Take a Bath

[sudsmaster]

In reality, the main ingredient in shampoos, body washes, and dishwashing liquids is all the same - sodium laurel sulfate, also called sodium dodecyl sulfate (laurel and dodecyl both mean "12", which is the number of carbon atoms on the fatty acid chain that makes up the "tail" of the detergent molecule). This is a high sudsing surfactant that also has some use in bio labs to help disrupt cells (previous life for me). I've also seen it in a concentrated form sold as a horse cleaner - so concentrated it has a consistency like honey.

The difference of course is the added cnditioners, emollients, and pH adjusters in various products, as well as fragrance and color.

A while back Consumer Reports (in the 70's) did a review of various shampoos. They found that if a conditioner is used after shampooing, that a bargain basement dishwashing liquid (Crystal Light) performed just as well as brand name shampoos of the time (Breck, Prell, etc).

PS-I love patchouli fragrance and have a little bottle of the oil that I use as a scent for special occasions.

 

[eluxomarty]

Aqua Zest

Growing up we used Coast and Irish Spring. I hated it. As soon as i got my first job i started buying my own soap ( Zest ) and my own laundry detergent ( Gain ) My family thought that this was strange but they let me. I Love the way Zest smells!

 

[eluxomarty]

I also loved Gee Your Hair Smells Terrific shampoo to wash my hair! LOL!

 

[oxydolfan]

I've tried EVERYTHING. The mass-markets, the chi-chi boutique brands, the "organics".....

I like Zest Aqua bars (deodorant wash for summer), Olay For Very Dry Skin (the shea butter one) Body bars and Body Wash, Dove Regenerating Calming Night Body Wash with Honey and Vitamin A, Ivory with Honey Body Wash (recently discontinued), old-school Dove Original bars, and the Walgreens knockoff.

When I am in the throes of a depressive episode, or it is over ninety degrees out, I like Dr. Bronner's (DILUTE!! DILUTE!!) or Trader Joe's Peppermint Liquid Castile Soap.

For the washbasins, I've always preferred Cashmere Bouquet or Olay bars, but I recently tried the new Dove Handwash and much prefer it (I never went in for Softsoap and the like)....

I don't care much for the male-marketed stuff they have out now, like Axe, Old Spice, and other shower products. They remind me too much of the '80s and Drakkar Noir....my very dry skin doesn't tolerate it, either.

I like the Kiss My Face Cold and Flu Formula Bath Soak and the Fa For Sensitive Skin Shower Gel.

In the dollar stores, I find Palmolive and Lux bar soaps from abroad. The Lux from the Middle East and Asian countries is much milder than the Lux from Canada, which resembles the old-school American-style Lux, that was similar to Ivory.

The best bar I found in the discount bins is the Palmolive NutriMilk white bar from Mexico, which is upscale and seems to want to compete with Dove in the Mexican market.

Dish detergent: Palmolive Lemon Oxy with Bleach, Sun Light Sensitive, Crystal White Octagon.

 

[launderess]

Sorry, Chaps

Would love to say, but modesty forbids. *LOL*

Launderess

 

[lavamat_jon]

Launderess I'm with you! A lady never reveals her...

...bath soap

Jon

 

[skip]

Body wash

I love body wash and shower gel the best i haven't used a bar od soap in 10 years

Skip...

 

[joeekaitis]

Whichever is the cheapest when I'm at Target:

Target's version of Old Spice body wash for men, Target's version of Dial body wash, Suave when it's in a bonus bottle.

 

[aquarius1984]

i dont wash!

lol i do really. Well its a funny subject i love quite a few products but usually its either Pears original soap or my absolute favourite 67p bar of Wrights coal tar soap. I just love deep herbal scents and my bubble bath choice has to be Radox original green. Shower gel has to be either Radox for men or if i can afford a trip to Cheshire Oaks Retail Outlet or Chester city centre i like Molten Brown black pepper re charge or AB AND C vitalising vitamins body wash but at £10 a bottle in the sale its only as a treat. Nick

 

[mistereric]

lever 2000 is my fav. been using it since it came out. wish they still made the old scene tho... i have a few tiny travel size bars of the old stuff for a giggle. my... er... "close friends" used to compliment me about my scent, and ask me about my cologne... ah well.

the perfectly fresh version is okay, i guess.

 

[frigilux]

YAY! Another Lever 2000 user. It's the only soap I use. If I stay with friends, I take a bar with me. Love the scent and the lather. I also wish the original scent was still available, but Per.Fresh is fairly close.

 

[sudsmaster]

Lever 2000 Original

I hadn't realized that Lever 2000 had changed scent. I just picked up a 12-pack at Costco that I thought was the same as the previous batch, but after reading the messages here I checked and it is indeed the slightly changed "Perfectly Fresh" variant.

I happen to have three of the original boxed bars, still, from the old 12-pack, which I think I got about four years ago. For a while I used it, then tried Irish Spring, Zest, Dial, Ivory, and Dove unscented, then I switched back to Lever 2000. I compared the new and old Lever 2000 Original scents... I sort of prefer the newer "perfectly fresh" version. But to my untrained nose they are rather similar. I like Lever 2000 because it cleans well without being overly drying or irritating. In the summer I find I can use anything, including plain Ivory, but in the winter things get a bit drier and itchier and Lever 2000 is best.

