No soap spin-off!

[ShannonCC]

I'm very curious about the no soap thing and thought I'd start a new thread to ask my questions (since the no-poo threads seem to grow to incredible proportions as it is :LOL).

I love my soap but I'm thinking when it runs out, I might try this. I have a dry, flaky patch on my forehead that's been there forever. It was there when I was using chemical laden soap, there when I'm using natural soap, there for Dr. Bronner's, there when I'm even using natural, scent free, baby soap. (and there whether I exfoliate or not). After seeing how great no-poo is for my hair I'm wondering if no soap is the answer for my skin.

But I'll admit, it's much scarier than no-poo :

So what does everyone do?

[alexisyael]

I would like to experiment with this, too!

Body is no problem to me (I never used much soap anyway). When I went 'poo free I basically stopped using soap, too. Haven't noticed a difference at all!

But I am worried about my face. I have acne and dry skin, which is a crazy combo. Right now I am using cetaphil (no soap, but what is it?) and burts bees parsley blesmish stick, then either moisturizing or putting on sunscreen (need the sunscreen.) My dry skin is mostly gone (change in seasons), and the acne is low-key, but still there.

I've heard about using olive oil to cleanse.. anyone do that who has acne? (I mean tons of black heads that like to hang out for a long time, esp on my chin. And cystic acne on my jaw. And bumps everywhere! Though it isn't nearly as bad as that all sounds -- it's not red like it used to be, just bumpy.)

[plantspirit]

for my face i've been using a devine gentle scrub i make at home, with white clay, ground up oatmeal, ground up rose petals and lavenderflowers, some cornmeal, and adrop or two of e.o. for the whole batch..
1 cup white clay
3/4 cup oatmeal (ground to a fine powder in the blender)
1/4 cup cornmeal (fine)
1/4 cup each ground rose and lavender flowers (blender again)
2-4 drops e.o of choice ( i use rosemary, chamomile, orange or lavender would also be really nice!)
i just mix this all up in a glass jar, and store it dry in the cupboard. then take a tbsp amount in my hand, mix with water and gently rub into my skin and then rinse!
so nourishing, and good for the skin!
i also make my own body and face lotions with aloe vera gel beeswax, and jojoba, sweet alomond and coconut oils.
SO delightful!

i[m still soaping, as i can't escape bike grease and pit odor from my bike riding everyday...but...i am buying all natural stuff from
www.wildwomensoaps.com

[hippycrite]

Since going no-poo, I've been slowly eliminating soap from other things as well. My daughter is 2 (nearly 3) and I rarely use anything on her except when she's gotten something sticky/dirty in her hair. I've still been using my facial soap, but no soap anywhere else.

Instead, I knitted myself a little bath mitt which I scrub with every day, and if I feel I need it, I do a little baking soda scrub. I've knitted a couple of bath mitts and they are so cute! The cotton is perfect, soft but still scrubby:

The Pink Mitt

[tinams8]

My dermatologist convinced me to stop using anything on my face. He swears by nothing but lukewarm water, ever. It took me forever to wean myself off soap (I thought I was doing well by using only Cetaphil) but I finally did it. I have lots of strange skin issues, mainly rosacea and eczema and I have to use lots of moisturizers and creams so it seemed extra gross. But I have to say it has helped. I just rinse off my face and rub it a little with my fingertips. Then I wash my hands because I feel like they are dirty, LOL!

I still use soap on my other body parts, though I skip all the dry areas like my legs and torso unless I have actual dirt on them. During the winter I don't shower every day either or else I itch like mad. I still shampoo though, every third day or so.

[ShannonCC]

What about armpits?

Hippycrite, that mitt is cute

My face just feels like it gets so greasy so I *have* to wash it. But then, that's exactly how I felt about my hair before going no poo and that's certainly been an eye opener I just have to wonder if soap is doing to my skin the same thing poo was doing to my hair. Maybe when we stop, then our skin evens out to a more natural state.

Does anyone know, does your skin need a certain ph balance? On the no poo thread it has been mentioned that the vinegar rinse helps restore the natural ph balance of hair. I have to admit I'm pretty ignorant about all this. I have no idea what skin would want to be :

[yequanamama]

Cleanser recipes

I just posted this on the no-poo thread, but it'll be great here too!

This is taken directly from Roberta Wilson's "Aromatherapy: Essential Oils for Vibrant Health and Beauty":

"For cleansers, choose a base of clay (bentonite, French green clay, fuller's earth or Redmond clay), oil (hazelnut, hemp, jojoba, olive, safflower, sesame, or sunflower oil), honey (raw and unfiltered), or yogurt (unsweetened and plain.)

To 1 tsp. clay, honey, or yogurt, add 1 drop of essential oil. Blend with water as needed and massage into your skin.

To make an oil cleanser, you can add 3 to 6 drops of essential oil to 1 ounce (2 tbsp.) of carrier oil. Blend well. Massage about 1/2 to 1 tsp. into your skin. Blot off with a clean towel or splash off with water for a very moisturizing effect."

She's got a whole list of EOs that are good for different types of skin (normal, dry, oily, mature and sensitive). I can post these too, if anyone wants.

