Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela

[Janeh]

I thought people might like to look at this site - they have little, very light, containers of 'paper' soap, shampoo, laundry soap etc. Each box only weighs about 12gms - eg: the paper shampoo holds 30 papers - (enough to wash your hair 30 times if short and weighs 12gms) - much lighter than the small bottle of shampoo I was planning to carry. I bought mine in Dimmocks for Australian readers, but the product is from the UK so should be readily available elsewhere.

http://www.npw.co.uk
put "paper shampoo" in the search box on their site. It does take a little while to load. Scroll down the page to see the other "paper" soaps in their range.
cheers,
Jane

[JohnnieWalker]

As one obsessed with weight, weight, weight I think this could be a really good tip - there is even a Shaving Paper Soap for guys which no doubt would double as ordinary soap. It is possibly only a few grams of difference from small gels or shaving oil but all the grams add up.

Thanks

[Trudy]

These sound really great Jane. My mother gave me a packet of paper soap leaves a couple of years ago and it worked really well. Now, where do I find Dimmocks?

[Janeh]

Hi Trudy,
Sorry, I did a major typo - I mean Dymocks - they are a bookstore chain in most capital cities in Australia - if you check out the link below there are 3 in Canberra. (no doubt you know what I'm talking about now that I've spelt it correctly!
http://www.dymocks.com.au/
cheers
Jane

[lckgj]

In the UK Marks and Spencer are selling travel soap leaves in their beachwear department. You get two little containers with 15 each of laundry soap leaves and body wash leaves. I think they are about £3. I experimented with the laundry leaves before I left and found them too skimpy. They would be fine for a single pair of knickers but not substantial enough for filthy socks, especially as you often have to wash clothes in cold water with no plug in the sink so are unable to pummel things in soapy water. I didnt try out the body wash ones.

I found shampoo works as well as liquid travel wash so you could reduce containers by just taking a slightly larger shampoo. Having walked 13 days in wet, muddy conditions I found it impossible to get my socks as clean looking as I would have liked, so paying for a machine wash once in a while is the best option. More of a problem was getting things dry!

Laura

[sillydoll]

Hi Laura,
I never travel without my international bath plug. In France they often charge you for a plug and, as you say, in Spain there are often no plugs for the laundry basins. The large plug always comes in useful.

[lckgj]

Hi Sil

A plug is always one of those things I only remember when it is too late!

Generally I use a sock!!

Laura

[notion900]

There is a shop called Lush in many major towns they sell a thing called a solid shampoo bar. You can also use this as body soap and it is great for washing clothes as it rinses very well. I took two and they lasted the whole camino. You can also get a little aluminium tin that they fit in to. Just superb and well worth seeking out.

[falcon269]

Camp Soap or other biodegradable multi-use product is great for body, hair, and laundry. Of course, your hair won't be the silky smooth result of conditioner, but the Camino is not a style show!

[omar504]

I used the shaving paper but wasn't that impressed-ended up a bit gluey. I've always just used a bar of soap for washing me,my clothes,my hair and shaving. One year I used Lush soap BUT it's horrendously expensive and only lasted 3-4 weeks. I never could get used to people in the showers unrolling wet packs full of shampoo,soap,conditioner,cleansers etc-some must have weighed close to a kilo.

[Rebekah Scott]

Lots of Spaniards simply carry a lump of "Jabon de Marseilles," what we (ironically) call "Castile soap." It´s cheap and available in any supermercado (brand name is ´Legarto´) and it works on everything from scalp to socks. And it smells nice!

Reb.

[John Hussey]

I first tried the liquid soap but found i used way too much each time so it did not last. Then I just started taking a simple bar of soap, used it for everything and stored it in a zip-loc baggie. I used it in the shower on my body, shampooing my hair, on my face/shaving, and even washing my clothes each evening in the sink. I believe I used just 2 bars in 6 weeks of constant use. I carried just one. I bought another as it wore down to just a sliver. I preferred the Spanish black-colored bar of soap called 'La Toja', I believe because it just smelled so good!

[molle]

It's also possible to buy the pocket soap in a box with 50 leaves, perfumefree/all purpose. The brand is Sea to Summit, weight 15 gram, in Denmark the price is 3 Euro. Be carefull not to have wet fingers when you "grap" onto a leaf, because they easily stick together and melt. Molle

[vjpulver]

Oh yes - Castile soap! We used that when we were kids so when I discovered it in Spain years later, the scent was like going home again for me. That's probably what I will pack. Thanks for the memories Rebekah!

"Ginn"
Perusing the Formum on a Fine Saturday in Santa Fe
http://www.pulverpages.com
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Lots of Spaniards simply carry a lump of "Jabon de Marseilles," what we (ironically) call "Castile soap." It´s cheap and available in any supermercado (brand name is ´Legarto´) and it works on everything from scalp to socks. And it smells nice!

Reb.