Squeaky clean for dirt cheap

Once again, let me mention that we have 5 kids and 3 adults.
That's a whole lot of butt scrubbing and hair washing.

I tried bar soap. Kids being kids, they melted a bar every two to three days.
I looked at the prices of body wash and was amazed that 12oz of liquid body soap was running about $3 or more.

It's not antibacterial, it's not magical. It's just soap that smells pretty.

Think, think, think.

V05 shampoo is 88 cents to a dollar at most stores. It comes in a dazzling array of scents.
I bought Aussie shampoo and saved the pump bottle. Once it was empty, I started filling it with V05 Tangerine Splash Shampoo and gave the kids a 3 pump limit. I have no idea if they hold to that, but I'm only refilling the bottle once a month and it costs me under $2 to do so.

I moved their Shampoo and Conditioner into pump bottles as well. Using the pump makes the stuff last longer than hoping a kid can squeeze out a small amount and not a handful of soap.

I had to explain to the boys why conditioner is important. Shampoo opens the hair shaft to get all the dirt and extra oil out. Conditioner closes the hair shaft back down to make hair smooth and not suck dirt up like a sponge. (Ah, the joys of oversimplification!)

Those little poofy sponge things are fine, but they don't feel to me like they exfoliate enough. We live in a hot climate and sweat like pigs most of the time. I found scrubby gloves for a dollar a glove. These things ROCK! I try to replace them every 6 months or so. They don't fall out of your hands and into the water, needing to be resoaped. You can use one finger to scrub well behind your ears and not accidentally get a whole pouf stuck to an earring. Children under 5 don't fit the gloves too well, but they don't need to be on perfectly to work.