Topanga said:
What type of soap do you use for washing your hands, washing dishes, and laundry, and what type of shampoo do you use?
As well, do you use liquid soap or bar soap for washing hands?
How about laundry detergent? Liquid or powder?
I have to be a little careful about soaps and lotions, on account of the dairy allergy. Cracker Barrel makes a great goat's milk hand lotion, but I'm allergic to goat's milk, so can't use it. My business partner is allergic to wheat and soy, so she *really* has to be careful what she uses. She buys all her stuff at health food stores, where she can be more sure what's in it.
I use castile soap for my hands. (NO anti-bacterial to breed more superbugs!) I use Palmolive in the kitchen for hand-washed dishes, and put that in the soap dispenser there for hand washing.
I use a variety of shampoos for my hair. It's not too good to use the same thing on it all the time. In hot weather, if my scalp feels itchy from too much gardening in our damp hot summers, I follow up the shampooing with a dilute apple cider vinegar rinse. It also puts a little red in your color.
My daugher sometimes uses Sea Breeze for a rinse, now that they took out the benzoyl peroxide.
For hand lotion, I use "Chamberlain's" which is an old-timey alcohol based product made as it was more than a century ago. This is really good for gardening, because it may sting like heck for a moment when you put it on if there are any small cuts from the pruning or weed-pulling, but by the next morning everything is completely healed. The last time I saw some was years ago in the Amish country in southern Illinois at a pharmacy, and I bought the 3 bottles they had. I gave one to my mother. We haven't finished them off yet, and that was at least 10 years ago.
I hardly need lotion, though. Like many Scandanavians, I take a tonic in the morning that includes an oil. If you put it in your body, you don't have to put it on.
If my heels get dry, I put a farm product called "Bag Balm" on them and wear my socks to bed for one night. I don't have to do that but maybe twice a year. If you can't find the stuff for cow's udders, just use olive oil instead. Uh...not extra light...it's too smelly.
For laundry, I use Cheer for most stuff and Tide for the rest. I only use powder. I have a stacked front loader and it's easier.
And I'm very annoyed at the recent trend towards liquids, as it's not at all convenient for my setup.