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The forgotten joy of soap

spectator.co.uk

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Re: The forgotten joy of soap

#41

Post by NhanH »

kstenerud wrote: post #33

I stopped washing with soap 6 years ago and never looked back. For the first month, my skin was so greasy all the time that it felt like I'd been wearing the same clothes for a week, just an hour after putting them on, but then my skin finally adjusted to the new normal. My skin is soft - much too soft for a man of my age, according to my wife. I have no body odor, even after a heavy workout where I'm still covered i…

Do you mean you are just using water nowadays, or did you switch to using detergent or otherkind of cleaning formula?

Re: The forgotten joy of soap

#42

Post by oska »

kstenerud wrote: post #33

I stopped washing with soap 6 years ago and never looked back. For the first month, my skin was so greasy all the time that it felt like I'd been wearing the same clothes for a week, just an hour after putting them on, but then my skin finally adjusted to the new normal. My skin is soft - much too soft for a man of my age, according to my wife. I have no body odor, even after a heavy workout where I'm still covered i…

I've gone 30 years without using soap (or anything else) on my body with similar results and experience to you. Also no problems with body odour; instead quite the opposite, being complimented on how I smell (by intimate partners).

I still use it to wash my hands however.

Re: The forgotten joy of soap

#43

Post by stinos »

kstenerud wrote: post #33

I stopped washing with soap 6 years ago and never looked back. For the first month, my skin was so greasy all the time that it felt like I'd been wearing the same clothes for a week, just an hour after putting them on, but then my skin finally adjusted to the new normal. My skin is soft - much too soft for a man of my age, according to my wife. I have no body odor, even after a heavy workout where I'm still covered i…

Heh just typed a similar reply to the doctor in another comment. I experience the same. To the point I'm starting to wonder if those millions of liters of soaps and gels used do actually have any positive effects at all. Surely there are people with certain skin conditions etc, and yes you better make sure your hands are clean before cooking food especially in less developed countries, but for the rest?

Re: The forgotten joy of soap

#44

Post by gpvos »

I once had a bar of Greek olive soap that left a very slight oil-like residue on my skin after use, and I totally loved how that felt. I'm not quite sure why the soap was that way; maybe the oil hadn't saponified completely or something. The bar looked perfectly normal though, dark green with maybe a slight transparent quality to it (it was long ago, my memory may be slightly incorrect). I have never found such a soap again (my parents had brought it back from their vacation and I have forgotten the brand name by now; this was from before every shop was on the internet), but if anyone can help me find one, that would be really great.

Re: The forgotten joy of soap

#45

Post by DanBC »

dnvbcnvb wrote: post #37
Negitivefrags wrote: post #3

Does anyone else find shower-gel just completely ineffective? After using it I don't feel clean. I feel like I just rubbed cooking oil on my body. With regular soap bars you get the "clean" feeling which no other product seems to match.

YES! I wash hands tens of times per day. Every time before touching food, or after touching something potentially poisonous (like eliquid, strong detergents, gasoline, etc). I can't imagine using liquid soap, it doesn't clean at all! It's horrible, hands covered in some oil, can't remove it with water. I'm using this https://www.ladymakeup.com/shop/barwa_hypoallergenic_traditi... 0.99 PLN (0.26 USD) for a 100g bar at…

> I wash hands tens of times per day. Every time before touching food, or after touching something potentially poisonous (like eliquid, strong detergents, gasoline, etc).

You may want to read this from the US CDC: When is clean too clean? https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/7/2/70-0225_article

Re: The forgotten joy of soap

#46

Post by kstenerud »

NhanH wrote: post #41
kstenerud wrote: post #33

I stopped washing with soap 6 years ago and never looked back. For the first month, my skin was so greasy all the time that it felt like I'd been wearing the same clothes for a week, just an hour after putting them on, but then my skin finally adjusted to the new normal. My skin is soft - much too soft for a man of my age, according to my wife. I have no body odor, even after a heavy workout where I'm still covered i…

Do you mean you are just using water nowadays, or did you switch to using detergent or otherkind of cleaning formula?

Just water. My hair is short so I can get away with washing my hair water-only as well, but it becomes a pain for people with long hair (it can become quite unmanageable).

Re: The forgotten joy of soap

#47

Post by kashug »

amelius wrote: post #9
jazoom wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What you're interpreting as "clean feeling" is likely stripping your skin of its protective oils. That's why we (doctors) don't recommend soaps as a general rule. That oil is there for a reason.

Good point, but what does that mean for the war against plastic gel bottles? From the article: > Given the war against plastic, maybe there will be a reaction to all these bottles of handwash. The bar of soap might yet stage a resurgence.

It's not common with refills for those bottles? (more often than not the refills are also in some kind of plastic - so not sure how much plastic it saves though)

Re: The forgotten joy of soap

#48

Post by icebraining »

kstenerud wrote: post #33

I stopped washing with soap 6 years ago and never looked back. For the first month, my skin was so greasy all the time that it felt like I'd been wearing the same clothes for a week, just an hour after putting them on, but then my skin finally adjusted to the new normal. My skin is soft - much too soft for a man of my age, according to my wife. I have no body odor, even after a heavy workout where I'm still covered i…

> For the first month, my skin was so greasy all the time (...), but then my skin finally adjusted to the new normal.

Do we know the scientific explanation for this? What makes the skin change its oil production levels?

Re: The forgotten joy of soap

#49

Post by jazoom »

stevejb wrote: post #20
jazoom wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know if that Dove bar has soap in it, but there are many non-soap cleansers of varying degrees of harshness. I only know the brands available in Australia.

I'm in Australia, can you suggest a few brands?

I use Enya. 1L for $2.99 from Chemist Warehouse. Probably actually has some soapiness in it but claims to be soap-free. Nowhere near as harsh as bar soap. Smells decent. Lathers well. Australian-made.

Wife gets QV Wash, which is less harsh and generally recommended as a gentle cleanser. Expensive, though. Also Australian-made. If you have dry skin, atopic dermatitis, etc. this is what you need.

Cetaphil is in the same section. About as expensive. Doesn't lather as well. Not sure if Australian-made.

Re: The forgotten joy of soap

#50

Post by Semaphor »

I used to have bleeding between my knuckles after moving away from my parents in winter. At first, I thought it was a difference in humidity. Until I started using bar soap (which is what my parents had) instead of liquid soap. Since then, no more problems. I usually buy handmade soap at craft markets on medieval and metal festivals and really enjoy the smell :)
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