Clean Beauty, Sustainable Living, Sustainable Product Reviews

No Body Wash for a Week: The Norwex Body Cloth Challenge

No Body Wash for a Week: The Norwex Body Cloth Challenge

This week, I did something I never thought I would do: I didn’t use body wash, face wash, or shaving cream for an entire week!

This was part of a week-long experiment called the Norwex Body Cloth Challenge. The rules were pretty straightforward: Anytime I normally would have reached for soap or shaving cream, I used the Norwex body cloth instead.

In this blog post, I’m going to give you all of the dirt about how things went in the challenge. I was not asked by Norwex to write about my experiences, nor am I being compensated for doing so. I did receive the body cloth for free from my Norwex consultant in exchange for participating in the challenge. All thoughts expressed in this post are my honest opinions!

So, how did it go?

Funny story: I sort of accidentally signed up for this. When my Norwex consultant first sent out the email about the challenge, I apparently didn’t read very closely and was under the impression I would just be giving up face wash for a week. Then, when I received the body cloth in the mail, I fully read the instructions and realized I had gotten myself into deep water! I honestly never would have signed up for the challenge if I had realized all that it entailed. But by that point, I already had the cloth and had agreed to do it along with 14 other ladies, so I figured I should at least give it a shot.

Y’all, it blew my mind how well things went. I feel clean, I definitely don’t smell bad (believe me, I was making my husband smell me multiple times a day just to make sure), my makeup came right off just using the cloth with water, and my legs are smooth and hair-free without using shaving cream. Amazing!

Pros:

1. It actually gets you clean! My biggest fear about doing this challenge was that the cloth wouldn’t work, and I’d smell bad. I have incredibly oily Italian skin, and I have to shower every day or else I can start to smell myself. Thankfully, there were no body odor issues while using this cloth in place of body wash!

2. It removes all of my makeup…even better than the products I was previously using! This is my absolute favorite thing about the body cloth. I am still so amazed that it removes all of my makeup without soap. The face wash I had previously used did a great job of removing my foundation, but I always struggled to remove eyeliner and mascara. I would put eye makeup remover on a cotton ball, but even that wouldn’t remove everything. The next morning, I would wake up with mascara residue all around my eyes and would need to remove that with more eye makeup remover on a q-tip. In contrast, the Norwex cloth gets everything off all at once. It’s quick, easy, and requires just one product. I love it! (You can watch me demo the makeup removal under the “Norwex” Instastory highlight on my Insta profile.)

3. My face is smooth and radiant! The body cloth exfoliates your face when you use it, leaving your skin silky smooth and soft. And, my complexion is brighter! I didn’t consider my skin dull to begin with, but it still managed to brighten up a noticeable amount after just one use of the body cloth.

4. My face is (slightly) less oily. This change has been subtle, but I’ll take what I can get! My face is naturally very oily. Since I’ve started using the body cloth, there has been a small but noticeable decrease in the amount of oil on my face by the end of the day. I think the body cloth is stripping less of the natural oils from my face, so my face is having to produce less oil to compensate. Regardless of the how or why, I’ll take it!

5. The cloth works in place of shaving cream! You just run the cloth in the opposite direction of the way the hair grows (i.e. up your legs, if you’re shaving your legs), then follow with the razor. No razor burn here! It was a super close shave, too. Normally I go about 3 days in between shaving my legs, but I was able to go 4 days after shaving with the body cloth.

6. It saves you money. The body cloth itself isn’t that expensive ($20 for a pack of 3), and it will save you a lot of money since you no longer have to buy body wash, face wash, makeup remover, or shaving cream! You could start to see savings after just a month or two.

7. It’s eco-friendly. This is another one of my favorite things about the body cloth. Normally I use a cotton ball each night to remove my eye makeup as well as a q-tip in the morning to remove leftover mascara residue. The body cloth takes care of both of these issues, so that’s 365 cotton balls and 365 q-tips I’ll save each year from the landfill. Not to mention the body wash/face wash/eye makeup remover/shaving cream bottles that I’ll no longer be putting in the recycling bin! While recycling is good, not having a bottle to recycle in the first place is better, since zero energy, water, and other resources are going into the production and recycling of the bottle!

