I’m going to ditch soap for bathing, I’m a greasy/dry skin patches bastard and occasionally shower twice a day.
I’m thinking that eventually my skin will sort itself out after an initial couple of weeks of extra sliminess.
Any soap free lovers on here, please enlighten me?
If you’ve never done it but have a vivid imagination keep it to yourself.🙄

No, but gone shower gel free, and now just use body shop soap in the shower, too much plastic.

My kids are pretty much soap free!

Nobeerinthefridge
Member
No, but gone shower gel free, and now just use body shop soap in the shower, too much plastic.

Same here, made the switch about 6 months ago

Article in The Grauniad about this the other day. I don’t always use soap/shower gel and my gf almost never does as it brings up her eczema. She doesn’t smell, I do a bit but she likes it. 🙂

Thanks Grum, I only use simple type soap bars atm, so it appears I’m a revolutionary radical already, shower gel wtf is that all about? 🤣😂🤣😂🤣

My mate has ditched soap, he smells like a wet dog. 🙁

I use minimal shower gel in my hair, but i find if i use it under armpit or nether regions it feels like ive washed with a woodworking rasp.
Since i stopped, i no longer get the rash, I never smell either.
Need it for what I would laughably call ‘hair’ though.
Nothing to lose by trying it.
My skin is slightly greasy with occasional dry patches, so sounds similar to you OP.

Just water for my hair for about the last 6 or so years. Only use shampoo if I’ve been indoor pool swimming.

Must be over a year since I used shower gel. Now use a simple soap bar in a natural fibre woven bag to help exfoliate.

People don’t avoid me any more than they normally do because if it.

Main reason I ditched the shower gel, wasn’t so much the bottles, but the number of those shower scrunchie things I was going through.

I didn’t wash my hair for a few months when I was a student, smoker and clubber.

And I wondered why I didn’t have a GF.

Shower gell and shampoo free-ish. Haven’t gone the whole hog as that was enough to cure my dry hands.

Might be a nocebo affect but I find the oily residue of soap gives me sweaty knackers and saddle sores on the bike.

On the upside my beard has never been better since I stopped washing it (with beard soap and shampoo). It now just gets the occasional balm or oil if its looking dull.

I’ve gone to soap rather than shower gel but not soap free. Hair will actually look after itself if you let it – I went on a 3 week sea kayak trip in Greenland with no opportunity to wash anything apart from swimming in salt water at zero degrees, and my hair was fine at the end of it, much better than it would be 3 days after washing it.

I’d just cut back rather than go totally soap free.
It depends where you live as well, if you are in a city then I have to use shampoo much more often than rural when I might use it once a week.

It also takes some time for your body to adjust and not try and replace the natural oils you didn’t soap away but it quickly does.

Also when you need it you need it… oil and grease won’t come off without some detergent.

I got told to ditch soap and shower gel by my GP to help with my eczema and was prescribed moisturiser to wash with instead (Aveeno) She was right – it had more of an effect than years of steroid creams. I still have to use a lot of hand soap and sanitiser on occasion at work (food industry) and it has an almost immediate, negative effect on the state of my hands.

Wash skin with E45 cream have done for years…

I’ve no wish to smell worse than my dog after a run or cycle in the woods so not sure I’d ever go shower gel / soap free. But I do use more expensive stuff that lasts much longer as you don’t need to use much at all and it doesn’t dry my skin out like the normal shower gel.

Proper tallow soap works wonders

the fat in it is more similar to your body’s oils than a plant’s oils is

Not easy to get, and not to everyone’s taste (or conscious) but I can recommend it (and tallow is often a waste product…)

this one is the current go to https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/641722976/soap-on-a-rope-natural-creamy-non-drying

Nope.

Totally blitzing yourself with antibacterial wash twice a day with facial scrub mixed in is clearly bad for the skin biome.

Using some soap on your sweaty bits and face each day and a good overall rinse under the shower isn’t the same.

As with many things, there’s a good sensible middle ground.

Trying plastic free by using soap. Like the primal suds stuff but using Marseille soap at the moment which is lovely. It’s not the cheap option.

Shower gel and deodorant free for 3 years, I use Simple (made with tallow as mentioned above) bars of soap, they last ages 2-3 months. I don’t need to buy shaving soap either as the slivers left over from the bar I use in the shower get collected in my shave bowl.

I havnt watched any of them for many many years. Don’t miss them at all.

I’ve never quite understood shower gel so always stuck to a bar of straightforward, basic soap. Soap free? I can imagine using soap sparingly… Just pits, bits or after a very sweaty or filthy event of some kind, but not sure about soap free!
I’ve considered shampoo bars instead of bottles for my hair but since I’m thinning I use very little and I suspect I’ll be using none at all quite soon,!

Calling all Glaswegians…

reminds me of a joke

2 nuns in a bath….

1st nun “wheres the soap”
2nd nun “it does rather doesnt it…

I use liberal amounts of soap, my other half makes it and is trying to perfect the recipe, I’m the soap test monkey. I don’t like it when she puts lots of bits of stuff in the soap. I’m a rubbish tester.

Same as nobeer.

The GF went on a anti plastic putsch a couple of years back. Even going as far as solid toothpaste, but it was shit.

Applauds scotroutes for the shout out to the soap dodgers.

No shampoo for a good few years now, hair still gets dirty but water cleans it good enough. Use soap on my armpits though because I don’t find they get clean without. Sometimes use cider vinegar in my hair if it’s really dirty.

Calling all Glaswegians…

hello

I’m so glad there are other haters of Shower Gels out there. I thought I was the only one.

Grandfather, father and brother all suffer dermatitis. Whole family moved to Sanex a number of years ago and no significant problems since (that and water softeners for those who live in hard water areas).

Even going as far as solid toothpaste

You mean Kendal mint cake?

Just soap here and shampoo. Hate shower gel as it all shoots off your body before you can wash with it. Need shampoo to clean my hair after a sweaty ride.

Unfortunately, the ladies in the house have a Department Stores’s stock of ‘stuff’.

My son, however, hardly washes, so must balance the eco impact !

Not used shampoo for years as I’m bald. Stopped using shower gel a few months back and using an olive oil based soap from Holland & Barrett instead. Lasts ages, I don’t smell and my skin seems good.

I used to work in a soap factory and avoided most soap for years as a result.Animal fat, colouring, caustic soda and a dash of perfume!

Currently cycling to Orkney and washing in the sea with nae soap.
I smell funny.

I would’nt advise you to go soap free if you work in an office job or where you are in close contact with others, people will be complaining if you smell of sweat at work.

Been no soap for a few decades.

I’ll use it for genuine dirt, but not otherwise.

Stopped using it when I noticed I didn’t get sunburnt so badly in the tropics if I didn’t wash off natural body oils.

My very fussy daughter reckons I don’t stink.

Had my first SOAP FREE shower today, NO I DIDN’T use gel or shampoo and I don’t use deodorant either, I’m sure my wife will keep me posted on progress.
Thanks for all the information from a parallel Universe in which the question was what cleaning products do you use in the shower? 😁
Hopefully the meds will kick in now.

Can’t deal with no shampoo, I end up getting really itchy and feel minging.

Happy enough to use solid bars for both though, last ages! Never thought about using the bits for shaving.

I would’nt advise you to go soap free if you work in an office job or where you are in close contact with others, people will be complaining if you smell of sweat at work.

So gullible with your fancy middle-class luxuries like soap, when water will do perfectly fine.