I have dry skin issues and haven't had to use any moisturizer AT ALL since starting with jojoba, cedarwood and lavender last week. I've also had no new zits (I don't usually have many anyway.) I really enjoy it. As for oily skin - hey! What's to lose! You can always switch back to your soap any day, right?

[Jentle]

I've been using just baking soda on my face and it seems to be doing very good things.

[Jessviola]

i've been gently scrubbing my face every 2-3 days with baking soda/water. very gently and diluted though because it can get rough and drying. it's a nice exfoliator. for my body i scrub my 'smelly parts' :LOL with the bs scrub and the rest use just water or if i'm going to shave (yes, i still shave ) i use an olive oil and sugar scrub to exfoliate and lube. i'll use that on the rest of my body too (except face) and it moisturizes and softens nicely.
a while back i was using a honey/sugar scrub on my face and it made it soooo soft but then i got a weird rash on my nose and have been scared to try it again. logically i don't think there's a connection but for some reason i'm still scared to try
i put some coconut oil and lavendar EO in dd's bath the other night and it did wonderful things for her skin. she came out sooo soft. i'm hoping to get a chance to try that myself tonight

[Divaostrich]

I've been poo and soap free for two weeks now. My hair feels great and so does my skin!

I have been using bs on my pitts and bum and face. I rinse yoni and face with acv rinse. Eod I use a little bs on my body too. I was trying the whole just water on my face thing at first, and the first day my face feels ok then the second day it just feels ucky. I've been using a little bs and acv every day b/c I just don't like the ucky feeling. I do have to put a little sweet almond oil on my cheeks b/c they get dried out, but the rest of my face seems pretty even. My mother-in-law commented on my skin.

I am breaking out a bit on my chin and I'm not sure if its hormones or b/c of the new regimen and my skin isn't used to it yet? I'll try to fill in on that later.

This is all so fun and freeing!! My dh thinks I'm nuts!! Oh yeah, I quit using anything for my 20m Dd except water at bathtimes and a couple drops of tto. Her skin was starting to get a little dry so I put some sweet almond oil on her skin. Her hair looks vundaful! Sorry that was so long winded!!

[Keetsmama]

So, I'm interested in going soap-free as well.

I have a question about my eyes though. I used to wear contacts, but I gave up on them because my eyes were getting really itchy, and occassionally getting infections in the ducts. I just wear glasses all the time now, but my eyes are still greasy and itchy a lot. My optomatrist (sp?) told me my eyes were just greasy and I should wash every night with baby soap. Now I know whats in baby soap and the whole soap-oil cycle, I really wonder about this. Maybe I should stop washing my face altogether except for water? That's pretty scary.

Any ideas?

[ShannonCC]

When you use BS on your pits, does it get rid of the smell? I just really don't want to be stinky I use a crystal deodorant which works great on me. Though honestly, if I just find something else to use on my face and use soap on my body I'm happy.

Keetsmama, what do you mean your eyes are greasy : Do you mean the eyelids? You could give it a try. Maybe it is like the poo thing and the skin around your eyes is putting out extra oils in reaction to soap?

I whipped up an oil/sugar/honey scrub today. I used it on my face and it was a lot rougher than I thought it would be. So I went v-e-r-y gently but I ended up with a red face all day so I won't be doing that again. I think it was great for my feet, hands and elbows though.

Jessviola, what weird rash from the sugar scrub? My face was red, but it doesn't look like a rash. I think my pale skin is too sensitive for it (think Vampire )

Maybe I'll try the BS.

Or maybe yequanamama's recipe. I'll use honey.

The thing is, I want this to be EASY. I don't want to have to buy expensive, or unusual items right now. I really want to find a way to do this with just items in my house but I feel like I need more than water.

Anyone used vinegar rinse on their face? It gets all over me anyway when I rinse my hair but today I purposely poured some on my face too. Hmmm, maybe that could be the cause of the red skin? I guess we'll see next time.

[ShannonCC]

yequanamama, I'd like that list!

Also, how exactly are you cleansing with those oils you mentioned here? "I have dry skin issues and haven't had to use any moisturizer AT ALL since starting with jojoba, cedarwood and lavender last week."

[Jessviola]

shannon,
i have no idea what it actually was. my best guess was thrush because i had the same thing on my nipples but when i went to the gyn (not my usual) he practically laughed in my face and said they looked normal (they most certainly did NOT, i don't know what kind of nipples he's been looking at!!!) and gave me a script that i never filled. it went away after a little bit. it kind of resembled poison ivy with many close little red bumps that were shiny and sometimes oozy (ew!) but it's the middle of winter here and how the heck would that have gotten on those body parts but none other? ooh, i just remembered my other theory, but it's a little weak too :LOL dd and i had beets just before the rash broke out and it was the first time since dd had been born (strangely enough i don't remember ever having had them before but don't think that's right....) and my usual allergic reaction to cucumbers is a similar itchy rash just on my nose and maybe the nipples were from dd nursing right after? well i've waaay T my skin probably isn't as sensitive as yours. i'm the fairest of my family but that's because dh is from chile and dd is in the middle. i'm of italian heritage though so my skin isn't too fair.

