Going without soap.

[OrganicGirl]

I wash my hair with yucca juice glycerin and nettle and use apple cider vineyar infused with rosemary, lavender and tyme and if I need a conditioner I use aloe Vera gel.juice, gelatin and lemons. Works great as long as I remember to make it.

 

[OHello]

Maybe it has something to do with not having borax in the mix? The recipe I used had washing soda, grated soap and oxy-bleach granules in it. No EO or anything like that.

The smell was the same horrible smell that you get if you forget your washing and leave it in the machine too long, only it would smell like that as soon as it came out of the washer. I just don't get that smell with the store bought powder.

I should give it another try now that the weather is cool and see if it makes any difference. Things go stinky in the heat here very fast.

 

[thinkativeone]

Um, what?

Gah. Lost my entire reply due to a computer glitch. Here goes again.

I went to go get all the links and citations for you, including one from the Weston Price website. I first read about this just last year, not that long ago. Lo and behold, the originator of the material all these people were citing on this has had his research thrown out as an embarrassment, according to several discussion forums. And all the links I had to give you have been taken down. (Lots of 404s came up.) Well, I'm nothing if I'm not going to be thorough and able to admit something was proven wrong. Sorry about that.

On the other hand, I don't think I'll stop what I'm doing because my elbows/legs are way less dry using soap less often. Never fear, I still wash daily or more often to remain pleasant smelling with soap where it counts. I always wash my hands and do that a LOT throughout the day.

ETA: Thanks for sharing, Tiffany. I did some reading about Ouidad cuts and (outside from the expense) they seem to work the best for thick hair. I have fine hair that's particularly irksome in its presentation (it's about straight till the ears, unless I have it shorter and then it's more wild). I cut my husband's hair and my own for now, but am always looking for new tips to try.

 

[AngelMomma]

I use soap SO MANY TIMES A DAY!!!! I couldn't even begin to count how many times I wash my hands as well as showering. We have 20 meat chickens, 13 egg chickens, 3 dogs, 2 cats as well as a pet rabbit. Did I mention we need soap! Hahaha!

 

[shabaity]

The idea of going sans shampoo alone terrifies me enough no soap. *shudder* Where I live triple digits and 90%+ humidity is normal. Add to that hair long thick and heavy enough that my wavy hair just looks like it has body and I'd never go in public again. (Not that I don't go 5 or so days between washings once a month or so that lice incident in middle school being what it was.) Sides if it did catch on I'd never want to see my neighbors rural community lol.

 

[Lotus]

You know. I cannot understand not using soap when you get wet. We have pretty awesome, mild water. And apparently, we're the last major city (or something like that), that doesn't (yet) have fluoridated water. They're trying to pass it, and I so don't want them to, for reasons that take way too long to explain.

But, while I have the "short, pixie cut" referenced earlier, my daughter has the most beautiful straight hair. In fact (she's almost 5), she gets compliments on it EVERYWHERE she goes. She cut her hair last year, and I had to fix that into a pixie cut, but it's now growing into a beautiful, just below the shoulders style.

My point is, I'm not the best mommy in the world when it comes to keeping my kids clean. I have always disliked giving them baths. Reason is, it's an ordeal to clean them up with the soap and shampoo, and I get just as wet as they do, in the process. Luckily, they're just coming to an age, where they'll soon be able to do it, themselves. But, I prefer giving them a bar of soap and saying, "wash yourself." So, in this case, their skin ends up clean, but they never wash their hair, it just ends up wet.

If you could see that hair. It's obvious, whether her hair has actually been washed with shampoo/conditioner or not. You can tell a mile away. Her beautiful hair, ends up a bit ratty, and greasy, and it really looks disgusting.

That all being said. I'm really not a fan of bathing every day. I know that most people in the world find this horrid. But, I really believe in bathing every other day. I hate the way I feel, if I bathe every day. Of course, my husband sort of has to shower every day. He has a very dirty job. But, I really don't.

My hands get washed ALL the time: dishes, touching my kids' hands which they recently coughed on, cleaning dirty things in the house. . . you name it. So many reasons to wash my hands: using the toilet, the most prominent (I sure hope Mr. Soapless guy at least abides that)..

Because of all of this, soap is a must. I do, somewhat see where he's coming from. But, he's taking it overboard.

