Why Ivory for enemas?

Does anyone know how Ivory became the primary soap used in enemas? Growing up in the golden age of enemas I too had my share of Ivory soapsuds enemas. The vast majority of people in this forum describe their childhood enemas as being made with Ivory. In our house Ivory was the only soap used for enemas. When I was little I once got a one day reprieve when my mother was going to give me an enema, but we were out of Ivory soap. The next day she got a bar and then I got my enema (more than usual to take care of the extra day of constipation). And we only used Ivory for enemas, we used another brand for bathing and hand washing. Whenever I smelled the aroma of Ivory soap I knew the syringe was coming out and somebody was soon to get an enema. Was it because of Ivory's claim of being 99 and 44/110% pure? Was it recommended by the family doctor? Was it what their parents used on them? Just curious. What are your thoughts and ideas on this?

Ivory was effective, and it didn't have the chemicals in it that caused the intense burning sensation of the eyes and butt that virtually every other soap on the market did. Perhaps there were other soaps around that would have worked equally well for enemas, but Ivory was the brand that every parent recognized as the desirable soap for enemas, and washing baby's hair without burning their eyes. Ivory was relatively inexpensive, and available at every corner pharmacy and grocery store. (those were the days before "super" markets).

Not only was it gentle, effective, and cheap, but it's strong fragrance helped eliminate the odors from expulsion.

I remember seeing an vintage ad for Ivory. Their slogan was 99.44/100% pure. I'm sure that had a lot to do with Ivory being the enema soap of choice.

There wasn't the plethora of cleansing products back in the 40's-50's-60's that we have today. Ivory was like others said 99-44/100's % pure. They also had Ivory Flakes that was used for laundry and dishwashing which was basically the bars ground up so it would dissolve better. The fact that it floats, has to due with the injection of air during the making process, not the purity. Does anyone remember the original Life Buoy Soap? That was some strong stuff! The scene in the movie "A Christmas Story" when Ralphie gets his mouth washed out with Life Buoy is classic! He reminisces about the "piquant" flavor!

It's what I still prefer. 2 quarts of Ivory followed by a pure water rinse.

I see that ebay have packs of ivory soap for sale in UK. Do you think this is the same soap you Americans rave about or some scam?

Sirwilliam, do they look like this?

http://ivorysoap.tumblr.com/products/ivory-bar-soap

The blue label is the original

As a 'goldenager' I think all of the above thoughts probably drove my Mom's preference for Ivory over other popular white bar soaps like Swan or P&G. I vividly recall though a couple of times when she didn't think I was producing sufficient bowel action and she added a Fels-Naptha enema to the routine.

I never had a LifeBuoy enema even though there was usually a bar in the bathroom.

So here I am, some 70 years after the Fels-Naptha treatments and none the worse for the experience.

I believe that ivory was pure soap hence the preference for it plus it was inexpenisive!

Thanks for that Bagman46 , yes it looks like the same stuff on ebay, maybe i need to buy it , i could do with a good enema.

I would think because it was probably the soap that was in most every home!!!

Thanks for the responses. I was just curious because Ivory is mentioned in so many descriptions of childhood enemas. I can certainly attest to it being effective! Just the smell of Ivory soap can bring back memories of those early encounters with the syringe. To this day it's all I use for enemas. "If it's not Ivory, it's not an enema!"

I am so happy they made a soap like IVORY back then an still being made today. I think how ever came up with that soap. Knew it was GREAT for enemas. I am sure their Mom used it on them. So I am sure it got out fast to all Moms that it was the only soap to use for enemas. And still is to this day.

For years I thought Ivory was the only soap that could be used for enemas. It was what I got growing up and even into our marriage. I would suppose that today it is a good enema soap because it does not contain perfume or bacteriastats. From what I know it does a good job and does not harm your insides.

Pure soap. No additional detergents.

I too have been using Ivory soap for my enemas for quite a while. I must tell everyone that I've heard an announcement from an anonymous source that Ivory soap will be discontinued as a sales item. I do not know if this is true, but I was on a shopping site last week and I saw a notice that Ivory soap was going to be dropped from the manufacturer. Let 's try to find out if this is true or not. I have a skin sensitivity to most commercial soaps and I have been using Ivory for a long time. This must be some kind of hoax. I know lots of folks that have been using this product for along time. Please check for the truth about this. Meanwhile, I am stocking up on this soap. It's lots cheaper than so many other products out there for enemas. My guts won't know how to act if I have to use a different type or brand of soap for washing my body as well as having nice soapy enemas. Speaking of that, I feel the urge to go have one now. Excuse me while I go and flush my guts!!!!! MRay.

I think it's because Ivory doesn't have any harsh , irritating chemicals that might damage the tender walls of the colon. If you try other soaps you might find an irritating tushy hole.

In addition to being a cheap brand, Ivory bars seemed to last a long time. Just a few swishes in Mom's enema can provided just the right strength of the solution going into us. Ivory also was recommended in many home nursing books during the enema's Golden Age.

Like so many others, Ivory was the soap used in those enemas I got when growing up. In recent years I have also tried Dr. Bronner's as well as baking soda. While I suppose they have their followings, I have decided to go back to Ivory and I'm just as happy that I have. It gives a perfectly good cleaning out plus there is a certain nostalgic value to it.

Emom, Have you noticed any soap scum lately? I do not remember experiencing this before. Either they somehow changed the formula or my mind is playing tricks on me.

Why use Ivory? Because it's SOOO good! All those 40's, 50's and 60's Mommies couldn't be wrong, could they?

Master Anjinsan,

I thought maybe it was Springfield's water that was causing all the scum from IVORY. I use a glass percolator for Enemas, and the scum left in it is a full coating. I stopped using it in the shower as well because of scum. The formula has changed enough I no longer use it at all.

Dan

Probably because it was mild without any additives.

@MRay, see my post "Possible end of Ivory Soap" under recipe's. Ivory is not going away any time soon. I did see an add in a newspaper insert recently which showed new labeling on the package so keep an eye open for that in the US.

IVORY SOAP 99 &44/100 % pure soap. Never met anyone use to enemas that didn't use IVORY, .

Ivory soap was always used in our home for enemas and still is today. It always produces good results.

Janet S

I used to use Ivory all the time, but lately, all I've been using is J&J baby shampoo. Very mild and soothing, and I can use a lot in a 2qt enema, and produces a lot of bubbles. 😄

Give it a try.

Ruintoe69 said it right. There are no perfumes, or additives in Ivory or any other harsh ingredients that would cause unnecessary problems. That's why our grandmothers, mothers, and their grandmothers used it.

Ivory is SOAP NOT DETERGENT