Best Multipurpose soap?

having formerly used dr.b's, never again…i experieced the same.
i've found straight-up baking soda mixed w/ a dash (or two) of
either eucalyptus and/or tea tree oil (both of which are known anti-bacterial agents; tea tree essential oil i tote anywho, as it's great for foot fungus and eucalyptus a renowned bug repellent). baking soda is actually great too for body and hair– experiement at home first. leaves a squeaky clean!
bottom line: super cheap, entirely accessible and proven effectiveness.
i use b.s. in the frontcountry on a regular basis– i add 1/4-1/2 cup or so to my
gear laundry. helps minimize stench.
perhaps too, consider a different brand– dr.woods
http://www.iherb.com/Dr-Woods#p=1&sr=1
(docs represent!)
or clay-based soaps super good too, but burn a hole in your wallet!
lt

Baking soda can be an irritant because of it's PH.

I found out the hard way when I didn't thoroughly rinse.

I suspect as long as you carefully rinse and don't rub it in.

Also, I don't recommend using smelly stuff in th outdoors. Not just bears, most critters have a better sense of smell than humans. Stinging insects, raccoons, mice, etc… are attracted to smelly stuff.

We don't use a lot of soap, but when we do, it's a tiny bit of Dawn–the same stuff they use to get oil out of bird feathers after an oil spill. Very concentrated, one 3 oz bottle usually lasts us more than a year…

And we carry it in a tiny shampoo bottle I stole from a cheap hotel. grin

Olive oil soap. It's hard to find good stuff in the US, but go to your local Arab grocery store and look around for olive oil soap. It might be called ghar (غار). It'll probably be from Nablus, Palestine, and it'll probably be pretty cheap. The best stuff is wonderful for your skin and mild enough for use on your hair, but even the cheap stuff works well enough. The very best comes from Syria, but you obviously can't get it in the US.

Why do you need soap? Boiling water and denatured alcohol provides all I need for sanitation.

After years of using liquid soap, i have found that the Sea To Summit Pocket Soap Leaves are the best for me. I use half a sliver and it is more than enough for hand washing, pots, body wash or shampoo. Only weighs half an ounce and lasts forever.

http://www.rei.com/product/785913/sea-to-summit-pocket-hand-wash

M

Don't use denatured alcohol on your skin. Read the label.

@Ken

After several JP5 showers, handling of copper beryllium and many other toxic goodies in the Chem lab I find methanol a bit timid. It's primary danger is ingestion.

Quick bit of history — Common belief that moonshine can/could make you go blind comes from prohibition when bootleggers use to cut ethanol products with commercially available methanol. One -CH3 is the difference between going blind and having a good time :)

You can get rid of the Bronner's "gunk" feel in your hair by applying a small amount of apple cider vinegar to your hair after washing. Let it sit in for a minute then rinse, or not. Its the cheapest cream rinse you can get and I think it helps the ph balance too.

My wife turned me on to this.

as brian mentioned, yes, acv GREAT to offset the grease factor.
operative word: SMALL.
2nd OPERATIVE WORD: DILUTED.
else it will dry your locks and the sun will fry them dead!

Anyone use this stuff? http://www.seatosummit.com/products/display/73

I use the Sea to Summit Wilderness Wash for all of my soap and detergent needs when bushwalking – as shampoo, for dishwashing, laundry, the lot. I bought the 17oz (500ml) bottle, and decant into a smaller container. It works well, leaves no residue, and a little does go a long way.

CQ.