Biodegradable Camping Soap

10 years ago

One of the big rip offs I still see in camping supply stores is a biodegradable hand soap. Of course, they get good price for the stuff and no doubt the vast majority of campers want to do their share of protecting the environment.

About the best 100% biodegradable bar soaps one could possibly use is the famous, old time and well known Ivory. And it cost a fraction of what the camp stores want to sell you.

Featured Answer

lethiapage

8 years ago

last modified: 8 years ago

I do not like Ivory in the least...it burns my skin and makes my eyes water. I don't trust Proctor and Gamble, honestly, to provide an eco option at all. Your best bet all around, camping included, is all natural castile soap. Dr Bronner makes it, or you can get Dr. Woods, or a knockoff at Walgreens (Ology) or Trader Joes.

The gold standard for these soaps is Dr. Bronners. They are a super conscious company...recyclable packaging, simple recipes, vegan, organic and fair trade ingredients. It is a relatively small family company that stands behind their actions and their products. You can get the soap at health food stores, Amazon, GNC, Kroger, Target (cosmetic section) etc. These are expensive to purchase at about 20 dollars for a 32 oz bottle. But it honestly replaces all your cleaning products (household cleaners, body, face, hair, men, women, kids, babies, dogs, dishes, clothes, car, lawn furniture...), and you can pour an inch worth in an old shampoo bottle and the rest with water and it works just as well as full strength for most tasks...so it goes a long way. There's 8 different scents to choose from: tea tree (excellent for camping because it is disinfecting and a good first aid treatment) peppermint, eucalyptus, lavender, rose, almond, citrus, and unscented.

When camping these formulas are all biodegradable and safe for the campsite and water source.

If you want an easy to find option...look for Kirk's Castile soap at Walmart and Family Dollar. Equally wonderful. It's about a dollar a bar. It smells clean and fresh, a lot like Ivory but doesn't make me itch and my eyes water.

These soaps are "melty" so you need to keep them dry if you get the bar version.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_nr_n_0?fst=as%3Aoff&rh=n%3A3760911%2Cn%3A11056341%2Ck%3Adr+bronners&keywords=dr+bronners&ie=UTF8&qid=1434327398&rnid=11055981

http://www.amazon.com/Kirks-Original-Coco-Castile-Soap/dp/B000ABOLZ4/ref=sr_1_4?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1434327441&sr=1-4&keywords=kirks+castile

Comments (7)

josouthcarolina
10 years ago
Thanks for the tip, Dale. Maybe we should all use ivory all the time, even at home. It's probably better for your skin too!

Jo
sherylgallant
10 years ago
I find Ivory to be very drying. It even causes itching and flaking with my very dry skin. Most commercial soaps are like that since they remove all the natural glycerin from the soap and that's real soap. Most commercial bath bars are detergent. You can tell the difference by reading the label. Soap is organic.

I make my own soap with no artificial chemical colourants, scents, preservatives or sudsing agents. It's good for our waterways, our skin and our pets. Real handmade soap has a lot of glycerin in it and doesn't dry your skin.

It's worth trying if you camp a lot. There's a soap and candle forum here.
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dalew
Original Author
9 years ago
No doubt about the Ivory being on the dry side - it was made for the glycerin content, which most was extracted to be used in more expensive lotions and high end luxury glamor soaps. What's left is what you get, and at a very reasonable price. Also, an excellent cleaner and very friendly for the outdoor camping environment. I even use the Ivory bar soap for camp dish washing, which cleans them up spic and span.

Most of my outings are not all that long in duration - mostly about a week, a few times for maybe two weeks. For that short period of time the Ivory is not all that harsh on my skin, in fact, there are other things that are, like the sun and the wind for example.

When I get back home, then a higher grade bath soap is the order of the day.
flyfisherman
8 years ago
Well, if Ivory is too strong for your use, then obviously something else is needed. But all of those soaps you listed do not have the cleaning power of Ivory. And I've been using Ivory for my camp outings for years, from the camp dishes, washing my fishy hands (and whatever else is needed), to use as a shaving soap - without any harsh side effects for me. And it does so at a very reasonable cost.

By the way, Procter and Gamble has been in business for well over a century. And they have been one of the nations top manufacturer/innovators for new products and product improvement, not to mention a keen eye toward environmental issues. Years back when it was discovered that phosphates used in laundry detergents were causing havoc with the environment, it was P & G that voluntarily ceased using them (even before the regulation banning them) - and went to work finding a workable solution. What better of an example for an improved product could be cited then Tide?
zzackey
8 years ago
How do you make you own soap? Sherylgallant.
Dodie Neatwannabe
4 years ago
Love Ivory! Camped with it all my life! I don't use it at home because it makes soap scum in the shower and I'm too lazy to want to have to deal with that, but it's an awesome product.

Biodegradable Camping Soap

lethiapage

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josouthcarolina

sherylgallant

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Biodegradable Camping Soap

lethiapage

Comments (7)

josouthcarolina

sherylgallant

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dalewOriginal Author

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