Sights and/or scents that take you back

Bay rum. The real stuff takes me back to my childhood days at Joes Barber shop. It had high ceilings with white pressed tin . The old gents, Joe was old too, would be in there just enjoying each others company in silence mostly. Every once in awhile one of them would make a statement that would seemingly get caught in a time warp. Time would pass and someone would make another statement either regarding the one recently made, or on a different subject. Since folks coming in couldn't tell who was there just to chew the fat and who was there for a haircut they'd keep us straight and tell the kid, that would be me, when it was my turn.

After using the straight razor to finish my cut Joe would take out this bottle with an orifice reducer on it. It was maybe 12" tall with a tapering slender neck, and a very large base. Joe would splash some of this elixir onto his hands and then onto my shaved neck and sideburns. The smell was like heaven. But it would only last until it dried which didn't take long. That memory, and the scent that I wanted in my shave den was the basis for the Bay Rum that I make today.

This is going to sound weird but I was gifted a tub of Mickey Lee Soapworks La Belle du Sud Shaving Soap and while there is a peach prominently displayed on the cover of the jar, when I lather it up the scent I get is of my mother's cinnamon and sugar cookies.  These were crunchy and absolutely delicious.  She only made them once or twice a year so they were a real treat.  She would put a batch in the cookie jar and set it on the kitchen table.  When dinner was done and the dishes washed, my mother and sister would go to watch television.  My dad and I, though, would take our books to the kitchen, bring out the milk, and open the cookie jar.  He and I would sit companionably, reading, drinking milk, and eating Mom's homemade cookies.  One evening, without realizing it, we finished every cookie in the jar.  Ooo, Mom was definitely not a happy camper and let us know it.  Fortunately, she made a large batch and refilled the cookie jar.  Needless to say, Dad and I were banned from it.  The rest of the cookies were for my mother and sister.  Whenever I smell that La Belle du Sud soap, it brings back that wonderful memory as if it was yesterday when, in reality, it was about sixty years ago.

I have enjoyed reading every reply guys,fantastic stories all of em!!!!!Thanks so much for sharing.

-Arko reminds me of my grandmother's laundry room.
-Speick reminds me of Desitin, and changing my kids diapers.
-Summer Storm reminds me of the creek bank we used to build forts along when we were kids. There were mostly white oak and basswood trees, and it was always a little bit damp. We spent countless hours along that creek, and always came back to the house covered in mud.



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CRSW Prato Verde, reminds me of my youth growing up in our farm and working the coffee fields.

Growing up I remember my father had a circular pipe stand next to his Lazy Boy chair that he kept all his pipes and pipe Tobacco. Two soaps in particular Mystic Water Sweet Briar and Razorock The Captain always bring back good memories of the awesome scent of some of those tobaccos or when he was smoking one of his pipes. Good stuff.

Another soap, Chiseled Face Sherlock has a very prominent dirt scent that reminds me of when I was making race tracks for my Hot Wheels cars as a kid in a big area of dirt what was in my back yard.

Great thread, soaps like these are what keep me addicted to buying new soaps and really add to the pleasure of shaving!

I smelled PAA Good Vibrations (I think it was called) for the first time yesterday.

I was instantly transported to some days from my youth spent passing time on a beachside pier, walking through mini-carnivals with my family, the smell of salty sea air, cotton candy, and popcorn on the breeze.

Great stuff .

Couldn't agree more Oasisdave ,For me you hit the nail on the head when it comes to picking up new scents to try out.I tend to pick out scents that take me back to days spent on a baseball field or hollidays gone past and family members who have gone on.I am a huge citrus lover because the scent reminds me of my late sister(cancer at only 39 years young).She wore bright citrus/sweet perfumes and lotions,funny how a scent can bring back such vivd memories.

Growing up I remember my father had a circular pipe stand next to his Lazy Boy chair that he kept all his pipes and pipe Tobacco. Two soaps in particular Mystic Water Sweet Briar and Razorock The Captain always bring back good memories of the awesome scent of some of those tobaccos or when he was smoking one of his pipes. Good stuff.

Another soap, Chiseled Face Sherlock has a very prominent dirt scent that reminds me of when I was making race tracks for my Hot Wheels cars as a kid in a big area of dirt what was in my back yard.

Great thread, soaps like these are what keep me addicted to buying new soaps and really add to the pleasure of shaving!

I love these stories, its funny as time passes your mind turns back to warm memories of days past. When I first tried B&M Petrichor I didn't even know what the word meant (thanks Oxford) but the smell is that wonderful smell of wet dirt after a rain. It reminds me of those beautiful summer days when playing in dirt was my primary occupation. I spent a lot of time down on a nearby river where there was obviously plenty of mud to be found. Wet dirt, dry dirt, black soil, clay or gravel - just good, honest dirt. Endless summer days building forts in the woods or just playing in a dirt pile that simply appeared as a consequence of some nearby excavation work. I'm not sure how I never became a heavy equipment operator or a civil engineer.

Vetiver.
I wasn't even sure what it smelled like until I received a tin of Mike's Natural Soaps Vetiver shaving soap. When I opened the tin and took a sniff, I was instantly transported back 30+ years. This was a scent that I always associated with my Grandpap, but didn't know exactly what it was.(He passed away when I was 13) I'm not sure what it was he used, but assume it was an aftershave. He wasn't much for cologne, but shaved daily. Twice if they were going out for dinner in the evening. And, always dressed like a gentleman should. ;-)

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