# What do you shower with, if not soap? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 13, 2013, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-shower-with-if-not-soap/673821 "2013-11-13T15:23:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-shower-with-if-not-soap/673821/41 "2013-11-14T16:54:57Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Ivory for me, or sometimes the no-name equivalent. > (And when the bar gets small, I Vulcan mind-meld it onto the new bar. We all do this, right?) I use deodorant soap on the areas with apocrine glands, and either Ivory or a glycerine soap on everything else. OK, sometimes I use baby shampoo instead of bar soap. And yes, I meld the soap bars. I don’t put them in cute little drawstring bags, and I certainly don’t melt them down and make new bars from them. When a bar of soap is small enough to be melded to the next bar, then it usually fits right into that concave area. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-shower-with-if-not-soap/673821/42 "2013-11-14T17:03:55Z")
My wife. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-shower-with-if-not-soap/673821/43 "2013-11-14T17:05:55Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Let’s see… in terms of basic shower products I’m probably more dinosaurian than anyone else here. > > I use either Irish Spring or Dial soap, and either Prell or Head & Shoulders shampoo. Yes, indeed…1973 called, and it wants its personal-care products back. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-shower-with-if-not-soap/673821/44 "2013-11-14T17:15:16Z")
> [@bump](#): > > You have to have a rag, sponge or one of those poofy things, I believe. I wash myself with a rag on a stick. ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-shower-with-if-not-soap/673821/45 "2013-11-14T17:19:18Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > My girlfriend thinks I’m a dinosaur because I shower with a bar of Ivory soap (after all, it’s 99 44/100% pure!). I can’t even tell you what she uses; her 90% of the shower caddy is filled with enough lotions and potions to make Hogwart’s jealous, and I can’t tell which are for actually cleaning purposes. > > So how about it? What else is there? And should I think about upgrading? Thanks, gang! Your girlfriend sounds like my wife. Hey!? I have the Ivory soap too, and my wife cracks jokes with other women about it. They do the knowing looks all around, as if that somehow explains why I look and act the way I do. She has at least three types of liquid soap and three bars in the shower caddy. There is a whole box of various cleansers in our other bathroom. Rejects from body washing experiments? Was the lavender too strong? Did the lemon scent of the body wash clash with the peach in the facial scrub? Was the mosturizing bar not moist enough? I may never know. ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-shower-with-if-not-soap/673821/46 "2013-11-14T19:37:42Z")
I use [this](http://www.makeupalley.com/product/showreview.asp/ItemId=96527/Whole-Foods-365-Lavender-Shampoo/Unlisted-Brand/Shampoo) (the shampoo). I’ve never liked bar soap, it creates so much residue and makes my skin feel drier. I have mild ichthyosis so my skin is already dry and doesn’t shed dead cells properly, I spend a lot of time manually exfoliating. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-shower-with-if-not-soap/673821/47 "2013-11-14T20:03:58Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > I don’t use soap. I cover my body in olive oil and then scrape it off along with the layer of dirt Hey, if it worked for gladiators… ---
**Author:** ![Cyros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@Cyros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyros)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-shower-with-if-not-soap/673821/48 "2013-11-14T21:10:05Z")
> [@Cyros](#): > > “I was myself with a rag on a stick!” Just coming back to say WASH!!! Damned spell check. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-shower-with-if-not-soap/673821/49 "2013-11-14T21:43:55Z")
I apply a body wash or preferably a moisturizing body wash with scrubby gloves. I used to use a washcloth and Ivory bars but I like the lather and flexibility of the liquid + gloves combo. And it just feels neater to close up a bottle than to leave a used bar lying in its own moisture. (I know that’s not quite rational though.) ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-shower-with-if-not-soap/673821/50 "2013-11-14T22:00:26Z")
A friend of mine who is an aged care nurse told me she uses [sorbolene cream](http://www.naturesorganics.com.au/our-products/skincare/natural-skin-expert/sorbolene-1l) on her clients. As it is a moisturizer, often recommended by doctors for skin problems, it works perfectly as a non drying soap. She uses it as shaving lather for her male clients. I started using it to shave about 12 months ago and it cleared up all my facial skin problems. You can buy huge bottles of it anywhere in Australia for a few bucks and I had assumed it was universally well known but, looking it up online, every site that mentions it is a .au As to washing, at the moment, I use this [mint and tea tree shower gel](http://www.originalsource.co.uk/skin-care-products/shower-gel/mint-tea-tree). As it says it has so much mint in it that it tingles. ---
**Author:** ![James\_Toothpaste](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e56c9b/32.png) [@James\_Toothpaste](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/James_Toothpaste)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-shower-with-if-not-soap/673821/51 "2013-11-14T22:12:35Z")
Liquid soap. ---