8. It saves you from harmful chemicals. I’ve written before about the nasty chemicals and carcinogens lurking in many common beauty products. What’s better than finding cleaner, safer products to replace the nasty ones? Eliminating the need for that product altogether! That’s what the body cloth does for your body wash, facial cleansers, makeup remover, and shaving cream.

Norwex Body Cloth Review: How I Stopped Using Body Wash, Face Wash, Eye Makeup Remover, and Shaving Cream! | Fairly Southern

Cons:

1. I miss smelling my body soap. I’ve spent the last 28 years smelling a lovely fragrance each morning as I’m getting clean, so I associate being clean with the smell of soap. It was super weird to not use a nice-smelling product in the shower this week, especially that first day. I really didn’t believe I was clean until my husband reassured me that I smelled perfectly fine. It has gotten easier with each passing day, but I still miss smelling like flowers. Smelling like nothing isn’t as fun!

2. The cloth is a little high maintenance. You are supposed to wash the cloth with Norwex detergent (or some other type of free and clear detergent). In addition to being free from a bunch of harmful chemicals, Norwex detergent is also free from fillers. My Norwex consultant explains that fillers are particles found in common detergents that rub against fabric to get it clean, but also oftentimes get stuck in the fabric. This is a problem for Norwex cloths, because if they are full of fillers, they aren’t able to grab makeup, dirt, dead skin cells, or whatever else they are supposed to be absorbing. Additionally, you are not supposed to wash the cloths with normal towels or other fabrics that shed a lot of lint, as the Norwex cloths will attach to that lint. This again makes them less able to absorb dirt on the surfaces they are supposed to be cleaning. Caring for the cloths isn’t a deal breaker for me personally, especially given all the pros of this cloth, but it is something to consider. I do not plan to buy the Norwex detergent (I’ll just use the eco-friendly detergent I already have), but I will make a point to wash them separately.

FAQs:

I got a few questions about the body cloth from friends who were following my progress through the challenge on InstastoriesΒ (I saved my daily updates to my Instastory highlights on my Insta profile in case you want to hear my daily updates and watch me demo the makeup removal). Here are the questions and answers!

1. Does it save you time? I did not find that using the body cloth had any sort of time impact (positive or negative), but many of the other ladies who did the challenge with me said that it saved them time in the shower as well as time with their nightly skin care routine. I’m honestly not sure how washing without soap could be much shorter than washing with soap, since either way you are washing. But, some people did get time added back to their day!

2. How often do you have to wash the cloth? My Norwex consultant says she washes her body cloth once per week.Β  Having used it for a week myself, I think that’s how often I will wash it, too. My makeup has started to build up a bit on it by now.

3. Do you still use deodorant? Most definitely, yes. The body cloth just replaces soap and shaving cream, not products that you would put on after your shower, such as deodorant, makeup, etc.

4. Do you still use shampoo? Yes! The cloth doesn’t clean your hair.

5. Can you use the cloth in place of shaving cream for areas that are more sensitive than your legs? Yep!

Norwex Body Cloth Review: How I Stopped Using Body Wash, Face Wash, Eye Makeup Remover, and Shaving Cream! | Fairly Southern

Questions I Still Have:

I’ve only been using the cloth for a week, so there are still some things I’m curious about myself! For example, I am wondering whether the cloth will impact my acne in any way. I have terrible acne that is relatively well-controlled using medication, but I still get small breakouts along my chin and jaw along with random pimples elsewhere. I am curious to see whether long-term use of the cloth helps to clear up my acne, makes it worse, or has no effect at all.

I am also curious about whether I will be able to continue bathing without soap once the weather gets warmer and things get sweatier. We shall see!

Concluding Thoughts

I am amazed at how well the body cloth works! I am definitely going to continue to use it.

