It Smells Good

If I wasn’t a barber, I’d be in something like brewing. Something that requires the senses a lot, that smells good. I love being hands-on, interacting with the physical stuff out there. If I wasn’t a barber, I’d be a bartender, sommelier, grower, perfumer, brewer … definitely something that involves my nose a lot.

I hadn’t considered how much smell can be a part of the barbering trade.

Before cutting hair, I’d always loved how the smell of the shop hits you when you first open the door and step in. The premium styling product, a change-up from the regular. How you’re reminded of your fresh cut when you catch whiffs of it throughout the rest of the day. And one last time in the shower as you wash it out.

But past that, I never gave much thought to how important smell is to the barbering experience, and a really enjoyable part of the daily work. Styling pomades, beard oils, shaving soaps, cleaning products. They ground the whole space. They connect and remind in many ways, as we know scents do. And they make up the unique shop smell.

I’ve been trying out the Proraso line. With Trail being so Italian, it was a natural decision. The brand is a classic Italian barbershop staple, that would’ve been in Trail’s shops. The yellow beard oil has a warm sandalwood base and some complex spicy stuff going on. I’ve only just started paying attention to sandalwood; I didn’t know that it's foundational to men’s fragrances.

BC Beard Co does a great job of highlighting scents. Their amber sandalwood beard oil and balm is clean. The sandalwood is right there and easy to appreciate. The cedarwood beard wash is resiny and diesely and something to look forward to in the shower. And for a change up, the cherry tobacco beard oil reminds me of cherry coke, and it lasts throughout the day. Quite delicious.

A product I’ll order and checkout soon is Lucky Tiger Face Moisturizer. One of its notes is sage, which sounds really nice. I guess the smell is light and dissipates quickly to leave space for fragrances that will last the day. Not to mention, it's vintage, Mid-Century label would've been in almost every American barbershop at the time. I need to know what it smells like!

In the morning, when I just open the door and step in, I take notice of how the shop smells. I actually ask myself if it smells good, and if it does, I tell myself it does.

"It smells good."

It's really important, because you're coming.