We don't really need soap, according to some

[Varanid]

I guess my sentiments weren't clear. I agree that anti-bac soap can be a problem.

 

[AdMan]

On a somewhat related note, as I learned soon after a harried stopover in Tokyo's Narita airport that included a desperate and unsuccessful search for deodorant to replace the one I had forgotten to pack, many Asians do not need to wear deodorant (and so relatively few shops stock it).

I was told this by Asian friends and colleagues and initially found it hard to believe, but apparently it's true.

Even those who normally would need deodorant often get treatments to permanently prevent this awful stinky condition.

 

[Soapy Sam]

Soap is generally alkaline.
Body soaps have lower pH than hand soaps, which are in turn lower than laundry soap.
The alkalinity removes skin oils , leaving the "squeaky clean" feeling. (Because, like any non-lubricated surface, dry skin sticks to stuff).
The same effect can be achieved by hot water and a mild abrasive subtance like pumice. (I don't advise it for the more sensitive parts!)
The Romans- most famed of bathers, used no soap, preferring* to use light oil, which was then scraped off using a metal strigil. (I presume they had some way to stop all this oil forming a slick in the plunge pool.) "Turkish" baths are just Roman Baths under another name.
Thing is, for the Romans, bathing was a major social activity. People went to the baths as nowadays they do power lunches till three thirty.
Nowadays we have this cleanliness virus, whereby if we don't glisten, gleam and squeak as we walk, we are de facto plague carriers and social outcasts - yet nobody has time for a bath any more. It's in and out of the shower and off to work. So we use soap, which saves on time and body-slaves. But we don't need it.
Wire brush and Dettol is what real men use, though I admit to liking "Dove", which I and several other blokes decided was actually damn good stuff. As we were in the Saudi Desert at the time and the water hardness was around 8-10,000ppm [Ca + Mg], this is probably as good an unsolicited testimonial as any hygiene product will ever get.
* I don't know if they actually had soap, but it's pretty simple to make by accident if you're around animal fat and wood ash, as most hunter gatherers will be, so I'd expect soap predates Imperial Rome by centuries.

 

[Sledge]

One abstract reads in its entirety: "Shaving off the sweat glands and hair follicles with a single-use safety razor is described."

This made me physically recoil from the computer and curl up into a ball.

 

[MatildaGage]

I use liquid castille soap* for the body. It's "natural" and has low carcinogens in it, according to EWG. That's as close to no soap as I'm willing to get. I figure I'd need a lot more time, water, and scrubbing to get the same effect.

Shampoo-free....I heard about it and people absolutely swear by it. Sigh. I tried going shampoo-free but gave up after a few weeks. It looked clean but felt horrible.

Then I tried baking soda --> brittle hair. Then I tried apple cider vinegar --> best of the 3, soft but a bit dry.

Now I just use a little shampoo mixed with the vinegar, rinsed well with hot water.

Soap in all of the crotches, just warm water on my hair.

How many crotches do you have?

*Oh, and the only brand I can find around here has a gagworthy amount of preaching on the label.

 

[Varanid]

As for the shampooing discussion:
While I shave my head now, I had hair down to my waist back in the day. I consulted more than one hair stylist who insisted hot water would dry your hair out. Anecdotally, I would have to agree.

 

[ThunderChunky]

Well, I suppose if one does not mind using a great deal of water and taking baths more frequently, then one does not need soap.

However, using soap makes it much easier to remove the dirt and thereby one does not need as much water to do the job.

Most dirt is water soluble and rinses off easily. I use soap, but I have gone without it and I do not find that more water is needed. IMO, soap is only needed for big messes, to wash your hands, or to remove something that isn't water soluble.

 

[Ethan Thane Athen]

For once I couldn't find the "you can be stink free just like me if you buy my book/special water/odour free shower etc" link.

I only use soap on armpits and privates but I can't imagine going for more than 2 or 3 days without shampoo! We only usually register changes in sensations, so the ability to detect our own whiff is compromised by this process. But I wonder how the clash between "scentometer" and politeness of family/friends was calibrated?

I haven't used shampoo in my hair for over 20 years - just water. Your hair produces oil that repels dirt and grime so a simple wash with water will get rid of the dirt. Washing with shampoo strips the oils away allowing dirt to get at the actual hair itself and possibly, if done repeatedly, causing the body to produce more and more oil to try and replace the lost oil (though some people just naturally produce more than others anyway) - hence people having to shampoo their hair more and more frequently. If you just use water, your body reaches a balance and only produces the oil as needed. I saw this outlined on a science programme on the BBC when someone asked about curing greasy hair and was told by the resident expert that it was actually made worse by frequent shampooing (she did so every day) and she should try dropping shampoo altogether. She did so and after 2 weeks of, as she put it, 'hell', where her hair got excessively greasy, it then settled down and became 'normal'. She stated she would never use shampoo again as her hair had never been better.

