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Soap

treehorse

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
Camino Frances (2014)
ONE WEEK TO LAUNCH! Fighting off the anxiety attacks! :)

I don't know why I'm obsessing over this, but I'd like advice as to what all-purpose SOAP to take for body, hair, and laundry.

Right now - I'm thinking of taking just a bar of ivory soap to handle all duties. I usually don't wash my (short) hair with soap anyhow but only rinse. So I guess my question is, do you think ivory will do an adequate job on my sweaty tee shirts?

I saw someone else post that they used a laundry bar for everything, but I am thinking that may be a bit harsh for the body. I bought a Purex laundry bar as a contingency but there is a warning about skin irritant on it!

The other option is to take some Purex HE flakes for laundry but I don't really want to take take two items if one will suffice.

Any suggestions?
 
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I used AVEDA liquid soap - worked both for shampoo and bodywash - filled it in small bottle to start with.
and refilled with locally bought item. in pensao's/hotels often small travelsize shampoo/soap was provided which i used as well (when quality was good)
local markets also stock travel-detergent (which i used) - many albergue's (on the portuguese caminho) had also supplied laundry soap (powder or bar, mainly)
cheers, c
 
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
Just a good Shampoo...works for everything. Hair, body and clothes.
some say for clothes it is better not to use an anti dandruff as this is a bit more aggresive then normal shampoo, but i've been using it since forever and works great...head&shoulders&clothes
 
I second the Chimbo suggestion. One day I was resting by what I thought was an old livestock watering trough, but it seemed an odd shape, and too large for that. Then a village woman came over and began to scrub some clothes on the slanted stone sides of this thing and I realized it was a community clothes washing station. Who knows how long it had been in use? She was using Chimbo, so I knew what to look for when I ran out of the Fels Naptha I'd brought with me. Chimbo is excellent for hand washing clothing in cold water (I liked it better even than the Fels Naptha), but it was much too harsh for my dry skin. I used Liggett's bar soap for my skin and hair and it lasted the full 6 weeks I was away from home.
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
The first edition came out in 2003 and has become the go-to-guide for many pilgrims over the years. It is shipping with a Pilgrim Passport (Credential) from the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela.
After forgetting my soap in an albergue shower, I went 4 days before I found a store that sold soap. During those 4 days , I used my bar of Fels Napha Laundry soap for washing everything. You don't have to use it for brushing teeth as if you are going to travel light, you will borrow a toothbrush with toothpaste from nearest bunkmate.
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
I put my wet bars of soap - whatever brand they are - in zip-lock [resealable] plastic bags to protect my other gear from them while they dry out.

Alan

Be brave. Life is joyous.
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
We buy two bars of soap before we leave, body soap one Fels-Naptha. We cut both bars in half and each take one of each. We carry them together in plastic soap carriers.

I was shocked when I found Spain sells both!
:)

(APOC?)
 
I tried. Dr Bonners lavendar bar soap last summer (while at home) for hand washing clothes, body washing and as a shampoo. Very happy with it for my clothes and body leaving a slight lavendar scent but by the 3-4th hair wash, it was leaving my hair pretty gummy! I'm glad I experimented when I had time.YMMV of course.
 
I stayed in Hostels and Hotels all the way so I just used the shampoo and soaps provided by them. I'd take my clothes in the shower, add some of the soap and/or shampoo. Tread up and down on the clothes, rinse and hang out to dry. This did the trick from SJPP to Santiago and only on one day with a particularly late finish did my clothes fail to dry completely (it was April to May).

I thought my clothes did pretty well with this treatment and nobody complained about smells. But I must admit, after finishing the camino that first machine wash made the clothes smell fantastic.
 
