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What’s the consensus on body wash?

I’m a bar soap man but the better half bought so many darn pump packs of this stuff that we have to use them down.

What‘s the consensus on this stuff?

To me they seem ‘goopy’ and ‘gluggy’ and stick too much to the skin, even if you DO use a loofah or shower puff to get a lather going.

If it was up to me I’d continue on my merry way with the bar soaps, but I will say I’ve moved from staunchly ‘not a fan’ to more neutral territory in recent times. I’d never buy it over bar soap though, especially when so many great bar soaps are available right there in the local supermarket.
 

JCarr

More Deep Thoughts than Jack Handy
I have some Old Spice hair and body wash that's pretty decent. I alternate between that and a bar. It might depend on the specific product.
 

ajkel64

Check Out Chick
Staff member
I don't mind them. I have used some Nivea body washes and found them fine. I do prefer a bar of soap and a face washer but I could use body washes with no qualms whatsoever.
 
I'm a fan. I think I have Brickell in the dispenser at home and clean up with a fresh washcloth every shower. In the hospital have been using Every Man Jack Eucalyptus Mint and gotta say its awesome. The nurses seem to love the stuff.
 

EclipseRedRing

I smell like a Christmas pudding
I prefer bar soap but do have some Old Spice and also Brut body wash which are OK but sadly do not smell like Old Spice or Brut. Once they are gone it will be back to the bar soap for me. I have always used Cusson's Imperial Leather but like many products it is sadly not as good as once it was. I am considering some triple milled bar soaps next. Bar soap is apparently 'greener' and better for the environment than body wash and this is important to my wife, which makes it important to me 😁
 
I better not share my thoughts on body soap. But I will say mentally I cant get past rubbing it over my body for certain reasons.
 
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My entire life I've used either Ivory Soap or Irish Spring or the Kirkland bar soap. My wife decided to buy some Olay body wash. I do find the the body wash to be more moisturizing than the bar soaps. I clean with the bar soap and finish with the body wash.
 
I recently switched back from bar soap to body wash. I feel like body wash is probably more sanitary (because you dont have water in a soap dish growing bacteria) and I feel that body wash gets me cleaner (because you arent scrubbing a bar of soap on your skin that is covered in bacteria).
I also feel like I get more lather with body wash and it doenst dry my skin out as bad.
Bar soap is still a better value but other than that, its body wash for me.
The argument of bacteria with bar soaps is an interesting one. It seems like in all of the studies that were done, there wasnt a clear verdict. It was found that yes there is bacteria that grows on bar soap but that when you lather up with it, the bacteria washed down the drain and the bacteria that actually gets on your skin shouldnt be to a level where you immune system cant fight it off. I did bar soap for about 6 months and even with cleaning the soap scum out of the soap dish and using a soap saver to help the soap dry between uses, I found that it would still make my skin break out sometimes. I was using Dove, so I cant imagine that it was a bad soap and I cant say for sure that it wasnt some kind of bacteria growth but it was strange. Since Ive switched to body wash, my skin seems to be clearing up though.
 
I recently switched back from bar soap to body wash. I feel like body wash is probably more sanitary (because you dont have water in a soap dish growing bacteria) and I feel that body wash gets me cleaner (because you arent scrubbing a bar of soap on your skin that is covered in bacteria).

It was found that yes there is bacteria that grows on bar soap but that when you lather up with it, the bacteria washed down the drain and the bacteria that actually gets on your skin shouldnt be to a level where you immune system cant fight it off. I did bar soap for about 6 months and even with cleaning the soap scum out of the soap dish and using a soap saver to help the soap dry between uses, I found that it would still make my skin break out sometimes. I was using Dove, so I cant imagine that it was a bad soap and I cant say for sure that it wasnt some kind of bacteria growth but it was strange. Since Ive switched to body wash, my skin seems to be clearing up though.

We use both bar soap and body wash. The bar of soap sits in a plastic soap dish and in the soap dish is a soap saver. After every shower I run the dish and soap saver under hot water as well as the soap to wash away an hair that might be on the soap. Any water after rinsing the dish is dumped so there is no water remaining in the dish. By the time the next morning rolls around the dish and the soap are bone dry. Those are not conditions conducive to growing bacteria. If however you don't do what I do, then you bet there will probably be some bacteria that grows. But if you fail to clean out the dish after a few days to a week I imagine you would have some pretty gross black mold and bacteria growing in there and you wouldn't even want to reach for the bar of soap. Our soap dish and soap are clean. And everything I say I do is done while I'm still in the shower. It's just part of my routine. And it works.
 
