Just like you, handmade soap bars need a little bit of TLC to keep at their lustrous best and ensure that they stay in tip top shape.
If you’re thinking ‘surely, you just stick your soap bar near the tap and have done’ I’ve got bad news – that, my friend, is the surest way to fall out of love with natural soap bars.
That is how you end up with soap that’s on the mushy side – and that’s no good to anyone! Here are our top tips for looking after your handmade soap bar:
So, why does handmade soap need special looking after?
Commercial soap manufacturing removes the glycerine, stripping it out to sell as a stand-alone ingredient or add to lotions.
Unlike mass-produced soap, natural handmade soap bars that are made from vegetable oils and butters like coconut, shea and cocoa butters ensure that glycerin stays in the bar.
Glycerin is a humectant, meaning it attracts moisture, keeping your skin soft and hydrated. It slows the evaporation of water from your skin too during winter chills. Commercially manufactured soap doesn’t contain glycerine which is why your skin often feels dry after use.
But it’s also this very property that means a bar of handmade soap will retain more moisture than other bars, especially if it is kept sitting in water on your sink, ceramic soap dishes with no drainage holes or in those ‘soap dishes’ built into showers or baths which never drain properly.
If your handmade soap has gone a bit mushy then don’t worry – it can still be saved if you move it and let it dry out completely.
Where do I keep my handmade soap?
What you need is something that will allow your soap bar to drain, and keep it raised above your kitchen or bathroom surfaces (keeping it high and dry). There’s loads to choose from, just ensure that you have drainage holes so the water will quickly run off and air will be able to circulate properly, leaving your soap to dry out.
Left: These wooden soap dishes let the bars dry
Personally, I’m a fan of the wooden soap dishes which have slats across them, because they are made from sustainable materials and they do a great job at keeping my soap dry and not the slightest bit mushy ☺
Want to get your hands on some? Check out our online shop to buy some just like the ones above – click here
Our friends at Refill Revolution (Market Harborough’s premier eco-friendly shop) also stock fab little loofah soap cushions which do a great job, too. Find more here.
How to store your soap so it will last
Buying your handmade soap in bulk? Can’t resist adding another bar to your collection? Here’s how to make your soap last. A cool, dry place which is out of direct sunlight is ideal.
A big fancy glass jar sitting on the windowsill of your bathroom? Erm, not so much.
Left: This is not the best way to store soap
Think wardrobe shelves, clothes drawers or linen cupboards. Plus your clothes will smell amazing!
We use natural colourings in all our Cooks Lane Herbs soaps – the likes of rosehips, pink clay, madder root and even spinach powder. These will fade if kept in strong sunlight. Essential oils will also last longer if they are kept in a cool area. We recommend that you use our Cooks Lane bars within a year to get the full benefits of the essential oils.
Any questions?
Have you got any questions about how to keep your soap happy? Email us, we’d love to hear from you – cookslaneherbs@gmail.com
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