Sunday, March 18, 2007

Truly Gritty

My bathroom soap has grit in it. And for this I blame Jennifer.

I was in one of those fancy Body, Bath and Backagain type stores with my wife. You know, the places that sell shampoos with ingredients like cucumber, pomegranates, beef jerky and the like.

Hint for guys out there shopping for their lady friends: cleansing items containing ingredients normally found in fruit salad are high quality. Even better – ingredients from dinner salads. And foods listed in the Bible? Pure personal hygiene product gold.

So I’m hanging around the store, not really paying attention. My typical method of shampoo shopping includes finding the lowest price at the local supermarket, and making sure it doesn’t have a name from my wife’s disapproval list, like “Gee, Your Hair Doesn’t Stink” shampoo or “Eh, It’s Not So Bad Considering The Price” conditioner.

We had been in there awhile, and my wife was looking to finish off a gift certificate, when my eye caught something familiar.

“Hey, look, soap like Jennifer uses!”

Both Cath and I had spent time at Hotel L’Jennifer, so my wife snatched up the soap, and it now sits on our bathroom sink.

And the soap has grit it. Cucumber, true, but also grit. When washing, one can feel the grit, the feeling of dirt scrapping the hands.

I suppose the grit is there to help make true the label promise of “deep cleansing.”

It puts me in mind of camping with my Dad. When it came time to clean our dishes, Dad had an odd strategy. Whereas my Mom would suggest soap and sponges, Dad had us take up a handful of river dirt, toss it in the pot, and scrub away.

Clean with dirt? Every kid’s dream.

And you know what? It worked. Quite well, in fact.

So looking for a deep clean?

Maybe it’s time to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty.

Just my thoughts,

Sean

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Cleaning with natural products is definetly the way to go!
Here's a recipe for a scrub using pure mother earth:

Potting Soil Mineral Body Scrub

5 cups potting soil - see Notes, below
1 cup powdered milk
1 cup baby oil
3-4 drops scented Egyptian musk oil
3/4 cup witch hazel
2 cups prepared green tea


-In a gallon-sized plastic sealable bag, shake together potting soil and powdered milk.
-Pour oils into bag and shake to coat.
-Pour witch hazel into bag and shake to coat.
-Slowly knead in tea. Mixture will be a thick, pasty consistency.
-Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before using.
-Smooth mixture over clean, moist skin and gently rub in to exfoliate.
-Rinse and wash with a mild soap and water.

Notes: Choose an organic potting soil, such as one made from pine or cedar mulch. The potting soil consist of minerals that are good for skin rejuvenation. All of the ingredients can usually be purchased at a Dollar Store, making this an inexpensive luxury.

Cory Edwards said...

I gotta say, I have a gritty bar of soap myself, and next time I need to "reload," I'm going back to the smooth stuff.

You just get flecks of stuff in the shower drain and by the time the bar is almost gone, it's more grit than soap. You end up feeling like you are washing yourself with an old potato.

Which I understand is NOT hygenic.