When people found out that I was doing the challenge, several revealed to me that they also shower without soap (some with the body cloth; others with different scrubbing tools). Clearly, we’re onto something here.

A friend and I were talking about the challenge over the weekend, and she made a comment about how it’s so interesting to learn that many of the things we consider necessities really aren’t necessities after all. This idea has stuck with me as I have finished out the challenge. Prior to this week, I certainly would have considered body wash, face wash, and eye makeup remover necessities in my daily routine. I am thankful to this challenge for helping me to grow, step outside of my comfort zone, and see things a little differently.

xoxo Laura

P.S. – Want to know whether I’m still using the body cloth long term? Be sure to check out my 6 week update here!

24 comments

  1. So interesting! I have norwex cleaning cloths, which I really like, but I was definitely skeptical of the body cloth when I heard about it. Also having acne-prone skin, let me know how it goes as you continue to use it. I’ve tried so many products on my face, but maybe the best thing is not using any product at all.

    1. I will keep you posted for sure! πŸ™‚ If you’re in need of any additional Norwex products, let me know…I am going to be hosting an online party (likely next week) and would be happy to add you to it!

  2. Glad to see this review! I think the special washing would be the thing that would be hardest for me. But I really love that you don’t have to use anything other than the cloth and still get clean!

    1. This week, I just hand washed the cloth because I didn’t have any other microfiber to throw in with it in the wash. It was quick and easy, and I may just continue to do that rather than try to mess with the washing machine!

  3. YGG! Thanks for sharing your experience! I *might* be up for trying something like this in the future. πŸ™‚

  4. This is so awesome. Honestly, I’ve heard everyone talk about Norwex but never really knew anything about them. I am def interested now!

    1. Thanks!! Several people have requested I host an online party so they can learn more…let me know if you want me to add you to it! I think it will probably be next week.

  5. I really enjoyed watching your stories daily on IG with updates on how your challenge was going. Not sure that I would use this as a soap replacement, BUT I think I would like to get a back to use as my daily face cloth for removing makeup. Did you find that it did a good job at truly removing it?

    1. Thanks, Marissa! I LOVED the body cloth for makeup removal. It does just as well as my cleanser did at removing my foundation, and it actually does an even better job than my eye makeup remover at removing my eyeliner and mascara. I’m hosting an online party this week/next, so let me know if you want me to add you to the private FB event. You can also directly place an order at this link: http://mackenziblasko.norwex.biz/en_US/customer/shop. No pressure…only purchase if it’s something you really want! πŸ™‚

  6. I just purchased my body cloths, but a friend has used them, without soap, for months! I kind of have a hard time getting around that, but I have to admit, she never has body odor so I’m waiting to be impressed!

      1. I have acne issues as well and just ordered these cloths. I have been reading that people with acne saw an improved difference, but I can’t imagine me quitting my prescription cream cold turkey. I would love if I didn’t have to use cleanser anymore. I would love to hear about your experience. Did you already have acne before using these?

        1. I hope they work out for you, Melissa! I also heard from people that using the body cloth helped clear up their acne. Sadly, that wasn’t the case for me…it actually made mine worse. I already have hormonal cystic acne, but it caused me to break out with smaller pimples too, and not just on my face. Check out my 6 week update here to read more about my long-term experience with the body cloth: https://fairlysouthern.com/norwex-body-cloth-6-week-update

  7. I have been using it for about a week too. I like it but still wonder about the soap. We have always been taught that Soap and water is what kills the germs. So if there’s no soap, what about germs? Thoughts?

    1. Hey Dianna! I am not a medical professional, so take my thoughts with a grain of salt. πŸ™‚ Not all germs are bad (some are really good for us, and most are at least not harmful) so it’s not necessary to soap off all the bacteria on our skin. However, if you have reason to be concerned about harmful bacteria or viruses being on your skin (for example, if someone in your house has the stomach bug, or you’ve been touching someone who has MRSA), then I think it would be a good idea to use soap rather than the body cloth!

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