eta: as for the bs in the pits, i rinse them when i first get in the shower, then apply a thick, bs paste and leave it until the end then rinse out. then once i've toweled off, i rub a little on and it's worked surprisingly well. i never dreamed i'd be able to give up deodorant. i've always needed the very strong kind. occasionally i sweat, but so far not enough to get my shirts or anything. i really hope this works as well in the summer but i'm not sure. it would be awesome if it does. i think one of these days i'm going to try using cornstarch with lavendar and vanilla EOs. i really wanted to use jasmine and vanilla because i love the combo, but i don't have any jasmine around the house :LOL

[veganmamma]

For my pits I make a paste of baking soda and rub it into my pits. I let it sit for most of my shower/bath and then add apple cider vinegar to it and it fizzes the smell away. It works better than BS by itself for me. After my shower I put a few drops of TTO on a cotton ball and rub it on my pits. That is the best deo for my BO ever!

[CindiC]

Bunch of thoughts

Glad to have this new forum to focus on the rest of the body. No soap is workign great for me and kids. Our week with chicken pox meant oatmeal bathes three to four times a day (and I learned just how much recreation I can get out of a bath..next time I am out of ideas, into the bath they go). No soap for them the whole week with lovely results. They are healing much faster than expected with no marks left. Both kids bellies and chest, where pox were worst but which got lots of oatmeal soaking (their bathes went on for sometimes 30 min) are healing the fastest.

Fro me, the water rinse of the face has been great and so easy. I use a washcloth to get a little surface action but skin feels soft afterwards. For pits, bs scrub is quick and I do not let it stand but might do a second scrub if I have extra bs. However, with a new exercise routine (I mean, an exercise routine, cause ther was no routine to begin with) I was not doing well with no do. I would put on a little eo of lavendar but felt pretty self-aware by the next day. I am not sure if it was just me (I have a very sensitive nose) or if others smelt it too but my courage failed and back to the heavy men's do I went (I don't need it that heavy but I hate clutter so my dh and I use the same do). Is it me or my conditioning by society?

[LaLa]

Erbaviva makes a baby wash bag that is wonderful for a no soap alternative!

I am not sure what is in it, but I would guess it to be ground up oatmeal, herbs such as Lavender, and some powdered milk?

It's great for kids and adults, but I still love my mama soaps for underarms.

I have never used much soap and I rarely use soap on the girls, but I kind of feel like it can't be any worse then scrubbing myself with baking soda!
:LOL
(which is kind of abrasive to me?)

But I do love the ground herbs and grains and milks in the bath for kids and sensitive skin.

Also, I used salt/oil scrubs all winter for my dry skin (In place of soap).
I just scrubbed it on and rinsed and my skin was LOVELY!
If I hadnt' used the oil scrubs, I would have been peeling, as I have very bad dry skin/eczema, but the straight oils really got it under control and the salt portion was exfoiliating and got rid of any dead skin/dirt that needed to go. I didn't exfoliate daily, often I would just pat it on and rinse off.

I used the Sunshine Spa salt scrub, but I'm sure you could make your own without much effort.

Also, rosewater would be a good summer cleaner as well a s a spray bottle of alcohol, distilled water and a bit of tea tree oil (for underarms)

[havilah]

...but felt pretty self-aware by the next day.

:LOL

[ShannonCC]

T Jessica, I'm 1/8th Italian Which I am glad for since it tempers the pale Irish skin of my mom's side. I actually have a bit of color next to my mom and sister but I look washed out next to my dh and dd. I never liked my skin much but now my son has my tone and he is, of course, beautiful, so I'm starting to like my color more I've never heard of thrush on the face though Yikes! I had it with both kids and it was a shiny thing for me too. I don't remember bumps but then, I also think it's different for different people (and depending on how bad you get it - I had it MUCH worse with dd).

Lala, do you use that bag once and then refill or do you let it dry? It sounds like something I could make on my own.

I think I just want to focus on my face. I'm fine with soap on the rest of my body, it's just my face that has had dry problems for as long as I can remember. I'm really not into lotions so I want to give no soap a try and see if that cures it. I don't know whether it was the lack of soap or the oil in the sugar scrub (probably that) but my face looks a lot nicer today. The redness of yesterday is gone and my skin looks good.

Though I do have dry feet and elbows/knees and the sugar scrub was great on them! I might just whip up a batch anyway and leave it in the bathroom for that.

I rarely ever used soap on the kids anyway. Since I started no-pooing, I've stopped using shampoo on them too (I only shampooed them maybe monthly anyway). I mostly just used water on them, but now I'm using some vinegar rinses and chamomile EO. This afternoon I rinsed dd with the V and EO and ds with just the chamomile in the water (he doesn't know to keep his eyes shut, so no vinegar for him).

[LaLa]

the erbaviva bags are meant to be disposed of after one use, which is the downfall of that product as it seems wasteful when the bags could easily be re-used if they were pull string.

You could check out theres and try to replicate it?!