Why Ivory for enemas?

Being from that generation, I do recall Ivory advertising so using the tag line; "NO MORE TEARS", indicating it was mild

enough for a child's bath

I'd suppose since it was considered to be mild enough for baby bath, it would be ideal for all others uses as well.

It also floats.

I believe it was Johnson&Johnson that used that tag line "no more tears" baby shampoo. Ivory was always 99% pure. If I am mistaken then I hope some other person whom is "older than dirt" can correct me.

I believe it was Johnson&Johnson that used that tag line "no more tears" baby shampoo. Ivory was always 99% pure. If I am mistaken then I hope some other person whom is "older than dirt" can correct me.

I remember the Johnson's Baby Shampoo as "No More Tears" and it still is today, try it. Ivory Soap was 99 and 44/100% pure. So pure it floats.

According to Cecil Adams, Harley Procter, the son of one of the founders of Procter and Gamble sent out some Ivory Soap for analysis and compared it with earlier analyses he’d had done of castile soap, regarded at the time as the best soap available. He was gratified to discover that by his consultant’s definition, Ivory soap was purer than the castile soaps. The impurities consisted of uncombined alkali, 0.11%; carbonates, 0.28%; and mineral matter, 0.17%. Total: 0.56%. Thinking that “99 and 44/100% pure” had just the right touch of technical authenticity to appeal to the great unwashed, so to speak, Harley began sticking the phrase in Ivory advertisements, and another classic marketing slogan was born.

I really can't think of anything better than good old ivory. The smell, the results, and the suds that it makes!

I've had other members tell me that using Ivory in an enema and smelling it was like a stroll down memory lane. It's not a memory that I would like to rekindle but to each their own. I rarely use anything other than water when giving because I have other plans and don't want to irritate the area which is basically what soap does. It irritates the membranes which then produce water and you get the good cleanout. You don't need soap if you are not constipated.

It works for many because

1) it's a fairly gentle skin soap which can help solubilize and emulsify stool and help facilitate removal.

2) it has a generally pleasant scent which many people find strongly brings back family or other memories of both past enemas and use in bathing and laundry.

3) at reasonable concentrations in enema water, it's not extremely irritating but probably irritates the bowel wall enough to facilitate stool removal.

Eric

2) it has a generally pleasant scent which many people find strongly brings back family or other memories of both past enemas and use in bathing and laundry.

Eric

I agree with that but I prefer plain water. But the smell of Ivory soap does turn my head!

As a child I was given plain water enemas. This was my style for a long time. I eventually started using baking soda and found that it gave a very nice cramp free enema. I once had a girlfriend who had worked as a candy striper in a hospital in the early 1970's and one of her jobs was giving enemas. Her motto was: if it is an enema it HAS to have soap. I never liked the burning and cramping from Ivory so I found Kirk's Castile soap. It gave a good clean out without any discomfort if you kept the concentration low. We compromised on a baking soda and Kirk's enema. She was a very good enema giver but she did not like to receive, but I did give her several when she was constipated.

Because it is soap, NOT a detergent

When I was growing up my Mom always used Ivory bar soap for my enemas probably because it was advertised as being 99 and 44/100ths % pure and almost always gave my bowels a good complete cleaning out. My grandmother on the other hand used green liquid medicine soap which seemed to me to be much stronger and more irritating and continued to keep me straining even after there was nothing left to come out of me.

I really like ivory soap it's easy to my ass and get a good clean up. I gallon hot water, ivory soap (heavy concentration) and I use 2 virgin family size bars as an anal plug (no leaks)when full. its hard to get them dry bars in but I'm stuffed and with leaks and a super stretched colon.MAKES ME WANT TO DO ONE NOW.

I have been given Ivory soap enemas all my life. My mother took Ivory soap bar and put it in the two quart glass pitcher with a cup of hot water after every enema given in our house. That was how she got ready for the next enema she would give. My wife gives every one except me with J and J baby shampoo in large amounts. The sent of Ivory soap makes me ready for an enema. She always has me assume the knee chest positon just like Mom. My sister hated getting them but loved giving them. Ivory Soap for ever

My siblings and I got Ivory soap enemas from an early age and always got a salt and baking soda rinse enema afterwards. At home, mom gave us enemas when needed for constipation plus a few other things, like being moody. If she noticed, we weren’t eating normally, we’d get one. When we were home sick in bed, on the first day, we got a soapy followed by a rinse enema. Then, starting on the second day, we received daily rinse enemas, included our siblings until the illness passed. Our siblings receiving daily rinse enemas as a prophylactic.

When we were at our grandmothers she gave us enemas, but for the most part, we got enemas from our two young aunts. Being a retired RN, grandma taught her two younger daughters personal hygiene and how to care for and give children enemas, as preteens. Then gave the girls the responsibility for our evening bath, including enemas, to give them practical experience. This routine continued until we were preteens, when grandma taught us personal hygiene, and enemas became our personal responsibility. As preteens we continued to use Ivory soap followed by a salt and baking soda rinse enema. In our early teens however, we realized we got the same results using only rinse enemas. So, for the most part, we dropped Ivory soap enemas and started using salt and baking soda rinse enemas.

