Then my ears started getting red and throbbing.

Kindly,
Adam

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[MaineYooper]

I'm in! 2 months into traditional shaving, I discovered that scent/fragrance is a no-no. Been unscented since. I work in healthcare, so being minimally scented was a given already. Others at home are very sensitive to strong perfumes and other scents, to the point of a sinus allergy-like reaction.

I have dabbled in many brands, with Mike's, Mystic Water, Shannon's, and Wholly Kaw currently in the draw. I liked Soap Commander also. Two makers discontinued their unscented products: Barrister & Mann and Phoenix & Beau. Both of these were very nice, but the makers told me via email that there wasn't enough demand for them to continue the supply.

 

[Ribeye]

I thought the air smelled better in here...

Finally, a place to blabber on about the wonders of scent and fragrance free products! I have several that I really enjoy, including Truefitt & Hill Ultimate Comfort, Soap Commander Integrity, Valobra Unscented, Martin de Candre Unscented and Le Pere Lucien unscented. I can handle some of the milder scented products, but as I use them up they are only being replaced by unscented products.

Oh, some good ideas for me to look into.

 

[Ribeye]

I've tried Mike's Natural, Wholly Kaw Naked , and Haslingers Marigold so far. I seem to do okay with them. None of which smell great, but their performance is very good.

A question to us allergy sufferers, When did you first notice it and how? I was using Tabac soap and aftershave 1x a week. Then my ears started getting red and throbbing.

Kindly,
Adam

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

I was interested in the marigold but I may be allergic to that according to the test. But it's in a test with about 30 other things (composite mix) so I have no idea. But I'm cautious at the moment.

I basically got a really bad hive like rash on my neck and back a couple of months ago. It continued to get worse to the point where I saw the derm and was told immediately that it was allergic contact dermatitis and they arranged the test.
It was a French soap I got on vacation I think. It said violet and moss but I'm pretty sure there was lavender oil in it because that triggers me. I've tried a few skin tests and it's just terrible for some reason.

So I may or may not be 100% scent free. So far my main problem is with soaps because my chest and wrist where I spray cologne when I wear it has been fine. But for not I'm going scent free except for a few arm fold tests to confirm what the DR said.

The shaves have honestly been great but I'm still not quite used to no scent. It's getting better though.

 

[Ribeye]

So I tried the Taconic this morning. Straight to the trash! It was a very nice soap for all the properties that a shaving soap should deliver but I didn't smell any lime at all. It smelled like black pepper and talcum powder. I get that ingredients have a natural fragrance, but a little quality control on this one would have been nice.

Sorry to hear that.
Lime is normally pretty up front if short lived.

 

[KeenDogg]

Question going on in my mind:

"Can brushes be cleaned enough to make them completely rid of a soap?"

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[psfred]

I've been on the unscented wagon for a long, long time. Only anti-perspirant I can tolerate is Old Spice Original, and it's hard to find these days, only Meijer's has it locally and for a while I had to order it on eBay.

As far a shaving soaps go, Williams is great, as it has essentially no scent to my nose, and I can tolerate Arko. I prefer my own home-made soap, both for the shave properties and the fact that I can use very minimal lemon or sandalwood scents that are barely noticeable.

Col. Conk Amber is really nice too. Haslinger is great soap, but the scent is almost too much for me.

Good to know that there are other people out there who don't want to smell like a perfume factory.

 

[ralph029]

Question going on in my mind:

"Can brushes be cleaned enough to make them completely rid of a soap?"

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What are you trying to achieve? Removal of the fragrance or the trace chemicals (allergies)?

 

[ralph029]

We might need a flag...