A household of two adult men and two young girls (4 and 6) switches to daily showering using no soap. Water baths only. The experiment was done to explore the necessity of covering our bodies with complex detergents, moisturizers, fragrances, etc. Quick summary: amazingly, you need virtually no soap. Deodorant and rare hair conditioner remain useful.
Subjects: two adult males with lots of body hair. Head hair varies from 1/4 inch to 1 inch in length (short). Two young girls (4 and 6) with long hair (1 foot and over in length).
Previous products: Dove moisturizing soap, unscented, was used previously on all skin. Shampoo was used on the men, and shampoo and conditioner on the young girls to help detangle their hair.
Procedure: Water showers were taken with warm/hot water. Thorough finger scrubbing of the head hair was performed in the direct beam, both serving to clean fingernails and exfoliate the scalp of any dandruff or dirt. Hands were then rubbed over the face to assist in the removal of any excess oil or grime. Groin, rear, and armpits were aggressively rubbed in the water until no detectable smell remained (rather quickly). Young girls followed a similar, albeit faster method since they have virtually no odor-creating regions. Shower water from a hand spray was used to direct the beam to business regions. Note: one of the adult males has perpetually dry skin and thick, rough elbows and knuckles. One of the adult men has oily skin that is soft and smooth but tends towards acne. One of the girls has eczema on the back of her legs that only responds to vaseline.
Initial results from absolutely zero soap use: For the men, the results were nothing short of miraculous.
Adult 1: The dry skin of one adult was significantly improved, with the fine white powder and roughness of his elbows changing to peel off dead skin in sheets for a few weeks instead, then changing again until the dry skin was significantly reduced without skin peeling. Groin smell was virtually eliminated: the cheesy smell of sweat after a day's work was replaced with a much more gentle, musky, inoffensive odor. Body smell was near nonexistent. Hair was not heavy or oily but rather surprisingly normal.
Adult male 2: Similar results, this subject's oily skin did assert itself slightly more without regular detergent application. However, the daily hand rubbing in the water shower has yet yielded no acne. Body smell is significantly reduced.
Adult male together: Deodorant is still required, as armpits are designed to generate significant smell. However, a single application of deodorant is sufficient to last for two days for light effort days such as an office job. The groin smell reduction was unexpected and remarkable, and the entire nether region is clearly healthier, less moist, and less cheesy than ever before. I suspect preserving the natural oil boundary of the skin is permitting an improved loss of moisture during the way, as well as preserving an oil coating over the hair.
Young girls: Their long hair can go for one or two days using only water for cleaning quite well. Dirt and occasional food washes out easily and completely. "Frizz" and "fly away" hair is aided greatly by the natural oils that build up on the hair without leaving the hair greasy or oily. Remarkably no body odor of any kind; water is truly enough for them at this age. Once every three days, conditioner is worked into their hair and any tangles brushed out in the shower, then rinsed, as their hair is very fine and prone to tangling. I have tried vinegar and other options, but so far it really does need the slickness of conditioner in the shower to prevent matt forming.
Final comments: This has been a staggering discovery. I have always wondered if we really need the plethora of products sold to us as "necessities." The answer clearly no. We do use soap to wash our hands if we touch anything dirty (after using the toilet is basically it). We use deodorant for the adults. We use some conditioner from time to time for the girls hair. Our bodies are otherwise free of all soap, all shampoo, etc. It's remarkably easy for travel, not having to bring your own or worry about their inferior brands. Save a lot of money. And worry a lot less about what all these chemicals are doing to us in the long term. The reduction of groin odor was nothing short of miraculous.
Desires and further research: It would be really nice to find a more natural way to deal with armpit odor and a less chemically complex conditioner for the girls' hair. (Tested) advice is welcome! Vinegar did change their hair very slightly, but it's not a detangler, and it's extremely stingy to their little eyes.
Clarifications: Yes, we still brush our teeth with ADA approved toothpaste nightly. Mess your hair or skin up, you can change it. Mess your teeth up, you're screwed.