I decided to try it myself and, as I only used to shampoo once a week anyway, I didn't even go through the weeks of 'hell'. I didn't get and don't have greasy hair (not even for the 10 years I had very long hair) and on the usual hair scale of 'dry, normal, greasy' it would probably be classed as 'normal bordering on dry'.

Never been brave enough to try it on my body but I could be persuaded that the principle is the same (though clothes / sweat probably complicate matters).

 

[jakesteele]

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-crystal-deodorant.htm

I have been using this stuff for years and it's the best deodorant I've ever found. I have gone for 4-5 days without showering when I was camping, and I had no BO whatsoever. My Ex will attest to that.

This stuff is way less expensive, hypoallergenic and very effective. I highly recommend it.

 

[commandlinegamer]

On bathing, here's Pa Joad, from The Grapes of Wrath:

"Funny thing—use ta be I on'y got a bath ever' week an' I never seemed to stink. Now if I don't get one ever' day I stink. Wonder if takin' a bath so often makes that"

 

[Ethan Thane Athen]

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-crystal-deodorant.htm

I have been using this stuff for years and it's the best deodorant I've ever found. I have gone for 4-5 days without showering when I was camping, and I had no BO whatsoever. My Ex will attest to that.

This stuff is way less expensive, hypoallergenic and very effective. I highly recommend it.

Sounds like the stuff I use (http://lemon.muon.posiweb.net/acatalog/Lemonburst_Crystal_Body_Deodorant_12.html). I agree, it's fantastic. Lasts for ages (up to a year with everyday use!), cheap as anything, no scent (I hate perfume) but stops you smelling by killing the bacteria that breed in your sweat and cause the smell. Amazingly it even works after you have started to smell - note, I don't make a habit of this!

One of the best discoveries I ever made.

 

[RenaissanceBiker]

We don't need soap. We just prefer that people use it. Just as we don't need beer. Well, I need beer. Nevermind.

 

[aggle-rithm]

When I was single and living by myself I didn't see much of a need to shower, wash my clothes, change my sheets, etc.

It's a wonder that I'm still not living by myself.

 

[Cuddles]

A dirt bath works for chickens.

And people, also.

Well, not really. Chickens don't use dirt baths for getting clean, they use them to remove mites, lice, dead skin and feathers, and so on. They're still covered in dirt afterwards. But when we wash, it's not generally parasites we're trying to get rid of, but the dirt itself. You can use something like sand as an abrasive to remove large amounts of dirt or sticky stuff, but in general a dirt bath could only work to keep you healthy, not clean.

 

[slingblade]

Okay, I hope this is somewhat on-topic, as I really want to ask about something a friend told me quite a while back.

She said that women particularly should not use anti-bac soap on their girl parts, as it kills the "good" flora and can lead to yeast infections. True? Not true? So gross and off-topic that I deserve death for asking?

 

[Emet]

Okay, I hope this is somewhat on-topic, as I really want to ask about something a friend told me quite a while back.

She said that women particularly should not use anti-bac soap on their girl parts, as it kills the "good" flora and can lead to yeast infections. True? Not true? So gross and off-topic that I deserve death for asking?

Don't know who wrote this, but the domain is ".edu".

https://www.msu.edu/~eisthen/yeast/causes.html#causes

ETA:

I am not a medical doctor; i'm just a well-informed person (who happens to be a biology professor). Neither I, nor my employer, nor my landlord, nor local, state, or federal government makes any representation or warranties with respect to the contents of these pages. We definitely are not offering any warranty of treatment effectiveness or fitness for any particular purpose. Hey, this site isn't FDA approved. I may be wrong or could have mistyped something; also, although I make effort to keep up, information here could be out of date. Don't sue me. In addition, I receive no compensation of any kind for creating and maintaining these pages -- I'm just trying to help.

https://www.msu.edu/~eisthen/yeast/legal.html

 

[slingblade]

Emet, thank you! Okay, apparently, it can. Good to know.

 

[quarky]

Well, not really. Chickens don't use dirt baths for getting clean, they use them to remove mites, lice, dead skin and feathers, and so on. They're still covered in dirt afterwards. But when we wash, it's not generally parasites we're trying to get rid of, but the dirt itself. You can use something like sand as an abrasive to remove large amounts of dirt or sticky stuff, but in general a dirt bath could only work to keep you healthy, not clean.

Where I live, removing parasites is big part of 'clean'.
Dirt removal, who knows? People apply dirt to their bodies in the modern shower.
It isn't thought of as dirt, because it has sodium lauryl sulfate, povidone, other long chain polymers...

B.O., imho, is a luxury of being able to eat too much greasy food.

For me, B.O. smells like weird products and perfumes.
I confess to being uncivilized.

 

[Soapy Sam]

On the smell issue- I've been in buses in Africa and India, carrying five times the legal maximum number of passengers, in tropical heat, with no air conditioning. I've also been in the perfume department of major stores.
It was'nt the bus that sent me into the street, choking and retching. People smell like people. Chemicals smell like chemicals. I'll take people every time thanks.

 

[EdipisReks]

People smell like people. Chemicals smell like chemicals. I'll take people every time thanks.

people are chemicals.