My boyfriend uses pine tar soap and I am living in a train station
I need to vent because I am currently sitting in my room inhaling what smells like a fresh coat of asphalt on a highway. I started dating this guy three weeks ago. He is sweet, smart, and looks like a literal model. The first few times we hung out at college or grabbed coffee, he smelled incredible. Like expensive wood and black pepper. I was honestly obsessed. Then last night was the first time I stayed over at his apartment, and I finally discovered his dark, sticky secret.
I went into his bathroom to wash my face and there was this pitch black, rough looking bar of soap sitting on the counter. It looked like a chunk of coal. The whole bathroom smelled like a campfire that someone tried to put out with old beer. When he came out of the shower, that was all I could smell. The expensive cologe he uses just mixes with this heavy, smoky, industrial scent. It does not smell clean. It smells like a railway track in the middle of July.
He caught me staring at the soap and got so excited. He started explaining how it is the only thing that fixed his back acne and how regular body wash ruins your skin barrier. I totally get the skin benefits, but holy crap, the smell is violent. It feels like I am dating a lumberjack who works part time as a roofer. When we were watching a movie, my face was near his neck and my eyes were literally watering from the tar fumes.
The worst part is that the scent clings to everything. I woke up this morning and my own hair smelled like a burnt forest. I had to ride the bus to my morning lecture feeling like I just escaped a house fire. People next to me were definitely sniffing the air. I love that he cares about his skin hygiene but I do not know how much more of this industrial romance I can take. I feel like my nose is losing its mind.
He texted me earlier saying he bought a new bar with an extra smoky formula and I almost started crying. I do not want to hurt his feelings because he is genuinely proud of his routine. Is there any way to neutralize this or do I just accept my new life as a train conductor.