**Author:** ![Gullible\_s\_Travels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de0a6/32.png) [@Gullible\_s\_Travels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gullible_s_Travels)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-shower-with-if-not-soap/673821/52 "2013-11-14T22:29:20Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > A friend of mine who is an aged care nurse told me she uses [sorbolene cream](http://www.naturesorganics.com.au/our-products/skincare/natural-skin-expert/sorbolene-1l) on her clients. As it is a moisturizer, often recommended by doctors for skin problems, it works perfectly as a non drying soap. She uses it as shaving lather for her male clients. I started using it to shave about 12 months ago and it cleared up all my facial skin problems. > > You can buy huge bottles of it anywhere in Australia for a few bucks and I had assumed it was universally well known but, looking it up online, every site that mentions it is a .au > > As to washing, at the moment, I use this [mint and tea tree shower gel](http://www.originalsource.co.uk/skin-care-products/shower-gel/mint-tea-tree). As it says it has so much mint in it that it tingles. I don’t particularly like sorbolene cream but, as you say, you can buy it anywhere and everywhere here and I too had assumed it was universal. I held out for a long time but I recently converted from Sunlight/Velvet soap to body wash and my old skin really does feel better. I get headaches from most of the fragrances in soaps, body washes, creams and lotions so the real challenge is to find something that’s unscented. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-shower-with-if-not-soap/673821/53 "2013-11-14T22:43:39Z")
tried and true century old Brillo pad, soap and an exfoliater. Ivory is older and maybe better. ---
**Author:** ![congodwarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@congodwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congodwarf)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-shower-with-if-not-soap/673821/54 "2013-11-15T00:17:21Z")
Female - I use shampoo on my entire body. I’m much too cheap and lazy to do anything else than that. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-shower-with-if-not-soap/673821/55 "2013-11-15T00:34:08Z")
> [@congodwarf](#): > > Female - I use shampoo on my entire body. I’m much too cheap and lazy to do anything else than that. I could be wrong, but I’d guess that that’s a LOT more expensive than, say, bar soap. Right now my hair’s real short (I’m in process of deciding whether to keep it that way), and I just rub a bar of soap over my head rather than using shampoo. ---
**Author:** ![congodwarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@congodwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congodwarf)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-shower-with-if-not-soap/673821/56 "2013-11-15T00:41:35Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > I could be wrong, but I’d guess that that’s a LOT more expensive than, say, bar soap. Right now my hair’s real short (I’m in process of deciding whether to keep it that way), and I just rub a bar of soap over my head rather than using shampoo. Bar soap makes me feel disgusting. No matter what brand I use or how I use it I end up feeling like I have a thick film of soap scum on me. Besides, I don’t use expensive shampoo. Also, my hair is thick and a few inches past my shoulders. With as gross as bar soap feels on my skin, I can’t imagine how it’d feel on my hair. ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-shower-with-if-not-soap/673821/57 "2013-11-15T22:14:52Z")
Soap: standard bar of Ivory. Shampoo: Dawn dishwashing detergent. I have an oily complexion and oily hair. One day without a shower, and with a wringer and a strigil my hide could serve up enough gunk to supply a chandler’s shop. As petroleum spill cleanup crews have found, Dawn detergent (the bottle of liquid for washing dishes by hand, not the ammunition for a dishwashing machine) is an industrial strength anti-oil agent that happens to be perfectly safe for use on living things. So, as some of my friends have recommended, I’ve tried it as a shampoo. Works great! I also recently discovered that when the tub grime inevitably starts to accumulate, I pour a few tablespoons worth of Dawn over the grubbier areas, then fill up the tub with the hottest water I can coax from the taps and let it sit overnight. In the morning, when I drain the water, the grime is gone. No scrubbing involved. Oh yes, I almost forgot. The reason I bought the big bottle of Dawn in the first place was that I had made the mistake (over about two weeks) of dumping cat litter – a non-flushable brand, as it turns out – in the john. When the pipes started backing up, I used my mighty Google-fu to look up recommendations for solving the problem that would not involve admitting my idiocy to my apartment super. On several separate boards I read of a remedy that involved pouring Dawn into the toilet with a chaser of boiling water. On the first try, ta-daa! Okay, now that you have had a word from your sponsor, we return you to your regularly scheduled programming. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-shower-with-if-not-soap/673821/58 "2013-11-15T23:11:49Z")
Body wash. I can’t stand bar soap, it makes you feel as if you just coated yourself with candle wax. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2013, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-shower-with-if-not-soap/673821/59 "2013-11-16T00:35:30Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > Ivory here as well! Single living means I get to use the bar directly if I want to. I can’t quite figure out what “use directly” means in soap terms. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2013, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-shower-with-if-not-soap/673821/60 "2013-11-16T03:01:28Z")
> [@](#): > > As petroleum spill cleanup crews have found, Dawn detergent (the bottle of liquid for washing dishes by hand, not the ammunition for a dishwashing machine) is an industrial strength anti-oil agent that happens to be perfectly safe for use on living things. I used to pop corn at a movie theater, in a special popping room. This was back when we used coconut oil, so you can tell it’s been a while. Anyway, once the oil liquified and I started popping, oil got EVERYWHERE, and Dawn was the best degreaser that I found. Back on topic, I will sometimes wash my face with Noxzema cold cream during the day, rather than using soap. If my face feels especially dry, I’ll put the cream on my face about 15 minutes before I take a shower. This surprised the hell out of my husband the first time he saw me in whiteface. > [@](#): > > I can’t quite figure out what “use directly” means in soap terms. It means rubbing the bar directly against your skin, rather than working up a lather in a washcloth or even in your hands. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-shower-with-if-not-soap/673821.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-shower-with-if-not-soap/673821.md?page=4)