Did you know the use of bar soaps dates back thousands of years? It may feel like the most simple and non-luxurious bathroom product ever, but as someone who has switched the shop liquid body wash to natural bar soap, it is easy to point out several reasons why we absolutely LOVE soap bars! Just note that high-quality bar soap is made of natural ingredients, unlike most of the “beauty” bar soaps you see sold at the shops, which most are packed with harsh chemicals just like commercial shower gels and body washes.
Let’s get into it, why do we love natural soap bars so much?
NO CHEMICALS
Many commercial liquid soaps and body washes are in fact detergents in disguise: surfactants are the ingredients that create the foam and bubbles in these products. It’s a chemical that dries your skin and washes off the natural oils you have as a natural protective layer. Fun fact: surfactants are a chemical petroleum by-product – doesn’t sound like something you want to wash your skin with, does it?
MOISTURIZED, SILKY SKIN
Bar soaps are made of natural, premium ingredients like plant-based essential oils leaving your skin soft and moisturized. Bar soap also has glycerin, a naturally occurring humectant that attracts and retains moisture. Bye to dry, tight feel on your skin after a shower!
NO PRESERVATIVES
Body wash and shower gel are usually a mix of water and mostly chemical ingredients, and it requires preservatives to prevent microbial growth. A soap bar on the other hand contains very little water, so it doesn’t need any preservatives. Letting your soap dry in between uses is all what’s needed to keep it fresh and safe, and there won’t be any harmful bacteria growing in your bar.
LONG LASTING
Before switching to bar soap completely, I tried tracking my use of liquid shower gel for a while. It is easy to squeeze or pump generous amounts of gel out of the bottle which results in wasting more.I was absolutely shocked to notice I was able to consume about 375ml of shower gel in just one month for just one person.
That is almost two normal-size bottles of shower gel per month – insane! In comparison, one bar soap can last 4-6 weeks, or even more as it is easy to lather just the right amount. Just remember to let the bar dry in between uses! Our knitted soap pouches are super convenient for this.
First, wash your skin with the soap inside the pouch to get a gentle exfoliation as you go and just hang the soap to dry. The pouch lets your soap breathe and it doesn’t drip water!
CONVENIENCE IS KEY
Bar soap is incredibly convenient for example when traveling! It doesn’t count as liquid so it’s safe to pack into your hand luggage, it takes up minimal space instead of big bottles of liquid wash which are water for most parts and the bar is easy to slip into a little pouch or metal box to keep it packed safely. How many of you have reached your travel destination and opened your suitcase just to find your shower gels and shampoos spilled all over? Exactly.
CHEAP AS CHIPS
The main ingredient for liquid body wash is water. This makes you consume bigger amounts of product and it still is usually more pricey. High-quality soap bar contains minimal amounts of water and is packed with nourishing ingredients, so you actually get what you pay for. Which literally is pennies considering how long one bar lasts in daily use!
NO WASTE
The best part, no packaging is required for soap bars! This is one of the easiest zero waste swaps to do in the beginning of your journey – for me it meant going from consuming 12-24 plastic bottles of shower gel to ZERO BOTTLES A YEAR!
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