Olay Daily Facial Cloths

[QHShowoman]

Is anyone else here a fan of the Olay Daily Facial Cloths (or similar brands)? They are pre-soaped dry disposable cloths that lather up very nicely for face washing; all you need to do is wet them. They are relatively light weight (since they are packed dry, they weigh less than a baby wipe of that size) and since they produce lots of lather, I found that I can cut each cloth into quarters and a single quarter provides enough soap to wash my face, hands, and other important bits, and the cloth is strong enough to rinse, wring out, and use again as TP, a napkin, etc. before disposing. The nice thing about each cloth is that one side is textured (for deep cleaning!), which is nice for mild scrubbing. They fit nicely into a sandwich-size ziploc, and weigh next to nothing. The only downside is that they are a little pricey (although I opt for the generic Wal-Mart brand for like 22 cloths -- which, cut into quarters, provide 88 uses -- they cost like $6).

The thing I worry about though is the wringing out of the soap. It's not a LOT of soap, but I doubt it is biodegradable. I wish I could figure out a way to make my own using Dr. Bronners or something.

Anyhow, any thoughts on this?

[ATSeamstress]

I have tried the Olay cloths and I do like them. I've heard of people making their own using Dr. Bronners and paper towels. I think you dilute the Dr. Bronners a bit then soak the paper towels, then leave out to dry. I've never tried it, but it would be biodegradable. That would be a good experiment to do at home.

[littledragon]

I like to Olay ones- but if I take them, I pack them out since, as you heard above,they are not biodegradable. They are good, though!!!
The paper towel thing sounds interesting!

[DawnTreader]

I don't like the soapy foamy face cloths, but I have led several trips with teenagers, and that is the one thing they cannot live without, The girls were trading them on the trail for food. the thru hikers loved them.. But remember pack in pack out.. EVERYTHING

[Mammoth]

I tend to just rinse my face with water to get off sweat, trail grit, and smoke. Any soap just ends up irritating the sunburn that I inevitably get the first day, but Olay stuff is usually so gentle that I just might try it. :-)

[QHShowoman]

Sorry, I should've added the "pack it out" caveat ... I just figured it would be obvious! Yes, kiddies, LEAVE NO TRACE. :)

Mammoth - I think you'll find them gentle enough for your sunburned face (as I have one, currently!) ... when the burn starts to peel, the textured side is a good exfoliator.

[pooh]

i found baby wipes worked the best for me. i used them every day to keep my fingers clean for my contacts. they were very versitile... and they are probably cheaper than the olay wipes.

[sarbar]

Love them :) I found them in a travel size pouch out here also!

[weggers]

Have you looked in the health food stores for biodegradable baby wipes? They don't have the same satisfying foam as the facial cloths, but they still refresh. Look for Seventh Generation or a similar brand. You may still choose to pack them out, but they are a lot more earth-friendly.

[gonzo]

I've been using a different type of Olay facial wipes for the last couple years. They are premoistened (so they don't foam up like the ones mentioned above) and I carry one for each day I'm out so as not to add too much weight. Definitely pack them out and they come in regular and sensitive versions, the sensitive having some aloe added to it. No need to rinse off with water as it's like a baby wipe. But then again, I carry some of those too! Like a shower in the woods between the two of them.

http://www.oilofolay.com/quicksearch/images/us121520032_BIG.gif

[Light Traffic]

Information from various sources, WhiteBlaze included, has me wondering if these might be good, cheap, effective, & multi-use solutions on the trail --

1 - Isopropyl Alcohol - it's cooling, cleansing & antiseptic; could be used for almost any type of cleanup (was impressed by a thread mentioning no odor to body or usually "perfumed" t-shirt after using it as a daily washup while hiking). It's refreshing on tired feet as well as those just emerging from a shower.

2 - Baking Soda - it dissolves fairly easily in water, deodorizes, cuts grease and oil, and doesn't seem abrasive, though it appears to provide a slight scrubbing action. Again, likely usable for any kind of cleanup, including cleaning cookware and water bottles, and brushing teeth. If you've ever added it to bathwater, your skin is left smooth and definitely de-oiled, and you don't need much. I use it at home with a little water to clean a cooktop - there isn't a trace of grease afterwards. If I recall right, adding it to laundry (home or away) aids the washing process.

3 - White Vinegar - I'm sure its multi-use reputation in well-known. Its slight acidity makes it anti-bacterial (try washing cotton bath towels using a cup or so in the wash cycle without soap - the towels come out great). My mother swears by a vinegar rub for preventing and treating muscle cramps (charlie-horses). I have also heard it will help to toughen skin - perhaps the slight acidity promotes this?

4 - Cider Vinegar - a teaspoon of CIDER vinegar a day is reputed to benefit the urinary tract, and if I remember correctly, we used to add it to horse feed to repel mosquitos, etc.

Thoughts, comments, additions?

Cheers!

[onicoe]

i keep it simple. - soap on a rope for the body (i like burts bees) - baking soda for the gear.

[vaporjourney]

i just got some of these Oil of Olay wipes, but am slightly dissappointed. I was hoping to be able to use them away from a water source since the directions make it sound like you can rinse from the cloth. I've found that there is way too much soap in them to do this. So i'll have to get the soap on my face, and then rinse off in a stream, which I'm not a fan of. any ideas? I probably should have just bought the premoistened ones, but these seemed interesting and super light weight. sigh.

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

I used to use the Olay pre-moistened clothes. I've switched to 2" square of a facial scrub cloth and baking soda. It works better for me. Give it a try at home.

Alcohol gel on the pits keeps them from becoming the pits. It also works underneath the girls if they are large.

Baby wipes - dried out and moistened on site with clean water - work well for cleaning up the private parts in between baths.

[vaporjourney]

i'm sorry, i meant that I got some of the dried wipes, that you have to add water too, and they get really full of suds. I would have to rinse my face with a good bit of water to get soap off, preferably in stream, and this would get soap all in the water. The premoistened may be better because they wouldn't get lots of suds that needed to be rinsed off.

[WalkingS]

I like to use the Buff Puff singles. They come 30+ to a box and are dry but imbedded with cleanser. Ea. square is probably 1 1/2 " and the entire box full fits into a snack size ziplock and barely registers on the scales. Wet one with just a few drops of water and you can wash your face and neck. They also come in regular / normal or sensitive. $3.67 a box.