Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners are prone to contracting contagious fungal, bacterial and viral infections of the skin. Close quarter contact with one another in combination with a warm, moist environment is the reason. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners have to follow the most stringent hygiene practices when it comes to preventing skin infections. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athletes know this. They are among the cleanest athletes.
Generally, you cannot practice with your friends and teammates if you have a contagious skin infection or even worst compete with your teammates in tournaments. It’s inconsiderate to participate knowing you have any time of illness as you can make others sick or transmit skin infections. If you get caught spreading something to your teammates, trust me, they will not be thrilled.
If a BJJ athlete is infected, it is protocol to be sidelined from practice & competitions to prevent the transmission of the skin infection to another.
Common skin infections include:
- Ringworm
- Impetigo
- Staph
- Herpes
- Jock itch
- Athlete’s Foot.
These skin infections are microscopic but can be your deadliest opponent. The easiest and safest way to defend against skin infections is as simple as soap.
Soap for BJJ athletes can be the key to success or failure.
BJJ athletes don’t want just any soap though. A black belt needs the soap that is practiced in the art of defense against skin infections just as long as they have in their craft. We believe an excellent BJJ soap for athletes to use should be natural, effective, consistent, safe and healthy for the user and the environment.
Essential qualities to look for in soap for BJJ athletes:
- Consistency – Ingredients are evenly 100% evenly spread in every bar or shower gel.
- Effectiveness – Clinically proven natural ingredients that stop the growth of fungi, bacteria, and viruses.
- Completely Natural – Chemical free, Preservative free, Fragrance-free. No colors, dyes or ingredients you cannot pronounce.
- High-quality Triple Milled– An extra step in the soap making process that spread the ingredients evenly. That also makes the soap produce a more luxurious lather and last 2-3 times longer than other soaps. The outcome is a luxury style soap.
- Rinseability – A made-up word to describe a soaps ability to thoroughly rinse off and remove all the sweat, dirt & grime from the skin and down the drain.
- Natural Ingredients have been shown to be very useful in preventing skin infections. But not all natural soaps are manufactured equally.
Handmade vs. Triple Milled Soaps
Handmade soaps are poured into a mold and left to sit for a long time. After a while, the ingredients settle and harden. That makes an ineffective and inconsistent tool to use to defend against skin infections. You would never be able to know what side of the bar contains the healthy ingredients. Triple milled soaps are unique because the process of triple milling makes the ingredients of the soap consistent and evenly spread through the entire bar. This process also makes the soaps lather more luxurious which is essential for delivering the natural ingredients to the skin.
Look for a soap company that manufactures a good BJJ soap in FDA registered facilities, and is triple milled to assure the consistency and quality you need.
Also, know how to read ingredient labels. The first ingredient labeled is the most used concentration in the formula.
Essential oils are expensive. Some companies will put a minuscule amount of essential oils in their products so their marketing department can make claims. Limiting the amount of the active ingredient is also a way to cut costs. Ideally, you should have at least 2% of essential oils in your BJJ soap.
Defense Soap uses 1% of Tea Tree Oil and 1% of Eucalyptus Oil in every BJJ soap bar, shower gel, and body wipe!