 

[Shannon_m]

You know. I cannot understand not using soap when you get wet. We have pretty awesome, mild water. And apparently, we're the last major city (or something like that), that doesn't (yet) have fluoridated water. They're trying to pass it, and I so don't want them to, for reasons that take way too long to explain.

But, while I have the "short, pixie cut" referenced earlier, my daughter has the most beautiful straight hair. In fact (she's almost 5), she gets compliments on it EVERYWHERE she goes. She cut her hair last year, and I had to fix that into a pixie cut, but it's now growing into a beautiful, just below the shoulders style.

My point is, I'm not the best mommy in the world when it comes to keeping my kids clean. I have always disliked giving them baths. Reason is, it's an ordeal to clean them up with the soap and shampoo, and I get just as wet as they do, in the process. Luckily, they're just coming to an age, where they'll soon be able to do it, themselves. But, I prefer giving them a bar of soap and saying, "wash yourself." So, in this case, their skin ends up clean, but they never wash their hair, it just ends up wet.

If you could see that hair. It's obvious, whether her hair has actually been washed with shampoo/conditioner or not. You can tell a mile away. Her beautiful hair, ends up a bit ratty, and greasy, and it really looks disgusting.

That all being said. I'm really not a fan of bathing every day. I know that most people in the world find this horrid. But, I really believe in bathing every other day. I hate the way I feel, if I bathe every day. Of course, my husband sort of has to shower every day. He has a very dirty job. But, I really don't.

My hands get washed ALL the time: dishes, touching my kids' hands which they recently coughed on, cleaning dirty things in the house. . . you name it. So many reasons to wash my hands: using the toilet, the most prominent (I sure hope Mr. Soapless guy at least abides that)..

Because of all of this, soap is a must. I do, somewhat see where he's coming from. But, he's taking it overboard.

How did you just describe MY daily life? My son is 10 and so he washes himself... sometimes not so well. He's getting to THAT age where he needs some sort of underarm treatment, blarg. So sometimes he needs a reminder to wash with soap instead of just sitting in the shower with the hot water until it's time to get out. My daughters on the other hand need help with baths, they are 6 and 5. My older daughter has medium length slightly wavy hair and my youngest has shoulder length thick curly/frizzy hair (just like me). I wash their hair and hand them a sliver of one of my soaps (this thrills them to no end) and tell them to wash themselves. My youngest has nighttime bathroom issues so she needs a bath daily, however my middle child only gets a "proper" bath 4 times a week (with hair washing... I mean).

I take a bath at least every other day if not every day (I'm addicted to bath truffles, have I mentioned that before?) but I only shower about 3 times a week. I don't find it necessary to wash my hair every day. I don't work, I don't even leave my house every day. If I don't have to be presentable in public and if I'm not dirty, I don't take a shower. If my hair is unmanageable I brush it and pull it back into a bun. Most of the time my hair can be "fixed" with a little bit of water and a few spritzes of leave-in conditioner.

My husband takes two showers a day on the other hand. One in the morning, one after work. He has a blue-collar job working for the phone company.. he's the one you see on the poles fixing the wires, or climbing under your house to install your lines, or crawling out of manholes when the whole neighborhood goes haywire. It's a dirty job.

I just know I could never go without soap, shampoo, conditioner... well all the products I do use in my bathing routine. I haven't tried really, and it's possible I could eat my words by saying I don't want to try, but I can't even envision it.

 

[Lotus]

Wow, Shannon. I'm looking at my very near future, as well as my current self. Well written. I'm not alone!!

 

[melstan775]

I did not read all the posts in this thread so sorry if this has already been said.

Soap is necassary for bathing. Your skin peels off in tiny tiny bits. If not rinsed clean, it will pile up and maybe cause skin infection, and what else - oh right, it will stink. -.- . Humans do not shed skin effectively, like say, snakes do. We need to rinse ourselves. This is something humans have always known, and from the beginning of time people have oiled, scraped, bathed, exfoliated, and otherwise bathed to keep clean. I understand some people have sensitivities to soaps and washes and chemicals in general. For some people, doing without soap probably helps the skin and hair issues the writer descibes. However, it's near impossible for most people to get clean without some kind of scrubbing action. It doesn't need to be soap, but even a wash rag rubbed over the skin will help take off the crap piling up that you can't see. I would bet 100% that the writer of the article is using some sort of scrub or scrub tool to keep clean because a simple rinse isn't enough.

