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.