Did you know soap bars last much longer compared to liquid alternatives because they contain much less water?
Yes, that’s right! Liquid soaps contain anywhere between 80-90% water. That is a lot. Especially when you consider most of your cost to purchase liquid soaps is going towards the water. A waste nobody needs. In comparison, soap bars contain anywhere between 5-7% moisture. For this reason, you can achieve multiple more washes with a soap bar compared to an average bottle of liquid soap.
However, like anything, your soap bars require care to reach their full potential. How can you ensure you are looking after your bar? The following framework is designed to help you maximize usage from your bar.
1. Use a sponge or cloth.
Use a sponge instead of your hands. An important thing to remember with soap bars - they are very water-thirsty. Contact with water softens the surface. This is helpful to create that bubbly lather we all love. However, too much lather erodes the soap bar excessively. Using your hands to lather the soap will waste soap - often because soap is run directly under the tap with this practice. Wasting soap straight down the drain!
Using a damp sponge will create a rich lather while only using a small amount of soap.
2. Avoid damp conditions
Be a good host. Soap bars go mushy when they are exposed to prolonged damp conditions. The trick is to keep them as dry as possible. Avoid putting the bar under direct streams of water or soap dishes that are not free draining. Allow the bar to dry out properly between uses.
When not in use - store your bar outside the shower. The shower can remain damp for many hours after use. Thus, the soap can’t dry properly before its subsequent use. Mushiness will develop. If you have an adjustable soap holder in the shower, adjust its height to sit above the showerhead. This one trick alone can double the life of your bar. Because the water and most steam remain below the soap bar; thus, it doesn’t get damp.
If you do not have a soap dish - stand your bar on its smallest end - exposing more surface area so it can dry faster.
3. Give it space
No, we aren’t suggesting that a soap bar is moody. However, that being said, a dry soap bar is a happy soap bar. Sometimes, even with your best efforts, a soap bar may become soft or mushy. If you have found this to be the case with your soap bar, leave it for a few days. Store it somewhere warm and dry. A break for a couple of days will work wonders. Your soap bar will be good as new again. Next to the hot water cylinder is the best place to re-harden your bar.
4. Cut it into pieces
This trick can sound a bit brutal. Trust us; it is remarkable at extending the life of your soap bar. Before you use it, simply cut it carefully into halves or thirds. Using one piece at a time, the rest of the bar will not be getting wet or mushy. Therefore, extending its life.
To cut it with the correct technique, carefully, using a sharp knife, place the whole blade over the soap bar and gently push down, so the weight is evenly spread across the cut. If the bar is too hard - place it into a damp cloth for a few moments to soften the surface. Beware it does not become too slippery for the knife.
5. Don’t waste the end pieces.
Over time through use, a soap bar will shrink. Eventually, it will turn into tiny pieces. These pieces can be challenging to use. However, don’t waste them. We have some tricks to share with you to get even more life out of your soap bar.
Our first trick: try putting the small pieces into a mesh bag and continue using it in the shower or by the sink.
Our second trick: Get your next new TamarVale bar and mold the remaining pieces onto it. Your new bar of soap will have an even longer life by increasing its mass.
We urge you not to throw away those little pieces. You’d be surprised just how much life you can receive from them.
Beautify yourself with our soap made using delicate ingredients & no nasty chemicals. Using TamarVale soap, you will experience nourishment for your skin, enrichment for your hair & indulgence for yourself. Feel the difference using soap that is kind both to you and the environment. Click to find out more.