Half the time I don't even use soap at all. Just let the water clean me. But I also use petrol to wash my hands. I was suprised when everyone was so worried about hand sanitizers running out. A bit of Unleaded would destroy any virus
 
We use both bar soap and body wash. The bar of soap sits in a plastic soap dish and in the soap dish is a soap saver. After every shower I run the dish and soap saver under hot water as well as the soap to wash away an hair that might be on the soap. Any water after rinsing the dish is dumped so there is no water remaining in the dish. By the time the next morning rolls around the dish and the soap are bone dry. Those are not conditions conducive to growing bacteria. If however you don't do what I do, then you bet there will probably be some bacteria that grows. But if you fail to clean out the dish after a few days to a week I imagine you would have some pretty gross black mold and bacteria growing in there and you wouldn't even want to reach for the bar of soap. Our soap dish and soap are clean. And everything I say I do is done while I'm still in the shower. It's just part of my routine. And it works.
Yeah, I didnt do that. I would use a soap saver in a soap dish but didnt dump the water out. After I went though a few bars of soap, I would have some gooey soap in the bottom of the dish; even though I did wash out the soap dish every now and then.
Youre still going to get bacterial growth even if you dump the water out after every use. Mold not so much but youre still going to get bacteria. Thats kind of where body wash wins, the soap is in a plastic bottle, so it never really gets in contact with anything until you go to use it.
Like I said though, some studies have said that much of the bacteria that is on a bar of soap between uses is mostly washed down the drain when you use it and what doesnt get washed down the drain isnt anything that your immune system shouldnt be able to handle.
I think what a lot of people forget when it comes to soap is that it doesnt kill the germs and bacteria, it simply reduces the surface temperature and washed most of the dirt, oil and germs down the drain.
 

IMightBeWrong

Loves a smelly brush
Bar for me.... less plastic in landfills , more money in my pocket, and I enjoy working up a nice lather with bar & cloth ....

I prefer a bar as well. Only issue is most bars of quality soap like to somewhat melt away from moisture in the shower. I’ve even tried a few soap savers and always seem to lose a lot of soap to the “soap angels”.
 
Yeah, I didnt do that. I would use a soap saver in a soap dish but didnt dump the water out. After I went though a few bars of soap, I would have some gooey soap in the bottom of the dish; even though I did wash out the soap dish every now and then.
Youre still going to get bacterial growth even if you dump the water out after every use. Mold not so much but youre still going to get bacteria. Thats kind of where body wash wins, the soap is in a plastic bottle, so it never really gets in contact with anything until you go to use it.
Like I said though, some studies have said that much of the bacteria that is on a bar of soap between uses is mostly washed down the drain when you use it and what doesnt get washed down the drain isnt anything that your immune system shouldnt be able to handle.
I think what a lot of people forget when it comes to soap is that it doesnt kill the germs and bacteria, it simply reduces the surface temperature and washed most of the dirt, oil and germs down the drain.

I think people keep forgetting that the human body is capable of defending itself against bacteria, infections, etc. In fact, I believe it has been shown that exposing the body to minor levels of bacteria helps to boost a healthy immune system. If you rinse off the soap and empty the soap sludge that accumulates in a soap dish, little if any bacteria will grow, especially if the soap is allowed to dry in between uses. And any bacteria that may grow on it as you suggest is actually probably good for you, unless you have an already compromised immune system. And I believe you meant to say that soap reduces surface "tension". I will continue to use my bar soap as my primary cleansing agent and will only use body wash as a final moisturizing step at the end of my shower. I'll take the minor amounts of bacteria that may exist on my bar of soap as a means of staying healthy. And I would bet that a large container of body wash can also harbor bacteria that would grow inside once the container is opened. There is bacteria in the air we breath. So it stands to reason bacteria would get into the container of body wash. And as I think about this topic, the minor amounts of bacteria we are talking about here makes the subject ridiculous.
 
I'm a bar soap guy (I've tried a few washes), but with sensitive/dry skin I'm limited to a few that feel right and are effective. My go to is Tone original with cocoa butter.

I'll say that Aveeno was the best wash I tried...hated Suave.
 
Probably the best liquid body wash I’ve ever used is the one from Czech & Speake. Nonetheless, I enjoy my solid soaps even more.
 
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