I think the use might have been partially due to the claim of being 99 44/100% pure and that it was soap not a detergent. I seldom use anything other than plain water plus an occassional dash of salt as I do not like the idea of injecting various chemicals up my bottom. If I was to use anything besides Ivory, it would be my first choice but always followed up with a plain water rinse or sometimes two. Denise

It has been mostly plain water for me. Seems to get the job done. No chemicals,just good times.

I think the use might have been partially due to the claim of being 99 44/100% pure and that it was soap not a detergent. I seldom use anything other than plain water plus an occassional dash of salt as I do not like the idea of injecting various chemicals up my bottom. If I was to use anything besides Ivory, it would be my first choice but always followed up with a plain water rinse or sometimes two. Denise

Sort of. My guess is more than marketing it was an inexpensive, readily available soap that had little free lye in it. The wide use of detergents beyond laundry, dishes and possibly shampoo came a bit after the "golden age"

There are a number of reasons that Ivory soap was and is used so often. In the "end" the best reason is that it works so well.

Janet S

If I am using soap I find that Ivory does the job but I don't feel badly the next day where with Dr. Bronner's my gut often hurts for a day or two even with a small amount added.

If I am using soap I find that Ivory does the job but I don't feel badly the next day where with Dr. Bronner's my gut often hurts for a day or two even with a small amount added.

Soaps are surfactants (detergents are, too, and are based on a different chemistry) that are compounds that allow polar compounds (e.g., water) to mix with non-polar compounds (e.g., fats and oils) to go into solution with each other. However, your reaction is likely due to the fact that Dr. Bronner's has an appreciable percentage of glycerin in the liquid soap. I've noted that Bronner's can be rougher on my system, too. Solid soaps generally retain little glycerin unless the process intentionally incorporates it or it is added back into the soap (e.g., Neutrogena). These soaps are typically sold as moisturizing soaps. The glycerin in the soap gives it a hygroscopic / hydrophilic effect to draw moisture to the skin surface.

But the combination of soap and glycerin can be a powerful irritant to the bowels. For any concentration of Ivory soap, you can mix Ivory soap with glycerin to produce a much more powerful enema than with Ivory soap alone.

Judging by the many posts, many were enema'd with P&G's Ivory soap in their enema solutions during their childhood.

Some also speak of Dr. Bronner's castile soap.

We have not tested either of them yet. So far we have used various natural or baby soaps. The two goat milk soaps from OHN have only been used regularly for a few months, as has one of their liquid soaps. We have been very happy with this so far.

It now makes sense to try an Ivory, but also one from Dr. Bronner.

The latter is available in Germany, the one from P&G only online.

An Ivory is also made from animal fats and has a pH of 9.5, while Dr. bronners's castile soap only uses vegetable oils.

We will try enema solutions from both soaps; Rather, my wife will enema me with it...

I think the 99 44/100% pure marketing ivory did/does is a major part of how it became a common enema ingredient. It's effectiveness keeps bringing people back. And of course there is always because of.....

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gRdfX7ut8gw

TRADITION!

Around the 1900s they had a chemical analysis done. The component items percentages added up to 99.44% The 56/100 was unknown. So they sold it as 99 and 44/100 pure, they never said pure what. I heard that in the 1960s from the retired head chemist of a LARGE personal products company.

I'm not sure about soap for my first "remembered" enema I've told this before except as soap is concerned, I don't think I ever got soapy water. First in the hospital for tonsillectomy and getting my first remembered enema from a nurse who brought in a cart with a white can, red hose, black nozzle at 5 years old and the boy in the other bed said "looks like one of is going to get an enema".

Never heard that word before, and after asking him what that was, I remember him not believing that I never heard of an enema. Nurse put the hose on the can, went to the sink, after running water put some water in the can, I don't remember her adding anything else, so it must have been just water but if she added soap I didn't see it.

She hung the can on a pole on my bed, moved a screen between our beds, helped me roll onto my side but when she tried to put the nozzle in my butt I FREAKED then OK this isn't bad..... it feels like when mom takes my temperature. Then CLICK! feels warm, feels good for a while, then OK, that's enough, I gotta go! The enema didn't stop until I heard a gurgle, now I REALLY had to go! She put me on the bed pan, no way I was going to hold anything, it's coming out and right now!

The boy in the other bed got the same treatment, and when I got home I told Tess (2 years older sister) about what happened, she told me "so you got an enema, mom gave us enemas with the red squeeze thing when we were little, and I saw her do it to you too, but mom uses the one with the hose on me now.

So now when mom or our grandmother gave us enemas it was always plain warm water, the hospital enema, I'll never know. I did try a very milky

Ivory soap enema a couple of times about a year ago but I never felt anything different than plain water.

LostInThe50s