Bar Soaps
Posted: Monday, August 17, 2009
by Dianne Lehmann
Artisan Jewelry from SyZyGy
Lots of Search Warp writers have taken up the persuasive argument challenge. I'm not really certain that I am quite up to that, but I do have a thing or two to say about bar soaps. Well, and other related subjects. I can never leave anything alone.
Over the years, I've used quite a few of them different kinds, I mean. I like to feel clean, so yes, I've used a lot of them. Maybe what I meant was I've "tried" quite a few of them. I even toyed with liquid body washes for a while, but gave them up. There is really only one that is completely fragrance free (that I know of, I'll admit I don't know everything about liquid body washes) and that is made by Cetaphil. My husband, Bernd, uses the Cetaphil sometimes because he has eczema and it is very, very gentle. In fact, it is so gentle that they say you don't actually have to rinse it off if you don't want to. Now how clean is something like that going to get you? As for the body washes that claim they are unscented, they mostly all have a "masking" fragrance added; some add quite a lot of that. They are allowed to say they are unscented, but not that they are fragrance free. There is a big difference between the two phrases.
Today, our house is a no-fragrance zone. Because I get headaches and frequently migraine headaches when exposed to fragrances, we've had to look long and hard for a bar soap that I could tolerate. As a result of my canary nature, Bernd has become less tolerant of fragrances also. His is more of a psychological intolerance, however. That and his concern for my welfare when the neighbors' perfumes and dryer sheet smells come into our home. We both find most fragrances to be unpleasant smelling. It's all in your perspective. After all, dogs seem to enjoy smelling the poop of other dogs. But we both enjoy fresh and natural plant smells. The smell of rain in the air is also a good one. You will never catch me intentionally taking a nice long sniff of some dog's poop, though.
I don't have a problem with all fragrances. There are some natural ones that don't bother me at all. Citronella (lemon grass oil) is one of them. I know, go figure. And so for years we used Ivory bar soap. But it is quite irritating to certain parts of my body. I won't say which ones. About a year or so ago (after I'd given up hope and stopped even looking in the bar soap aisle actually, I can't spend too much time in that aisle or I'll get a really nasty headache), Bernd discovered that Dove had come out with a bar soap that is completely free of dyes and fragrances. We both use it for washing our bodies and love it. It's called Dove Sensitive Skin Unscented, in case you are interested. I know what I said earlier about "fragrance free" and "unscented" and it does say in smaller print that it is fragrance free.
If you want to get your hands really clean, like after you've been cutting up raw chicken (it seems that chicken fat is the hardest fat to get off of my hands), nothing beats good old-fashioned Lava bar soap. Forget those bar and liquid antimicrobial soaps. They don't kill all the bacteria, they promote the creation (thereby) of antimicrobial resistant bacteria, and unless you wash and rinse several times, do not get all the fat off of your hands. The fat (and natural skin oils) is what adheres the bacteria to your hands. Lava isn't fancy. It doesn't have moisturizers or nicey-nice ingredients. It will strip your hands of all oils, and that's the point. If you don't like making a dry wrinkled mess of your hands, then use some other regular soap, just be sure to rinse really well. It's in the rinsing that most people make their mistake. Plain soaps will loosen the oils, but you have to completely rinse away all the soap if you want to also rinse away the greatest majority of the bacteria. You can't ever get rid of them all or kill them all. It's a fact. Accept it. And there is really no reason to waste your money on fancy cleansers and antibacterial kitchen wipes. There, I got my two cents in.
So my best recommendation for getting your hands and body clean is to use Dove for sensitive skin and Lava bar soaps. I'll save laundry detergents and hair shampoos for another day and a different rant.
This Article has been viewed 1,136 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
Top-level comments on this article: (3 total)Hi Dianne,
I can barely wait for the laundry detergents and hair shampoos! I buy Dove, any kind, for sensitive skin or with fragrance, if it's from the market. Otherwise, I buy the fancy stuff from a department store. I like lavender and oatmeal based soaps. The Dove is for guests or when I run out of my faves.
You are so right about chicken fat and the liquid antimicrobial soaps except one that Williams-Sonoma makes. Their essential oils collection works.
I enjoyed this information. In getting to know you, it all adds up to the you I know! I'm lovin' it! *big smile*
Hugs,
AvisHi Avis.Actually, I use an oatmeal cleansing bar on my face (supposedly it's not really a soap) from Aveeno. I like it because it is really mild. We've also used pure glycerin soaps that are fragrance free. But I do like the Dove and the Lava the best. I'm not into spending a lot of money on the cleansing items and the ones you mentioned sound pricey. Of course, I could just be making that all up in my mind. :)Oh man! Now I'm actually going to really have to write that other article. :)I'm glad that you enjoyed it and thanks for your time.Hugs,DianneAddressing the pricey part: I have discovered it costs less because what I buy is almost triple the size of other soaps. It also lasts longer, has more moisturizer in it requiring less lotion. And the Williams-Sonoma is highly concentrated and as a result not as much is needed.Just so you'll know, I remember you saying the pricey part could just be in your head. I know how that is! Just wanted you to know I'm frugal, too.No pressure on the other article but at least I know it's coming! :)
hi dianne,i'm sorry you have to go through so much trouble to wash :)my partner does as well, and he uses ivory.it's funny what one person might have and others don't, but have something else...like my partner and you have migraines, and are intolerant of most fragrances, and i can handle all that, but have Crohn's.ah, if we only had all the answers. sounds like you found a good product.i've written to companies before to tell them i liked (or sometimes didn't) like their products, and they sent me coupons. it's a thought.thanks for sharing,my best,sueHi Sue.I've done that too and received coupons. If you look into it as Bernd and I have, the instances of fragrance related problems seems to be on the rise. And yes, we all have our "crosses to bear," but the good thing is what they teach us.Thanks for stopping by.Hugs,Dianne
My all-time favourite bar soap is one that was very popular in the 1950's and 1960's and that is "Lifebuoy', you know, the red soap with the strong carbolic scent. It was Lifebuoy that coined the term "BO - Body Odor." Some people, including my wife, hate the smell, but I love it. Lifebuoy is very difficult to find these days. Apparently it is now only sold in India and the Caribbean. During the tsunami in Phuket, Lever Bros. sent thousands of bars of Lifebuoy soap, as this in one of the very few soaps that actually kill bacteria. I was lucky a few years ago to be talking to a sales rep from Lever Bros. (I worked in an airline call centre). I asked him if he remembered Lifebuoy, and he said that he still sold it in the Bahamas. He took my name and address and sent me thirty bars of it absolutely free of charge. My wife hated it, but I loved it. Now I'm on a quest to find more.Hi David.I do remember that soap. At that time, though, my parents bought Zest and that is what we used. I didn't develop my sensitivities until about 17 years ago, so as a child, it didn't matter what I used.That certainly was considerate of that sales rep. I wonder why they no longer sell it in the US.I hope you are successful in your quest! Thanks for reading and commenting.Dianne
We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.