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Cleaner World, Dirtier Mouths

As someone consumed by all of the wonderful nuances of the English language, I tend to favor a great many colorful terms in my everyday vocabulary.

Which means I say words like @#%!, &@$%, and #*%!@ quite often.

My mom was definitely not OK with that when I was a kid. During those occasions whereupon a bar of soap was crammed into my mouth (there were at least three), I was told that the next time "It'll be liquid." Bar soap was unpleasant, yes, but nothing like I imagined liquid soap, the nuclear option of soap mouth washing, would be. So I hit pause on the swearing.

Since Mother Earth clearly disapproves of liquid cleanser - a huge deterrent to childhood cursing - there is only one rational thing to take away from this: The environment likes dirty words. You heard it here first.

-Senior Editor Mike...off to $%^@, &%#$!, and maybe even &*$@...

Posted by: ddiprima on 10/07/2008
related tip
The bar soap, that is, 'cuz the verdict's in: Bars are eco-friendlier and cheaper than liquid latherers. Plain(tiff) and simple.
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Suz  on October 07, 2008 at 05:17 AM 1
What you forgot to say in Bar Soap (10-7-08)is that Dr. Bronner's soap in bars and liquid (because you add water to it and at Trader Joe's it's $8.99 for 32 oz.) is not only the healthiest soap to use with absolutely nothing harmful in it, it is also one of the cheapest soaps and you can use it to clean everything. It also comes in delicious scents like peppermint.
Kristin  on October 07, 2008 at 08:48 AM 2
Yep, love Dr. Bronner's, but Kirk's hard water Castile soap is cheaper and rockin awesome. Lathers great in hard water (we have a well with very hard mineral water). Wash hands, body, hair, dishes, laundry, floors, & even emergency toothpaste...excellent stuff in the laundry aisle at the grocery store for about a dollar a bar. http://www.kirksnatural.com/ "Committed to market only natural, hypoallergenic personal care products which are environmentally safe and also free of animal by-products."
dottie  on October 07, 2008 at 11:15 AM 3
And for a fabulous, inexpensive, all natural, cottage industry soap that is really luxurious (also works great in really hard water) try Simmons Special Soaps. http://simmonsnaturals.com A small business that specializes in natural bodycare basics and products for those with chemical sensitivities.
Hillary  on October 07, 2008 at 12:32 PM 4
Promoting products that contain palm oil is a bit counter-productive, don't you think? (You tout it as an ingredient in one of the soaps.) I mean, it's absurd to on the one hand recommend bar soap so as not to waste packaging materials, and on the other hand tell people to go out and buy products containing palm oil--when it's global demand for palm oil that's leading people to cut down vast swaths of Indonesian rainforest at record rates to grow the stuff (imperiling orangutans, scores of other species, and our climate in the process). There are plenty of bar soaps you could recommend that don't contain palm oil. All you're doing is substituting one environmental evil for a decidedly eviler one.
anne  on October 07, 2008 at 03:34 PM 5
when I moved to a arid climate I had super dry itchy skin. Wanting to only use bar (no plastic involved), I found Tilvee's Essential Fatty Acid Soap, and now the itch and dryness are gone! I don't even have to use lotion anymore. http://tilvee.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=73&products_id=...
Ann  on October 07, 2008 at 03:55 PM 6
I've been told that bar soaps last longer if you unwrap them (if they come wrapped)for a while before you use them. I unwrap the next when I put a new one in the shower.
Jenn  on October 07, 2008 at 04:38 PM 7
Hillary - I came here to say something along the same lines as you. In addition to what Hillary said, there have also been a few news stories recently about the loggers in Indonesia raping teenage school girls. A new one was just released today: http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2008/10/6/lifefocus/2150... Is that soap (or anything else for that matter) really worth it?
Ralph  on October 07, 2008 at 07:57 PM 8
Every time the subject of bar soap comes up I am reminded of the time when our now 26 year old granddaughter was 3 or 4 years old & spent some time terrorizing us. My wife thought that she would give her some of those miniature wrapped bars of soap we had from hotels & motels as a treat. After all, they were just the kid's size. Our granddaughter studied the tiny bar of soap my wife handed her for her bath, looked up at my wife, and very seriously stated: "Next time I come over I'll bring some real bars of soap for you from home. My mommy can afford to buy real ones." Sigh, just can't win.
Julie  on October 07, 2008 at 09:56 PM 9
Another great brand that's really inexpensive is Soap Works (about $2 a bar). Available in a variety of options (shampoo bars, shaving bars, exfoliating bars, etc.), they're made of all-natural ingredients and are sold without packaging. I also agree with Hillary. At what price should we obtain natural ingredients? Shouldn't sustainability be the primary concern? The clear-cutting of Amazonian rainforests and the health risks posed by pesticides to entire local communities, Walkerton-style, also constitute my major objections to the increase in the consumption of soy products. Our insatiable appetite for "environmentally-friendly" commodities is far too often detrimental to the very things we claim to care about.
Robin  on October 07, 2008 at 11:56 PM 10
While waiting my turn at the doctors office, I read a magazine article that said to use liquid soap in the shower because bar soap has ingredients that cause soap scum on the shower walls and curtain. (It also said to spray salt water in the shower walls and curtain to prevent mold.) Are there any bar soaps that will not cause soap scum?
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