Using handmade soaps can have more benefits than you may know. One being that your skin will thank you for the moisture. A lot of people notice that handmade soaps don't last as long as their commercial soaps. Well this may be true mainly because most people treat their handmade soap like a commercial soap when in fact they are very different. We have some tips for you to prolong your precious soap bar life.
- Keep the soap away from water. Nothing will make your soap disintegrate faster than keeping it constantly wet. Water breaks down the consistency of the soap and makes it necessary to replace your soap much more frequently. Avoid storing your soap in a place that is constantly in contact with water, like in the direct stream of the shower.
- Let the soap air dry. Allowing the air to dry out its moisture will make a bar of soap harder (and therefore less likely to crumble), so that it lasts longer. The more time your soap spends completely dry, the longer it will last. Because of this, the more people who use a bar of soap, the faster it will need to be replaced. More users means less time between showers and more time that the soap will spend wet.
- Always keep your soap in an appropriate soap dish that allows for drainage. A wire rack or a self-draining soap dish is best. Soap dishes without drainage keep the moisture longer and will make it harder for your soap to dry out in between uses. Although some of the more fancy plastic and stainless steel soap dish designs are cute, unless they have drainage, they are liable to make your soap soggy.
- Store smaller pieces in a soap-saving pouch. Once your soap bar breaks down into smaller pieces that are difficult to use, put those smaller pieces inside a soap-saving pouch. This small bag will work to contain the pieces for reuse, but it also acts as a type of exfoliating washcloth that you can use to bath yourself with the soap remnants inside.
- Use a washcloth instead of your hands. Skin is less able to produce and retain lather from soap than other materials. If you use a washcloth instead while you are bathing, the whole process will use less soap overall because the washcloth will create more lather and it the suds it creates will go farther in cleaning your body than simply using your hands alone. Additionally, you can use a loofah to help the soap last longer.
- Take cooler showers. Hot water will make your bar soap dissolve more quickly and will require more effort to make lather. A cooler shower will help your bar soap last longer by allowing it to maintain its shape and consistency for a longer period of time.
- Use small, leftover scraps of soap all the way to the end. Put small leftover pieces inside a washcloth or a bag sewn from a washcloth, and use the whole thing like a bar of soap.