Since I am still new to this particular forum site and it's formatting, may I call upon some more experience members/moderators to move this to the appropriate place, since this answer will be about general cleansing rather than just hair?
I understands precisely what you meant.
WHen I'm out, yes, I'll use the detergent provided by public restrooms for sanitary reasons.
but, I started making my own soap in the first place because I had unpleasant reactions to the petro base of almost all artificial fragrances. Since they were so heavily used in soaps, detergents, candles, air fresheners, I was left with little choice but to do the research and start making my own.
when I am in any health care facility, I use whatever detergents provided. in those cases, the goal is not my skin health but the general herd health of everyone in the building. in those cases, more than soap, often targetted detergents and sanitizers are best. and as soon as I leave, I immediately look to restoring my skin pH.
at home, an oil scrub with salt is one option for scrubbing with antibiotic aspect, a vinegar rinse is another. combined, they cover my cleanliness needs. there are other ways to ensure antibacterial effects as well as antivirals. of course, in the extreme, there is always bleach (obviously not for hair and not used on skin unless absolutely neccesary) but, I WOULD use soap before using these.
in this manner, using alternatives to soap s simply a day to day way of going about caring for my life and my hair and skin in the manner most healthy for the hair and skin.
we have soap about the house and use it for some things. laundry, dishes, countertops, floors, though I have found more effective methods of cleaning for most of those as well.
because of the massive tariffs put upon soap in almost all cultures up until the last couple of centuries, it was never before the first line of cleanliness for or by any culture. some of the old texts I found in my original research when I started the business offered SO many more ways to clean things (and people) than just soap. many of them are better than soap in their purpose designed use. not to mention historically fascinating.
I appreciate what you are saying and can relate to how oils are good for hair ( having thick hair helpsl ) but when you say never use soap..thinking this might need a new topic but how do you wash your hands in the most needed sanitary moments? It might seem like TMI but it's needed information for people who might decide to go soapless in the present or who might find this thread in the far future. A friend of mine suggested to carry around a small spray bottle of peroxide incase I forget my bar soap. It seems logical because I have had to use allergen soaps because it is instilled in my brain to wash hands thoroughly after specific activities. I'm not sold on oil being good enough but I would love someone to prove me wrong.
oh, and any soapless cleaning method usually involves or CAN involve essential oils in one form or another, that are often what provide the actual cleaning properties. There is a FASCINATING recipe (I'llneed to dig it out) of what looks in the container to be a disgusting "GLOP" but, in fact, is a blend of different kitchen scraps and ingredients that, when put together, create THE best dish cleaning paste you may ever find. today, we would distill the full on "GLOP" to it's essential parts" but, in the older eras of England, a bucket with these things dropped in as the kitchen went about its day were perfect for the evening clean up and making all those beautiful copper pots shine in the candle light.
