Can anyone recommend a great gentle, natural body wash?
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free skin care · Wed Nov 28, 2007 10:20 am

I've been wanting to find a good body cleanser for a long time, and I keep jumping from product to product but I haven't had anything I really liked in ages. I used to always use Dr. Bronner's liquid soap, and while I think it's a great product for many uses, it's just too drying on my skin. Plus, actual soap products tend to be pretty high in pH, and they tend to leave an annoying scum in my bathtub to boot.

I've tried body washes by Avalon Organics, Jason's, Shea Terra, a face wash by Beauty Without Cruelty, and LUSH, but none have really wowed me. (LUSH has SLS and is super-drying, and all the others were not exactly drying, but by no means gentle or moisturizing either.) I'd like to find something that's a gentler, lower-pH product than most liquid soaps (even the natural ones), and that smells fantastic to boot, but I'm kind of at a loss.

I'm considering ordering the Devita Vanilla Bean stuff, but I'd want to know the pH first and something tells me it's going to be high since it looks like it's soap-based. I also thought about getting more Shea Terra stuff, but it wasn't as superb as I'd hoped on my sensitive skin. Does anyone have any suggestions for brands or products I might try? I'm a sucker for warm yummy scents like chocolate, coffee, vanilla, spices, and yummy fruits, and I also won't turn down delicious aromatherapy like Aveda. Like many of you, I prefer to avoid chemicals like SLS and parabens, although it depends for me on a case-by-case basis.

Any input would be appreciated -- thanks in advance!

--ginnielizz

free skin care · Wed Nov 28, 2007 11:50 am

Lavera does some lovely stuff, also Aromatherapy Associates Rose Renew is lovely. REN's bath and shower gels are very nice, especially the Rose Otto one.

free skin care · Wed Nov 28, 2007 2:32 pm

Hi ginnielizz,

I too, avoid SLS/SLES and other harsh surfactants that are marketed as safe.

I have been making my own showergel for a little while. I have two kinds that i make--a diluted Dr. Bronner's almond castile soap (diluted with LOTS of water and xanthan gum as a thickener), and a shower gel made with decyl glucoside and water, and xanthan gum. i add essential oils for fragrance too. i find it really economical rather than buying ready made body washes. i also use the decyl glucoside as a face wash/body wash for my hair too.

another thing i am also doing is just using my trader joe's shampoo as shower gel.

HTH, Kris

free skin care · Wed Nov 28, 2007 4:33 pm

Ooh, I like the xanthan gum idea! I might just try that with some Dr. Bronner's soon. I agree that it's very economical, and I like the lavender scent a lot for mosquito protection as well as insomnia therapy. Thanks for the tip! I'd still love ready-made body wash suggestions, though, as I'm a fan of switching it up from time to time.

free skin care · Wed Nov 28, 2007 7:22 pm

Could you also just add some oil to your Doc Bronner's? I'm planning such an experiment some day...

free skin care · Wed Nov 28, 2007 8:37 pm

I've added a massive amount of tea tree EO to a small amount of Bronner's to make a dandruff shampoo once, and it definitely thickened it up a lot -- but the ratio was so extreme that it wouldn't be cost-effective with EO for large batches. I'll have to give it a try with a carrier oil and see if it thickens it up.

But then it still has a super-high pH, right? I don't think there's any way to fix that. I once tried making a mix of vinegar and Dr. Bronner's to fix dandruff yet again, and it sort of de-saponified the oil and the water, it was really gross! Shock

free skin care · Thu Nov 29, 2007 1:17 am

my friend made me a batch of dr. bronner's peppermint castile soap once with jojoba oil added. it was nice, but she didn't use an emulsifier (binds water and oil) so i had to shake the bottle each time i used it to get the soap/water/oil mixed together.

ginnielizz--i forgot to say when you add xanthan gum to thicken the castile soap, make sure to add it to the water phase (before adding it to the castile soap itself) because it tends to ball up i added directly to the castile soap. i had to scooping out the excess xanthan balls.

also, you should check bella lucce's stuff. their bodywashes, especially the gingerbread creme and peruvian chocolate body wash (i have the hand creme) sound scrumptious and the ingredient lists are awesome.

http://www.bellalucce.com/Bath-Luxuries-c-4.html

free skin care · Thu Nov 29, 2007 1:21 am

Ooooh, thank you very much for both of those tips! Honestly, all the brands you guys have posted look amazing. Now I'm overwhelmed with choices! Laughing

