Cycling UK Forum

rualexander wrote: ↑15 May 2023, 9:55pm
The "leaves" of soap packs sold in outdoor shops etc are a waste of time, as soon as you touch them with wet/damp hands the whole pack goes to mush.

Thanks for this rua, must admit I had my doubts about them

Vantage wrote: ↑15 May 2023, 9:57am I've used it for washing my face sweep. No problems. It's the same with most soaps, they'll all irritate the eyes. Close yer eyes!

Yep maybe it's just legalese/protecting their backs.
In truth i thought all serious problems with eyes had been sorted decades ago with all those thankfully now banned animal experiments.

Sweep wrote: ↑15 May 2023, 10:16pm

Vantage wrote: ↑15 May 2023, 9:57am I've used it for washing my face sweep. No problems. It's the same with most soaps, they'll all irritate the eyes. Close yer eyes!

Yep maybe it's just legalese/protecting their backs.
In truth i thought all serious problems with eyes had been sorted decades ago with all those thankfully now banned animal experiments.

Banned?
The Home office now issue licences to allow experiments on animals under the guise it’s for the safety of the work force.

Just some cheap shower gel - a drop or two on a sponge scourer in half a pan of water warmed on the last bit of fuel in the Trangia takes care of the dishwashing. I like to wash my riding clothes and myself at the same time in the shower so it covers the laundry too.

Paulatic wrote: ↑15 May 2023, 10:40pm

Sweep wrote: ↑15 May 2023, 10:16pm

Vantage wrote: ↑15 May 2023, 9:57am I've used it for washing my face sweep. No problems. It's the same with most soaps, they'll all irritate the eyes. Close yer eyes!

Yep maybe it's just legalese/protecting their backs.
In truth i thought all serious problems with eyes had been sorted decades ago with all those thankfully now banned animal experiments.

Banned?
The Home office now issue licences to allow experiments on animals under the guise it’s for the safety of the work force.

an update on that the other day I think - long term ban lapsed, now reimposed for tests for cosmetics.

Sweep wrote: ↑14 May 2023, 8:25am
**15-30% Soap, Aqua, Potassium Sunflowerseedate, Potassium Cocoate, Glycerin, Potassium Chloride, Potassium Citrate, Citric Acid, Tetrasodium Iminodisuccinate, Tetrasodium Etidronate

How can it be described as pure soap when the ingredients list says 15-30 per cent soap?
Also, am no chemist but what are all those other ingredients?

This isn't something to get too concerned about.

Potassium Sunflowerseedate = soap from sunflower seed oil
Potassium Cocoate = soap from coconut oil
Glycerin: formed during the soap making process, good for skin
Potassium Chloride, Potassium Citrate, Citric Acid -- basically harmless, unlikely to be present in large amounts
Tetrasodium Iminodisuccinate -- dunno
Tetrasodium Etidronate -- water softener -- soap works less well in hard water

Why they don't lump all the soaps together I'm not sure. Maybe "soap" in the ingredients refers specifically to sodium soaps, which are the usual kind of soap. Potassium soaps tend to be better in liquid formulations.

I use the dri-pak stuff for washing water-resistant and waterproof textiles, and have also used it as a shower gel and shampoo. It's not brilliant as shampoo -- like using ordinary soap -- but it does the job well enough.

ed.lazda wrote: ↑18 May 2023, 9:43am

Sweep wrote: ↑14 May 2023, 8:25am
**15-30% Soap, Aqua, Potassium Sunflowerseedate, Potassium Cocoate, Glycerin, Potassium Chloride, Potassium Citrate, Citric Acid, Tetrasodium Iminodisuccinate, Tetrasodium Etidronate

How can it be described as pure soap when the ingredients list says 15-30 per cent soap?
Also, am no chemist but what are all those other ingredients?

This isn't something to get too concerned about.

Potassium Sunflowerseedate = soap from sunflower seed oil
Potassium Cocoate = soap from coconut oil
Glycerin: formed during the soap making process, good for skin
Potassium Chloride, Potassium Citrate, Citric Acid -- basically harmless, unlikely to be present in large amounts
Tetrasodium Iminodisuccinate -- dunno
Tetrasodium Etidronate -- water softener -- soap works less well in hard water

Why they don't lump all the soaps together I'm not sure. Maybe "soap" in the ingredients refers specifically to sodium soaps, which are the usual kind of soap. Potassium soaps tend to be better in liquid formulations.

I use the dri-pak stuff for washing water-resistant and waterproof textiles, and have also used it as a shower gel and shampoo. It's not brilliant as shampoo -- like using ordinary soap -- but it does the job well enough.

many thanks for this ed - as I said am no chemist - sometimes the regs on labelling do make stuff sound worse/more worrying than it is I guess the human body reduced to chemical componentry would sound horrific/to be avoided at all costs.

ed.lazda wrote: ↑18 May 2023, 9:43amTetrasodium Iminodisuccinate -- dunno
Tetrasodium Etidronate -- water softener -- soap works less well in hard water

In this application tetrasodium iminodisuccinate is used as another cheating agent to decrease the formation of insoluble products.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetrasodi ... isuccinate

Jonathan

Sweep wrote: ↑18 May 2023, 9:53am I guess the human body reduced to chemical componentry would sound horrific/to be avoided at all costs.

A bit like this?

I've only just seen this thread.

I have a soap/detergent allergy and use neither to wash with. At home and away, I use Dermol 500 (antimicrobial emollient & moisturiser) which I get on prescription. For travel, I fill an old 100ml alcohol hand-gel bottle - this will easily last me a week or two. For washing up when camping, I use washing up liquid in a similar bottle (that originally contained a free sample of Ecover washing up liquid). I don't have long periods away from home when camping and haven't needed to do any clothes washing at the camp-site for a long time but if I did, I would either just rinse in water or use a very weak washing-up liquid solution (with plenty of rinsing afterwards) - or use a purpose non-biological laundry powder/liquid if there are "facilities" with a supply.

Despite the Dermol 500 being called a moisturiser, it doesn't work very well for me as one and so I also use QV cream (also on prescription). I don't need this so much on the body (mostly just the elbows/knees and forearms after a shower) but I do need it regularly on the hands, and I have a small (50~75ml?) travel squeezy bottle that I carry at all times (even on a trip to the pub) - a full bottle used sparingly will last me a few days maybe more than a week.

Head hair - I just use water. If I've actually got muck in it, I will use Dermol 500. I haven't used shampoo/soap/shower gel on my hair for several years.

It hasn't happened camping yet but if I feel I need a wash but there are no facilities for a wet wash, I use alcohol hand gel on a piece of kitchen roll as a DIY "wet wipe".

EDIT P.S. Decades ago, before discovering that I had a soap/detergent problem, I would use washing-up liquid for everything when camping. After then but before realising that even "soap free" washing products were causing me problems, I used Carex hand wash for everything when camping (even washing up).

Dri Pak liquid soap is available from Robert Dyas.
I presume the "extra" ingredients, beyond those for scent and colour (yes, I know it's colourless and scentless, but that in itself probably requires something), are the stabilisers etc and stuff to make it liquid.

What I use on tour is a bar of Friendly Soap travel soap, which claims you can even brush your teeth with it.
https://friendlysoap.co.uk/products/travel-soap-bar

Or just a plain old bar of soap for hands, body, hair (but not dishes or teeth).