How Long will my soap last?
How long will my bar of natural handmade soap last?
This is sort of like asking how long is a piece of string... although, it is one of THE most asked questions, it is a difficult one to answer to anyone's satisfaction. I understand the intent of the question. How long ANY bar of soap lasts depends on where it is used, how many people are using it, and what it is made of... so for example, in MY house, where there are 5 of us, using a bar of my natural soap, every day, in the shower (and a couple of those showers are quite long) one bar of soap can last up to 10 days. If I were using the soap on my own, it would last much longer. The other thing to consider is that my family also washes their hair with the soap, so it has double duty!
Another factor in how long a natural soap may last is what it is made of. Each oil that is used in soap making has different properties that affect the properties of the soap. Some oils are there to create lather – coconut oil is brilliant for a good lather... Palm Oil is a fantastic Oil to use in soap making because it produces a harder bar with a great lather, and it is very cheap to buy. Palm Oil, however, is RIFE with controversy, and in actual fact, I have used the last of my organic Fair Trade and Rain Forest Alliance approved stock and will not be using Palm oil of ANY kind from now on. There are simply too many unanswered questions about the farming of it for me to feel good about using it. This is another topic altogether though which I will address in another FAQ. Olive Oil on the other hand doesn't product a lather hardly at all, unless it is used with a mitt like the Sisal Exfoliating mitt, to entice a lather out of it.
EVERY natural handmade soap retains ALL of its natural glycerin and this is also a factor in the 'mushiness' natural soap has. Glycerin attracts moisture (it is called a humectant) and retains to it deposit it on your skin. This is a GOOD thing, but it does mean that care should be taken with your natural soap so that is doesn't degrade quickly. If you were to have a natural soap run continuously under water, it would certainly degrade faster than a commercially produced bar of soap. It's goodness, in this case, contributing to its demise! I always recommend removing the soap from the shower area and leaving it in a place where air can circulate around it, allowing it to dry between uses. My husband has made lovely recycled pine soap mats (In picture above and offered for sale on the accessories page) that we put all our soap on when not in use, the grooves allow water to drain away, and air to circulate around them.
Many of my clients comment on how delighted they were with how long the soap lasts. And by all accounts, a well made, well balanced natural soap using a good mix of base oils can lasts just as long as a commercial bar of soap. Understanding how to care for your investments is a good idea, and will help ensure your soap lasts the distance!
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This is sort of like asking how long is a piece of string... although, it is one of THE most asked questions, it is a difficult one to answer to anyone's satisfaction. I understand the intent of the question. How long ANY bar of soap lasts depends on where it is used, how many people are using it, and what it is made of... so for example, in MY house, where there are 5 of us, using a bar of my natural soap, every day, in the shower (and a couple of those showers are quite long) one bar of soap can last up to 10 days. If I were using the soap on my own, it would last much longer. The other thing to consider is that my family also washes their hair with the soap, so it has double duty!
Another factor in how long a natural soap may last is what it is made of. Each oil that is used in soap making has different properties that affect the properties of the soap. Some oils are there to create lather – coconut oil is brilliant for a good lather... Palm Oil is a fantastic Oil to use in soap making because it produces a harder bar with a great lather, and it is very cheap to buy. Palm Oil, however, is RIFE with controversy, and in actual fact, I have used the last of my organic Fair Trade and Rain Forest Alliance approved stock and will not be using Palm oil of ANY kind from now on. There are simply too many unanswered questions about the farming of it for me to feel good about using it. This is another topic altogether though which I will address in another FAQ. Olive Oil on the other hand doesn't product a lather hardly at all, unless it is used with a mitt like the Sisal Exfoliating mitt, to entice a lather out of it.
EVERY natural handmade soap retains ALL of its natural glycerin and this is also a factor in the 'mushiness' natural soap has. Glycerin attracts moisture (it is called a humectant) and retains to it deposit it on your skin. This is a GOOD thing, but it does mean that care should be taken with your natural soap so that is doesn't degrade quickly. If you were to have a natural soap run continuously under water, it would certainly degrade faster than a commercially produced bar of soap. It's goodness, in this case, contributing to its demise! I always recommend removing the soap from the shower area and leaving it in a place where air can circulate around it, allowing it to dry between uses. My husband has made lovely recycled pine soap mats (In picture above and offered for sale on the accessories page) that we put all our soap on when not in use, the grooves allow water to drain away, and air to circulate around them.
Many of my clients comment on how delighted they were with how long the soap lasts. And by all accounts, a well made, well balanced natural soap using a good mix of base oils can lasts just as long as a commercial bar of soap. Understanding how to care for your investments is a good idea, and will help ensure your soap lasts the distance!
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