In a good way, though. Smile

free skin care · Thu Nov 29, 2007 3:55 am

I Love the Weleda Sea Buckthorn at the moment.

free skin care · Thu Nov 29, 2007 4:22 am

I meant to add that the Lavera ones come in lovely, foodie flavours. I have a vanilla and coconut body oil, and I think it also comes in a bodywash. It smells amazing and warms you up in the cold weather.

free skin care · Thu Nov 29, 2007 9:22 am

Hehe, that's the first flavor I saw that made me go "Ooh!". Definitely the one I'd want to try.

free skin care · Thu Nov 29, 2007 11:18 am

I have Lavera shower gel in Vanilla and Coconut and I'm sorry to say that it smells sickeningly sweet that the first time I opened it, I had a hard time bringing myself to use it. In fact, I've only used it twice since I bought it. I haven't tried the body oil version, but from what other members have said about the body oils, I don't think the shower gels are as well fragranced as the body oils. Sad

Also, I find the shower gel very irritating for my skin. My whole body literally looked like a dot to dot when I came out of the shower. It was quite surprising as the shower gel didn't really lather up at all. I then checked the ingredients and realized that there's sulphate in it. But then again, I've use other shower gels with sulphates in them, but haven't had such a bad reaction to them. Anyway, if your skin is sensitive to sulphates, I definitely don't recommend it.

Re REN, I've tried some of their shower gels a long time ago and really liked them. They're pricey so I haven't been bothered to order them online and have them sent all the day to Thailand.

free skin care · Thu Nov 29, 2007 11:29 am

I like Revive Spa body wash from Trader Joes. No SLS or parabens, nice and refreshing at a great price. Rosemary and Mint smell heavenly and it fits my budget although the suggestions to beef up castille soap are great as well, I'll have to try these!

A

free skin care · Thu Nov 29, 2007 2:42 pm

I like the Dr Hauschka ones - Rose is especially nurturing and leaves my skin feeling like I've used a body lotion. Lemon is zingy and wakes me up but doesn't dry my skin out.
They don't foam much as they don't have SLS or SLES which can take some getting used too but I can use these even when I am having a break out of eczema.

HTH's

free skin care · Thu Nov 29, 2007 3:44 pm

I love the REN ones. But they are expensive compared to jason which I think are amazing value for money. Also more moisturing. The other Sls free ones don't foam enough for me.

Thu Nov 29, 2007 7:34 pm

I have used Dr.Haushchka, lavera, logona, Aubrey organics, california baby, avalon, and common sense farms.

Dr.Haushchka, lavera, and logona contain gentle surfactants and many moisturing ingredients such as vegetable oils, so I use them most in cold winters.
I have not used Weleda, but I'd like to try their Creamy Body Washes because they include gentle surfactants also and their other products I used before smell good.

Aubrey orgnics is soap based. I prefer Rosa Mosqueta® Luxurious Body Wash. I think this the most gentle one in they body- wash line. Although the fragrance is not my type, it includes vegetable oils and does not lather much. I uses it in falls and springs.

Common sense farms provides many body washes including SLS, so I avoid them despite the safty claimed by the company. However, I tried their "Tropical Castile Bodywash", which is soap-based. It lathers much, smells so good, and has good cleasing ability. I used it in hot summers. Moreover, I change to use soap bars by good brands according to my skin condition.

Recently, I also tried their "Baby Hair & Bodywash". Oh, I like it very much.
The lather and cleansing effect are medium, and the vanilla fragrance smells so good. There is no residue or hash feel left on the skin.

And I also used Shampoo & Bodywash by "California Baby". The ingredients are very simple and the surfactants are gentle. This is why I choose their products. Although it is designed for babies, I found the cleasing effect is also suitable for me in most situations.

My next target is Burt's Bees, which contains gentle surfactants also, or Boscia, which includes both gentle surfactants and soap.

free skin care · Thu Nov 29, 2007 7:44 pm

Wooo, a whole exhaustive review -- thank you! And andaman_gypsy, I'll try to find the Lavera in person so I can test out the smell, but I tend to like stuff that other people find disgustingly sweet -- both olfactorily and orally, haha. Thanks again for your input, guys!

Thu Nov 29, 2007 7:50 pm

catski wrote:

I Love the Weleda Sea Buckthorn at the moment.

