Ever get ring worm? Had it twice this year. Staph infection? Yeah, I got that too. If you’ve never picked up something from the mats or a training partner, both suck, and both are really scary if you try to self-diagnose on the Internet. Go ahead if you want to; I won’t provide any gross-out links . . . satisfied? Ok. So now you know why I’ve been trying out different soaps!
Before you think less of me for being a dirty dude who spreads nasties throughout the gym, take note: 25% of people carry staph on their bodies ALL THE TIME. So when summer hits and we’re all sweaty, it becomes easier to spread through any little cut or scrape. And ringworm? Summer is prime season for that gnarly fungus!
So here are two quick reviews of the best soap I’ve used to prevent infection.
Fight Soap
This soap was developed specifically for martial artists looking to keep it clean. Their marketing doesn’t really portray this message, as there are lots of half naked girls and macho man ad copy. Either way, the soap is awesome: it’s all natural, contains proven antiseptics, and it smells pretty good too. I’ve tried Irish Heavy Hitter, Matt Mojito, Bloody Murder and Kappa. They all deliver as promised–no infections or flare-ups–and are wife approved.
Clear Men Shampoo
A training partner let me know about some research on homeopathic treatments for fungal and staph infections. Above, you can read about the effectiveness of tea tree oil and zinc (like in Head and Shoulders) on clearing up and preventing any grime you may face on the mats.
Guess what, the new Clear Men Shampoo has both!
Now, I like Fight Soap, and the bars are about the same price as this shampoo (the shower gel is close to double), but you can’t buy it at CVS. And I’m way to disorganized/lazy to order a steady supply. So I’ve switched to Clear Men Shampoo as a body wash–so far, so good! I cleans well, smells okay, and shares a lot of ingredients with other athletic soaps. Plus it has the added bonus of reducing dandruff–you know, if you suffer from that sort of thing.
So there you have it. A quick and dirty soap review for martial artists. Have you tried other soaps? Are they effective? Let us know!
Moai Martial Arts 
Wow, all that in one year?! Ouch. This does raise awareness for the gym though when working on the same equipment as everyone else who sweats all over the place. I for one am a huge advocate of wiping down equipment with the solvent gyms usually give. It angers me when you see people not clean after use. That’s just not cool… That Fight Soap looks pretty cool though!
Yeah, the gym can get pretty gross! What’s worse is when you’re grappling and it gets shared by everyone. It’s really hard to stamp out!
Sent from my iPhone ___________________
Look forward to more Quick and Dirty reviews!
Hey guys thanks for the review, just wanted to give you guys a heads up that Fight Soap offers a monthly delivery program where we send you soap at a discounted price, and billing is all automatic. You guys may also want to do some research on Australian Tea Tree oil (commonly known as Tea Tree Oil) on how a clinical test suggested that it is an estrogenic. This is why we shifted active ingredients and used a more potent but more expensive tea tree oil known as Manuka. Hope this helps and thanks for the support!
Thanks for the extra information. The delivery service sounds great! Sorry I missed that. I read that tea tree oil’s estrogenic effects may be neglegible. But I also heard how much more effective manuka can be. That makes Fight Soap worth it, in my book!