What’s the best salt water body soap

[hzcruiser]

Or try no 'poo at all:

https://www.treehugger.com/organic-b...ths-later.html

[sistef51]

Johnson's Baby Shampoo definitively. Cheap, works fo hair and body, rinses well. I have used it for ages and will stick on it!

[Marimar]

Sea Savon

[ArmyDaveNY]

If you're showering on board a liquid soap is better for the plumbing. Bar soap tends to return to a solid form when it dries. Liquid remains liquid and is less likely to clog the plumbing.

[knockabout]

tilly's soap from chandleries or surf shop is designed for salt water / stores well (for years) light fragrance / can be used for laundry / yellow sunlight soap also works well as a multi use water softener for all the different jobs / for washing off clean up residue from anti fouling, epoxy etc / if you don't have skin allergies and your immune system is good wash off with 2 stroke fuel and clean up with black and gold or similar no name brand shampoo / also keeps the mozzies and sandflies away while repairing the boat in the mud pen

[CaptsWife]

Is no one concerned about the environmental impact of some of these "cleansers"? A couple of posters either use products that are friendly or have mentioned it.

I was a soapmaker in a past life. I use my own bar soaps for body and they rinse clean so no issues with clogging the plumbing. I use Dr. Bronner's castile soaps for cleaning and have used it on my hair, as well. As BelizeSailor mentioned, because it is made from 100% coconut oil, it can be drying. For hair, I use a shampoo from Attitude Living (I think they're out of Canada). I also use body cream from them. All certified environmentally friendly.

You can check your products through this site: https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/the-sto.../#.WuD5sojwbIU

I also make sure that our sunscreens are environmentally friendly.

And I don't mean to offend anyone or sound like I'm up on a soapbox, but as stewards of the sea, I think it's the right thing to do. JMHO.

[chris95040]

Originally Posted by CaptsWife

...or sound like I'm up on a soapbox...

I see what you did there

[islandsailing]

"Sailor Soap" hands down. 10 years in the Caribbean and we still have our skin. Don't even have to totally rinse it out to get clean and feel good. Saves lots of water since you don't have to heavy rinse, like detergents.

[wanderingloon]

Originally Posted by Steadman Uhlich

Since others have brought up ingredients, including Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, here is a quote from the Dr. Bronner's FAQ on their site.
_____________

"Do your soaps contain any foaming agents or detergents like Sodium Lauryl Sulfate?

Absolutely not. Dr. Bronner’s soaps are 100% true pure-castile soaps. The high-foaming lather comes from their high coconut oil content, which creates a more luxurious and richer lather than any detergent could ever produce. “Pure-Castile” is your guarantee that what you’re using is a genuinely ecological and simple soap – not a complex blend of detergents with a higher environmental impact due to the waste stream created during manufacturing and the detergents’ slower biodegradability. Unfortunately, many synthetic detergent blends are deceptively labeled as “Liquid Soap” even though they contain no real soap whatsoever.

We do have one product, Sal Suds, which contains Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Coco-Betaine, and Lauryl Glucoside. Sal Suds is an all-purpose household cleaning product, and is not intended for use on the body. Cruelty-free and biodegradable, It is a balanced formulation of naturally derived surfactants that are mild and gentle on the hands."

The FAQ is here

https://www.drbronner.com/faqs/

Thanks for the info! I’ve been looking for something like Sal Suds — an I just ordered on Amazon!

[puffcard]

Love Dr Bronner's peppermint, so effective and many other uses. I do prefer liquid soaps. My routine is swim, come out and latter up and jump back in. Then do a very light freshwater rinse. We dry with small 2'x3' microfiber towels, there are the very best. Dry very quickly and don't take up a ton of room to store or in the laundry. If in an area where the water is too cold or dirty, I'll do freshwater shower in cockpit with cockpit shower and use Nivea Men's with a scrunchy. That also works well with SW.

[wanderingloon]

Love this stuff!

[James T]

Soap for Seawater is a moulded bar of cold processed soap specifically formulated to produce a great lather with seawater or salt water and then easily rinse off. So if you want to leave the plastic behind and have a great wash in seawater without that salty feeling afterwards then Soap for Seawater is for you.

In the 2018 Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge 12 rowing boats are using this Soap for Seawater made by Driftwood Shaper Ltd. These row boats will have very limited fresh water for their row across the Atlantic Ocean.

[belizesailor]

Dawn diswashing liquid works well in salt water and you can find it in many places outside the USA. Great for cutting oil & grease too.

Many shampoos also work just fine in salt water.

[seadago]

There's detail worth keeping in mind. The fact that a particular soap (or detergent for that matter) lathers well and produces lots of foam in sea water, does not mean that it will clean better for doing so.

Whether a true soap, or a detergent, the process of cleaning is the same: they both emulsify fats and reduce the surface tension of the medium they are dissolved in. Reducing the surface tension of water is what actually allows the dirt, and emulsified fats, to be lifted and rinsed off in the solution.

As an example, simple household glycerine soap lather very little, or not at all in sea water, but will still clean a treat. Most industrial cleaners used in food processing equipment do not lather at all.

I have used dish washing liquid in sea water for overall personal hygiene with excellent results. If you don't mind smelling like a dish towel for the rest of the day, that is!

Ditto most shampoos. Too well, in fact, as they tend to dry my skin. A simple, perfume-free clear shampoo (like J&J Baby shampoo) will do the trick for everyday use.

Shampoos are made mostly with non-ionic surfactants. These have comparatively low toxicity in the environment and are quickly biodegraded.