All I am going to say is we are living in a time when information is freely available and yet the world is getting stupider. You would swear people never bathed until the twentieth century which so much crap like this floating around.

 

[Lotus]

Which queen was it (Victoria?) who said, "I take a bath once a month, whether I need it or not."?

 

[Ruthie]

I'm another one who does not shower daily. Every other day is plenty unless I'm doing yard work or something similar. However I do wash my hands a multitude of times each day. I think it depends on one's own body and the smells it produces. I'm glad hubby showers daily! He needs it! He spends 2 hours a day on a hot school bus, delivering and depositing lil darlins.

 

[dagmar88]

I'm another one who does not shower daily. Every other day is plenty unless I'm doing yard work or something similar. However I do wash my hands a multitude of times each day. I think it depends on one's own body and the smells it produces. I'm glad hubby showers daily! He needs it! He spends 2 hours a day on a hot school bus, delivering and depositing lil darlins.

:eh: I'm like jean baptiste grenouille from 'the perfume'. Working with scents all the time, but I don't smell.
I could seriously wear the same socks for two weeks and only needed deodorant during puberty. Now I do put on clean socks daily and I'm not macerating young woman

I shower every other day.

And ladies, please don't wash your groin area with soap *yikes*!

 

[houseofwool]

And ladies, please don't wash your groin area with soap *yikes*!

Why? If I don't wash, I am prone to UTI's and all sorts of other nasty infections.

 

[soapguy]

Why? If I don't wash, I am prone to UTI's and all sorts of other nasty infections.

Me thinks this thread is going to go awry.

 

[houseofwool]

Me thinks this thread is going to go awry.

LOL - probably. But I am curious about the reasoning.

 

[soapguy]

Simple, As a guy I can tell you I don't have a clue about the health habits of females. With soap you do a zap test to determine if the soap is ok.

 

[dagmar88]

Why? If I don't wash, I am prone to UTI's and all sorts of other nasty infections.

The vagina is really unique, as it is self cleaning. A healthy vagina has a PH of around 5.2 and loads of good bacteria.
Soap will disrupt this delicate little eco system and can cause serious problems, like abnormal smell/discharge, irritation and yeast infections.
Also, the vulva doesn't have the protective layer the rest of your skin has and doesn't produce sebum to keep it hydrated.

It's best to wash with lukewarm water only, or if you insist on anything cleansing, an unscented intimate wash product with the right PH.

UTI's are not caused by washing with just water, but most often by e. coli and staphylococcus.

Proper hygiene, peeing after sex and wiping away from the vulva help; but some woman are just very susceptible to UTI's.

If you are prone to UTI's, giving up processed sugar, drinking unsweetend, pure cranberry juice (I drink it with a dash of stevia) probiotics and echinacea supplements will help.
All aid in keeping your body in it's natural balance.

 

[Lilahblossom]

Soap is directly responsible for the halt in the spread of disease. Your first best defense against illness is good handwashing. Soap saved mankind.

 

[houseofwool]

The vagina is really unique, as it is self cleaning. A healthy vagina has a PH of around 5.2 and loads of good bacteria.
Soap will disrupt this delicate little eco system and can cause serious problems, like abnormal smell/discharge, irritation and yeast infections.
Also, the vulva doesn't have the protective layer the rest of your skin has and doesn't produce sebum to keep it hydrated.

It's best to wash with lukewarm water only, or if you insist on anything cleansing, an unscented intimate wash product with the right PH.

UTI's are not caused by washing with just water, but most often by e. coli and staphylococcus.

Proper hygiene, peeing after sex and wiping away from the vulva help; but some woman are just very susceptible to UTI's.

If you are prone to UTI's, giving up processed sugar, drinking unsweetend, pure cranberry juice (I drink it with a dash of stevia) probiotics and echinacea supplements will help.
All aid in keeping your body in it's natural balance.

I think that this is one of things where each person's experience is unique. Both my daughter and I are prone to all sorts of problems - the only thing that has helped consistently is a soap with tea tree oil. Since making that change, I've yet to have any sort of infection. *shrug* it works for us. I know it works for her, because when she visits her dad, she doesn't have the same soap and she typically comes back with a raging yeast rash that takes several days to clear up.

 

[dagmar88]

Tea tree does help treating infections on the outside that are already there.