Coming Clean on Deodorant Soap
Updated: Nov 1, 2021
Father's Day is this Sunday, and around the world, millions of fathers are going to receive some kind of grooming instruments, tools or products. Maybe even soap. Maybe even deodorant soap. Here is what my husband has to say about soap:
"Oh honey, I love your soap [his favourite is the hemp oil]. I really do. But you know, I stink. I really need to use a deodorant soap on a daily basis."
Who what now???
So I mentally adjust for all the possibilities (he hates my soap, but is merely humouring me lest I poison his dinners; he doesn't want to waste my expensive soap when a dime store bar will do; he has gone insane.
"Honey," I ask, "Do you stink after using my soap?"
"Well, no, but..."
Oh my. My poor hubby, like so many dads before him, has been brainwashed by the beauty industry as surely as everyone else. It's not his fault, he grew up on those unforgettable jingles and slogans like...
You're not fully clean unless you're ___fully clean!
99% pure!
1/4 moisturizing cream!
So, what is deodorant soap?
Before they went nuts and started producing bad soap (sorry guys but you know it's true), my husband's favourite soap was Lever 2000 (good for all your 2,000 parts). Now his "deodorant soap" choices are severely limited. He's a logical guy though, so while he stalked Amazon for deodorant soap brands that didn't stink to high heaven, I did my own research and asked Google this simple question: What is deodorant soap?
The American Cleaning Institute (can you believe there is such a place?) says that: "A deodorant soap is a cosmetic product intended for washing the body to eliminate odors. A deodorant soap may or may not contain an ingredient that kills or inhibits the growth of odor-causing bacteria."
How Stuff Works goes into a little more detail about deodorant soap, indicating that it may be kind of a scam: "Deodorant soaps that claim to be antibacterial often also contain triclosan or triclocarbon like their solid deodorant counterparts. Triclosan works as an antimicrobial by blocking an enzyme called enoyl-ACP (acyl-carrier protein) reductase (also known as ENR) in microorganisms, an enzyme that bacteria need for fatty acid synthesis, which is used for creating cell membranes. Without it, the bacteria can't reproduce. While the fragrance in your deodorant soap may smell nice, that smell may be the only substantial benefit from a good lathering. While triclosan does curb the growth of bacteria, current studies suggest no benefit from using antibacterial soaps over plain soaps, whether for infection prevention or reducing the amount of bacteria on the skin."
Don't forget, antibacterial agents can be really nasty, like tetrasodium EDTA, which is made from chemicals like formaldehyde and sodium cyanide. Take that, husband!
Give him the gift of real men's skin care
How is a dude supposed to counter all the pressure from the skin care industry that says you have to use deodorant soap? From my experience (warning: sexist comment coming) men tend to use whatever is in the bathroom. If you gift a man some soap, he will at least try it - and that's all we ask! Encourage your man to ditch and switch - try cleaner, greener, healthier skin care products like our gentle glycerin soaps that won't dry his skin, cause rashes, or make him smell like he just bathed in cologne. You might have to actually take him to a farmer's market to pick out his own natural handmade soap. Or put some in his Christmas stocking - whatever it takes. The important thing to remember is, he has to get clean - he might as well enjoy it, so turn him onto natural man care today!
Have you managed to convert a guy to using natural products? Share your manscaping story below ;) Happy Father's Day from SaltZ&Co!