The aroma of Dove "Sensitive Skin" is very nice, too... it has a trace of herbal essential oils that are very subtle. According to the label, it contains sweet almond oil, rosewood oil, cedarwood oil, and rose oil. Not exactly unscented, just nice. But it's not particularly good at washing off a lot of grime from hands... Ivory is best for that. Dial is ok, except for the foul aroma and its tendency to cause acne.

 

[brettsomers]

i had often wondered if there is a difference between shampoo and body wash. and can anyone say how old-fashioned Castile soap is on dry skin? thanks for all the ideas, folks. im wanting something with a milky/lightly floral/unscented vibe. i would try Lever2000, but i think it has an antibacterial ingredient (which i dont want)?

 

[sudsmaster]

Lever 2000 has no antibacterial ingredient (usually if added that would be triclosan). I recommend you try it. Also try Dove for Sensitive Skin.

As I recall Castile Soap is made from olive oil, and should contain some of the natural glycerin. It could be mild. I find that liquid coconut oil soap is also mild while it is reasonably good at cleansing. I use it at home for daily washing of hands, as I've found other soaps can be too drying after working in the garden or in the shop.

 

[launderess]

Most Castile or olive oils soaps are very mild, but some can be drying, you may need to find one that works for your skin type. Have found most brands of Savon de Marsielle (French olive oil based soap), to be quite mild, others a tad less so. Love Dr. Brommers soaps, especially the liquids, but they to can be a tad drying certain times of the year. IMHO Dr. Brommers soaps truly are some of the best around. The mint soap is great during the hot weather, or for use in the morning as it leaves a refreshing tingle!

Believe it or not, the soap getting top raves at our house, at the moment is vintage Armour's "floating" soap. Nabbed a case from eBay, intending to use it for laundry, but after putting on bar in the powder room everyone was hooked.

One thing I do not like about body washes and such is they mostly are SLS based, and am not crazy about lathering up with SLS. Prefer to use natural soaps instead of yet more chemicals when washing up. Never use those "anti-bacterial" soaps or body washes.

One soap I would love to find again is vintage Lifeboy soap. You know, the red bars that had a spicy scent.

Camay is still around, but hard to find in some areas. Tried it when I was younger, and it left my skin dry and itchy, so that was the end of that. Dove has been an all time favourite of mine; gentle and inexpensive.

Never liked Cashmere Bouquet, as it smelled like a loose tart or cheap motel,IMHO.

 

[frigilux]

Launderess, what's SLS?

When I was a little kid (early-to-mid-1960's) my dad was 'on the road' for his job and he used to bring home all the little motel-room bars of soap for me. That and boxes of Cracker Jack. He stayed in a different city/motel every night, so it really added up. Anyway, when he'd come home every second weekend, I'd get all excited because I knew I was getting a pile of soaps and Cracker Jack---it was a simpler time, kids.

It seems quaint now, but you have to remember that back then we thought the Wheel-O was mesmerizing, LOL.

And at least 75% of the bars were Cashmere Bouquet, so that definitely fits the motel profile.

 

[MikeS]

Getting Clean Was As Much Fun As Getting Dirty

Usually with me, it's a shower with Zest, Lever 2000 or Dove (if my skin feels too dry). But last night, I decided to take a bubble bath. When I was young, that meant a session with Mr. Bubble. Lucky for me, I bought a bottle of the Mister the other week, added it to the bath, and soaked while the bubbles relaxed me. It was a nice nostalgic trip. And guess what--no bathtub ring.
I could have used something cheaper, but at $1.69 for a bottle at Wal-Mart, it was worth spending some time with Mr. Bubble. Now if I can find a real-life Mr. Bubble of my own....!

 

[frigilux]

What's up with all the bubble-bath talk? It has surfaced in not one, but TWO threads in the Super forum (see the 'Gifts From Venus' thread). We seem to be basking in some sort of bathing nostalgia.

That does it; I'm going to the store to get some Mr. Bubble. I haven't taken a bath since 7th grade (when I became strictly a shower guy) but suddenly a nice soak in some bubbles sounds really, really appealing.

My favorite bubble bath powder came in a Yogi Bear container (again, this was the mid- '60's). You'd twist off his head and pour it in. When empty, Yogi became a coin bank that I used through high school.

 

[maytagbear]

SLS

is Sodium Lauryl* Sulfate, see above. Post # 151941, Sudsmaster.

It's the main cleaning agent in body washes, shampoo, and hand dishwashing liquid.

* Spelling on the shampoo bottles I looked at just now.

Red- carbolic Lifebuoy soap was available at the Vermont Country Store, last catalogue I had from them.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[historyman]

Lifebuoy etc.

Lifebuoy is available from Soaps Gone Buy www.soapsgonebuy.com as well as Kirk's Castille Soap, Fels Naphta, and other soaps popular in the past. I've found Cashmere Bouqet in Bi-Lo stores.