I like it too.
I have used two bottles of "the Sea Buckthorn body lotion" although they are not moisturising enough for me Wink

.

free skin care · Fri Nov 30, 2007 5:53 am

andaman_gypsy wrote:

I have Lavera shower gel in Vanilla and Coconut and I'm sorry to say that it smells sickeningly sweet that the first time I opened it, I had a hard time bringing myself to use it. In fact, I've only used it twice since I bought it. I haven't tried the body oil version, but from what other members have said about the body oils, I don't think the shower gels are as well fragranced as the body oils. Sad

Also, I find the shower gel very irritating for my skin. My whole body literally looked like a dot to dot when I came out of the shower. It was quite surprising as the shower gel didn't really lather up at all. I then checked the ingredients and realized that there's sulphate in it. But then again, I've use other shower gels with sulphates in them, but haven't had such a bad reaction to them. Anyway, if your skin is sensitive to sulphates, I definitely don't recommend it.

Ooohh, yes! Sickeningly sweet is perfect for me! Laughing

Bit worried about the irritation factor, though.

free skin care · Fri Nov 30, 2007 10:30 am

majorb wrote:

andaman_gypsy wrote:

I have Lavera shower gel in Vanilla and Coconut and I'm sorry to say that it smells sickeningly sweet that the first time I opened it, I had a hard time bringing myself to use it. In fact, I've only used it twice since I bought it. I haven't tried the body oil version, but from what other members have said about the body oils, I don't think the shower gels are as well fragranced as the body oils. Sad

Also, I find the shower gel very irritating for my skin. My whole body literally looked like a dot to dot when I came out of the shower. It was quite surprising as the shower gel didn't really lather up at all. I then checked the ingredients and realized that there's sulphate in it. But then again, I've use other shower gels with sulphates in them, but haven't had such a bad reaction to them. Anyway, if your skin is sensitive to sulphates, I definitely don't recommend it.

Ooohh, yes! Sickeningly sweet is perfect for me! Laughing

Bit worried about the irritation factor, though.

I LOVE vanilla smell, so matter how sweet it smells. BUT with this Lavera one, it doesn't smell too much like vanilla to me. More on the coconut side with very sugary smell to it. Any hint of vanilla I detect just smells like cheap quality vanilla. Sad

The thing that bothers me the most about Lavera's shower gel is it's so irritating!

free skin care · Fri Nov 30, 2007 12:28 pm

I agree that irritation would be my main worry, but then everyone's skin is different. It does surprise me that they contain sulfates, though -- I noticed that too. My image of that brand is sulfate-free based on their marketing, so that raises an eyebrow. I may see if I can track down a place with samples or something.

free skin care · Fri Nov 30, 2007 12:34 pm

ginnielizz wrote:

I agree that irritation would be my main worry, but then everyone's skin is different. It does surprise me that they contain sulfates, though -- I noticed that too. My image of that brand is sulfate-free based on their marketing, so that raises an eyebrow. I may see if I can track down a place with samples or something.

I was surprised to find sulphates in their shower gels, too. I thought it was supposed to be all natural. If I remember correctly, Neal's Yard Remedies and Weleda do use sulphates, too.

free skin care · Fri Nov 30, 2007 2:53 pm

i dunno if its fully natural but it certainly doesnt have SLS. I am currently using Lux luminous touch body wash with shea cream and skin illuminators. Skin does feel quite nice and smooth lol.......

Anyway im not sure what other ingrediants you guys look out to avoid in products? the only one im aware of is SLS..........also not sure why to avoid that one either Confused

free skin care · Fri Nov 30, 2007 3:20 pm

This isn't "natural" but I love love love it

I use Johnson & Johnson's Baby Nightime Wash (it's the one with the lilac bottle)

It not only smells great (lavender) but it's also extremely gentle. As you all know it's made for babies so I don't think it gets any more gentle than that.

Sun Dec 02, 2007 12:09 pm

Wow! I love the J&J nighttime calming bath for babies too Smile

although I normally just use it in the tub...
I have been using two different washes alternately for some time:
The first is a bodywash by ShiKai...no SLS, very gentle, lathers nicely. Can be found at Whole Foods, etc. I have not personally used the vanilla-scented one, but I do believe they have one.
The other product I use is just the bar soap from a company called South of France--the one I use is Mango and Shea Butter (mmm!) Natural ingredients, vegetable oils, etc. This can also be found at any health food store.
For reference, I have fairly dry skin that tends to get irritated very easily, as well as keratosis pilaris.

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