Biodegradable Soaps, Shampoos

[GoingMobile]

I am preparing to go on the road and am anticipating primarily boon docking type camping. I know many soaps we use for washing dishes, bodies, and hair don't break down easily and I wanted to find products that will clean but then biodegrade once used, particularly if drained into the sand with wastewater. 

Of course I'm bypassing the reality of conserving water, alternative methods of cleaning, etc. here. But I do want to use products that will have low impact on the environment. Any suggestions for biodegradable soaps, shampoos, etc.?

 

[hugemoth]

Dr Bronners

 

[user 30781]

Yeah, Dr Bronners, and it comes in many different scents or no scent at all.

Now that I've cut all my hair off, I might even use it on my hair.

 

[GypsyJan]

Sigh...don't mention "biodegradable" around Highdesertranger or you'll get "the lecture", LOL.

 

[highdesertranger]

yeah everything is biodegradable. some stuff just takes longer.

Please no matter what soap you use even if the label says biodegradable don't throw the wash water on the ground or bathe in any natural water source. Just don't do it.

Highdesertranger

 

[Ravella and X]

I haven't used soap (except for hand washing) for 5 years, or shampoo for 6, so cannot recomend any commercial preparations. Before anyone jumps on me or silently judges, read this article:

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2016/06/i-stopped-showering-and-life-continued/486314/

Then, if you still disapprove, go buy a bunch of sudsy hype products and scrub scrub scrub til you feel better. Just don't foul public lands/waters with it, ya?

HDR, I'm with you about not fouling the earth and waters with the bad stuff. You lecture all you want and I will cheerlead!

 

[jacqueg]

Dr Bronner's. You can use it for washing anything.

 

[travelaround]

I tried Dr. Bronners on my hair and did not like the results. I'd like to know how to do without soap/shampoo .... like, do you have long hair, or short? I think it would be easier with short hair. Perhaps I'm a bit too finicky about how my hair turns out, but it is a real issue for me.

 

[RVTravel]

Ivory soap used on head, armpits, groin, feet.

 

[Ravella and X]

I tried Dr. Bronners on my hair and did not like the results. I'd like to know how to do without soap/shampoo .... like, do you have long hair, or short? I think it would be easier with short hair. Perhaps I'm a bit too finicky about how my hair turns out, but it is a real issue for me.

I have long hair. I wash it with a variety of kitchen things, like baking soda (not too much or too often, that's where people go wrong), rye flour water, egg, etc. Sometimes I use a cone free conditioner (as a wash) or a cowash.

I believe I've seen a thread here about no-poo hair washing.

What the article I linked says about washing away the "good" bacteria with soap is spot on. People who use soap tend to start smelling pretty quickly after showering. People who don't, don't.

In any case, most of the stuff I put on me can be used sparingly outside without harm to the environment.

 

[ridgeway]

I tried Dr. Bronners on my hair and did not like the results. I'd like to know how to do without soap/shampoo .... like, do you have long hair, or short? I think it would be easier with short hair. Perhaps I'm a bit too finicky about how my hair turns out, but it is a real issue for me.

Dr Bronners makes my hair really dry after a few washes. I have short hair and am not picky but it really dries it out.
I use Dr Bronners along with shampoo.

 

[Ikigai]

I use Lush shampoo bars, a bit pricey but I like that it's in bar form. I called once and they said all of them are biodegradable unless they contain glitter or similar. They have bar conditioner too.

 

[highdesertranger]

" I called once and they said all of them are biodegradable "

Of course that's what they said everything is biodegradable.

Highdesertranger

 

[Scott3569]

If you ask me, one of the main products I plan on having is Dawn, Not only is it excellent for washing dishs, but it is safe for the environment. it is also an excellent grease cutter, I prefer it over any product when doing automotive work..

Another product I just found recently, is a product called Earth breeze.. here is a link for it https://www.talkable.com/x/gSKRIY...

the link can get you and I $10 off if you choose to try it.. so far it is comparable to any other product to wash clothes, and it is much lighter and the package is made of paper..

That said, I do agree with what was said above, Everything is biodegradable..

 

[MrNoodly]

I wash a LOT less than I used to, if for no other reason than the lack of hot running water in my van. But also, I'm no longer living in a humid region. I sweat far less.

I can go a week or so before I start smelling funky. I "bathe" with a washcloth dampened with about a cup of water and a couple of drops of rinse-free perineal wash. Then, a couple of times a month, when a standard shower is handy, I indulge in a nice long hot one, which is less about cleaning and more about the tactile experience. It feels good. It feels even better when it's rare rather than daily.

 

[seak]

I don't want to suggest that anyone should be bathing with soap, biodegradable or otherwise, in or near any body of water. However, I think there are some misconceptions about the nature of the problem. The big problem is the release of detergents containing phosphates into a body of water.

Phosphates introduced into a body of water are fertilizer for algae and aquatic plants. They can increase growth to the point that when they die, the bacteria feeding on the dead plant material deprive the water of oxygen, killing fish and other aquatic animals. Sewage treatment plants do their best to remove phosphates from their discharge and many common detergents have been reformulated to reduce or eliminate phosphates.

"Biodegradable soap" is marketing Hokum from what l can tell. I like Dr. Bronner's products just fine. But, I've never bought them because they are biodegradable. As HDR has noted, everything is biodegradable and I've never seen anything to suggest that synthetic detergents linger in the environment any longer than Peppermint Castile Soap.

Here's a link to an article on the effects of dumping surfactants into the environment, something done on an industrial scale in every part of the world.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/10/141003135742.htm

 

[BelgianPup]

Plastic is biodegradable? Since when?

 

[jacqueg]

Plastic is biodegradable?  Since when?

Believe it or not, there are actually microbes that will break down plastics. But they're pretty rare in nature.

The thing is, anything is biodegradable, given enough time. A big block of iron is biodegradable - eventually. The thing to ask when you see a product labeled "biodegradable" is - how long will it take? under what environmental conditions? what damage can it cause before it is broken down into harmless constituents? I have never seen any of those things addressed on any label.

A little phosphate detergent never hurt anything. But a lot of phosphate detergent hitting a body of water is a whole different ball of wax.

 

[highdesertranger]

jacqueg is right. somethings just take longer. Nuclear waste is biodegradable it just takes hundreds of thousands of years. Mountains are degradable it just takes millions of years to turn them into beach sand. We need to keep everything in perspective. UV light degrades plastic. My whole point is that the biodegradable on labels is nothing more than a marketing ploy to get someone to pay more for for something.

Organic is another one. So you in a store and these tomatoes say organic and those over there don't. Does that mean they are not organic? what are they then inorganic? Until recently organic meant it came from or once was a living thing. None of this other marketing stuff.

Highdesertranger

 

[Boutdun]

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