Summertime/Camper Soap Ideas

[danielle22033]

I am in some desperate need for some group brainstorming for this season coming up So far I have 2 ideas, 1 being some sort of bug repelling soap and 2 being a poison ivy soap. I was wondering if anyone else had some soap that customers seem to be attracted to in the summer or for camping.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[kikajess]

Not sure if an aloe vera soap would have any benefits to sunburned skin, but it might. I always get sunburned when I go camping!

 

[eyeroll]

It's not camping, but it's summer gardening related. I made a gardener's soap with a layer coffee grounds, a plain layer, and a layer of ground, dried parsley - very scrubby to get all that garden dirt off my hands.

 

[dixiedragon]

A camo soap! I think refreshing scents like mint, citrus, etc, seem to do well in the summer.

 

[Sagebrush]

I have a camping soap on my list to make that I've been brainstorming about too. I was thinking citronella and tea tree EOs with maybe some lavender or something to sweeten it out while still not attracting bugs. Also, anise is known to keep animals and bugs from smelling the human scent.

 

[Seawolfe]

If any of your campers camp on the beaches or surf camp, I bet a soap that lathers in salt water (so high in coconut) would be very popular.

Apparently fishermen like Anise scented soap, not sure if thats to hide the fish smell or because fish are supposed to like the smell...

A body and hair shampoo bar would be popular for space savingness I would think.

 

[Sagebrush]

Just realized I repeated myself by saying "anise masks human scent and/or keeps bugs and animals from smelling human scent" so I went back and edited it...oops :/

Seawolfe, I did a bit of research when making an anise outdoor soap and there seemed to be no clear conclusion on which was the reason fishermen and hunters liked the anise. It could be a combo of both

 

[danielle22033]

Thank you everyone for all these fantastic ideas! I am really excited to start soaping!

I was also thinking a nice blueberry soap too, for those that like sweet scents, however not many suppliers have a FO let alone of EO.

 

[Silverwolf]

Planning a insect repelling soap and since I'm just a hobbyist I don't mind sharing my ideas. I plan on using at least 20% neem oil since it's a very good insect repellant and 10% castor since it's supposed to be one as well. EO's I was thinking pine, lemon grass, tea tree, cedar, peppermint and geranium or lavender. All of them have some insect repelling properties, you can also try Chrysanthemum cinerariifolium extract but I'm not sure how it would hold up in soap. Citronella Oil, Lemon Eucalyptus Oil, Cinnamon Oil, Rosemary Oil and Clove oil are supposed to work as well.

 

[cmzaha]

If any of your campers camp on the beaches or surf camp, I bet a soap that lathers in salt water (so high in coconut) would be very popular.

Apparently fishermen like Anise scented soap, not sure if thats to hide the fish smell or because fish are supposed to like the smell...

A body and hair shampoo bar would be popular for space savingness I would think.

Anise soap is to hide the human smell on your bait and lures

 

[CaraBou]

Seawolfe, I did a bit of research when making an anise outdoor soap and there seemed to be no clear conclusion on which was the reason fishermen and hunters liked the anise. It could be a combo of both

Anise is marketed to hunters as a BEAR BAIT / attractant, so think twice about that one for campers! I took this pic last week at the new Cabella's that opened last week in Anchorage. Been looking for the right time to use it and I think this it! LOL!

I see my pic didn't upload, so here's another try:

 

[Jenn2980]

Anise is marketed to hunters as a BEAR BAIT / attractant, so think twice about that one for campers! I took this pic last week at the new Cabella's that opened last week in Anchorage. Been looking for the right time to use it and I think this it! LOL!

I see my pic didn't upload, so here's another try:

Oh wow, well that's good to know - no anise in "camper's soap" lol. I was planning on making one for camping by replacing all water with aloe juice (to relieve any sunburn), jewelweed to help prevent poison ivy, and citronella EO to repel bugs.

 

[Sagebrush]

Anise is marketed to hunters as a BEAR BAIT / attractant, so think twice about that one for campers! I took this pic last week at the new Cabella's that opened last week in Anchorage. Been looking for the right time to use it and I think this it! LOL!

I see my pic didn't upload, so here's another try:

Wow. That didn't come up when I was researching it. Yikes. Thanks for that info, CaraBou!

 

[DeeAnna]

Anise is also used as a masking scent for fishermen. I make a liquid soap with anise EO. I tuck a little squirt bottle of the stuff in my tackle box so I can wash my hands after applying fish-unfriendly stuff like sunscreen and insect repellent.

 

[Seawolfe]

"you don't have to run faster than the bear, just faster than your friend that you smeared with anise scented soap..."

 

[Kansas Farm Girl]

Doesn't any soap help wash off the stuff in poison ivy that bothers people? My sibs were very allergic to pi and they were always instructed to scrub good when they came in from areas that they might have been exposed. I don't know if that helped them any or not, they always seemed to have a rash from it. I never had much trouble with pi so never worried much about it. As for bugs if anyone has something that really works I would love to know, DH is a mosquito magnet and I would love to find something that makes him unattractive to those blood-suckers.

 

[DeeAnna]

"...Doesn't any soap help wash off the stuff in poison ivy that bothers people?..."

Yep, that's right. It's also true the sooner you wash after exposure to poison ivy the better the results. It's best if you can wash within about 15 minutes. Later is better than never, but after 15 min or so, a big part of the damage has been done.

The Australian military did a study comparing soap with insect repellent ingredients vs. regular repellents for repelling mosquitoes. The soap didn't work very well, even when the soap suds were allowed to dry on the skin and clothing, rather than being rinsed off as normal. They concluded normal repellent worked much better.

 

[danielle22033]

"...Doesn't any soap help wash off the stuff in poison ivy that bothers people?..."

Yep, that's right. It's also true the sooner you wash after exposure to poison ivy the better the results. It's best if you can wash within about 15 minutes. Later is better than never, but after 15 min or so, a big part of the damage has been done.

The Australian military did a study comparing soap with insect repellent ingredients vs. regular repellents for repelling mosquitoes. The soap didn't work very well, even when the soap suds were allowed to dry on the skin and clothing, rather than being rinsed off as normal. They concluded normal repellent worked much better.

In that case why not make a bug repellent lotion? That would somewhat comparable to a store repellent however would be much more natural and gentle on sensitive skin, not to mention wouldn't be sticky and leave a film on you like deet.

 

[Dennis]

When camping I use whatever soap happens to be in the shower when I get home.

 

[Saponista]

Patchouli is a hippie type scent, always reminds me of camping at festivals like Glastonbury in my younger years. An all over hair/body/face soap would be a good option so you only needed to pack one bar.