A selection of Camino Jewellery
In my experience anything that washes my hair well (and as you can see from the avatar I have lots of it), will wash my body and clothes well. However, not everything that washes my clothes and body well will wash my hair well. I have tried a few soap bars, Dr Bronner and Liggett's, pure olive oil soap and Marseille-soap, and none of them wash my hair well. They make it cleaner, yes, but ... I wouldn't do it every day for weeks. I find Lush shampoo bars work well for me, but we are all different and yes, try before you go!
 
Soap! Surely you will only be walking for plus or minus one month?
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
Seeing as I can no longer buy Lustre Cream Shampoo in a tube (sigh - even Marilyn Munroe used it) for hair, body and clothes - I agree, anything that works on hair will also do the rest. I will be taking a high lathering soap of some kind - Castile or Lush - I've just tried a Lush that worked well but did not last very long.
 
But I must admit, after finishing the camino that first machine wash made the clothes smell fantastic.
I put all my gear in my pack to/from the Camino and stored it in overhead bin. In bound to Madrid, I had one heck of a time finding space without a shoe horn.:mad:
On the return trip...no problem. I got my gear in quickly, then closed the bin door. As others searched for space, they would open "my" bin...hesitate, then immediately search elsewhere.;)
My son-in-law picked me up at Dulles. Even with my pack in the trunk...he drove with the windows down. To this day, my daughter makes me take my gear to a laundromat when I return. Even then, I must leave my gear in the barn. Oh, by the way...the mice in the hay problem has been solved ;).
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
Thanks for all of the suggestions. After further investigation of leads on this thread, I'm taking a bar of Dr. Bonners and will switch to Chimbo if I run out.
 
ONE WEEK TO LAUNCH! Fighting off the anxiety attacks! :)

I don't know why I'm obsessing over this, but I'd like advice as to what all-purpose SOAP to take for body, hair, and laundry.

Right now - I'm thinking of taking just a bar of ivory soap to handle all duties. I usually don't wash my (short) hair with soap anyhow but only rinse. So I guess my question is, do you think ivory will do an adequate job on my sweaty tee shirts?

I saw someone else post that they used a laundry bar for everything, but I am thinking that may be a bit harsh for the body. I bought a Purex laundry bar as a contingency but there is a warning about skin irritant on it!

The other option is to take some Purex HE flakes for laundry but I don't really want to take take two items if one will suffice.

Any suggestions?
ONE WEEK TO LAUNCH! Fighting off the anxiety attacks! :)

I don't know why I'm obsessing over this, but I'd like advice as to what all-purpose SOAP to take for body, hair, and laundry.

Right now - I'm thinking of taking just a bar of ivory soap to handle all duties. I usually don't wash my (short) hair with soap anyhow but only rinse. So I guess my question is, do you think ivory will do an adequate job on my sweaty tee shirts?

I saw someone else post that they used a laundry bar for everything, but I am thinking that may be a bit harsh for the body. I bought a Purex laundry bar as a contingency but there is a warning about skin irritant on it!

The other option is to take some Purex HE flakes for laundry but I don't really want to take take two items if one will suffice.

Any suggestions?
Dr. Bronner's Bar or Liquid Soap. I had both with me. Any scent, but Almond is my favorite - use for any type of washing. I have used for body, hair, hand washing clothes, in bar form, and yes in liquid form you can brush your teeth with it - but it will still taste like soap!
 
Seeing as I can no longer buy Lustre Cream Shampoo in a tube (sigh - even Marilyn Munroe used it) for hair, body and clothes - I agree, anything that works on hair will also do the rest. I will be taking a high lathering soap of some kind - Castile or Lush - I've just tried a Lush that worked well but did not last very long.
Kanga,

I'd forgotten about Lustre Cream Shampoo! It's been some time since I've seen that! Your post brought back memories from long ago days. :)

Mary
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
Dr. Bronners in liquid form is horrible for laundry with cold water, which all albergue deep sinks have.
I used a 150ml tube of Norit Viaje, very concentrated like woolite, works well in cold water, and goes a long way, found locally for less than €2.50
 

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