Bar Soap or Body Wash - which is preferred and what brands are best?

[FlaGator]

TMI incoming, you've been warned

Did Neutrogena liquid when I could get it at Costco, but ultimately found it too expensive. Switched to Dove unscented bar soap for the women and kids but never found it lathered up enough for me to get clean, I'm too sweaty and hairy. Switched to Irish Spring (because it's the Costco/Sam's bar soap alternative to Dove). That does a far better job of breaking up the deodorant crust in my pits and getting off the grime after a day of working outside or exercising. But still keep a bar of Dove in the shower for the "occasional overnight guest"

Use a gentle liquid or Dawn for hands depending upon the grime/oil, and both are at the sink closest to the garage. But it's Irish Spring bar soap when I shower at the end of the day.

 

[aja8888]

TMI incoming, you've been warned

Did Neutrogena liquid when I could get it at Costco, but ultimately found it too expensive. Switched to Dove unscented bar soap for the women and kids but never found it lathered up enough for me to get clean, I'm too sweaty and hairy. Switched to Irish Spring (because it's the Costco/Sam's bar soap alternative to Dove). That does a far better job of breaking up the deodorant crust in my pits and getting off the grime after a day of working outside or exercising. But still keep a bar of Dove in the shower for the "occasional overnight guest"

Use a gentle liquid or Dawn for hands depending upon the grime/oil, and both are at the sink closest to the garage. But it's Irish Spring bar soap when I shower at the end of the day.

I'm still comfortable with the Irish Spring, but just seeing what everyone else uses these days. Soon, I have to buy something as I am down to one new bar.

 

[zangbao]

We've been using all the free soap from the Marriott hotels we've been in this year. The soap works well enough.

 

[Midpack]

I guess I'm in the minority; I haven't used bar soap in my entire adult life, with rare exception. Liquid soap is far more convenient and doesn't leave a gooey mess anywhere. I've used diff brands and never noticed much diff, so I usually get the inexpensive Suave stuff.

Like some others noted above, we use bar soap to avoid all the (single use) plastic waste. Packaged in easily degradable paper.

 

[gamboolman]

Bar soap all my life.
Usually Dial or Irish Spring or sometimes them fancy Duke Cannon Big Bars (rarely).

 

[motley]

Like some others noted above, we use bar soap to avoid all the (single use) plastic waste. Packaged in easily degradable paper.

Deforestation.

 

[aja8888]

Deforestation.

Grows back!

 

[motley]

And just as quick as it's being used, no really!

 

[CardsFan]

Deforestation.

Umm. Virtually all paper produced in the US is made from trees raised as a crop. This is like saying eating corn leads to deforestation.

 

[CaptTom]

I guess I'm in the minority, too. I gave up bar soap when my kids were little. Just too messy.

I use plain, store-brand, unscented liquid hand soap from the big refill container.

I don't like strong perfumes, or feeling all oily after washing. Plus, I don't want to put any of that crap in my eyes when I put in my contacts after washing my hands.

This is not something I'd put in the BTD category. It's just soap. All it has to do is clean effectively.

 

[motley]

Umm. Virtually all paper produced in the US is made from trees raised as a crop. This is like saying eating corn leads to deforestation.

Oh? Cool, good to know, ty

I'm still not using bar soap.

 

[reneeh63]

Long ago switched to body wash. Absolutely can't stand hair on a bar of soap - I suppose "we" could each have our own bar but body wash lathers up better, stays neat/tidy, and seems much more moisturizing. It seems to last a very long time and certainly some brands are quite inexpensive so I don't worry that much about waste or expense. I'll conserve on other things that don't matter to me.

 

[athena53]

I'm a bar soap person, indifferent as to brand/type. As others have said, I don't like having to throw away plastic bottles even though they claim to recycle them. I'm so frugal I take unused hotel-sized bars home and use them but will also buy fancy bars as souvenirs from my travels.

And I love good old Lava soap for when I've been weeding the garden- I'm prone to poison ivy and want something strong to wash off any oils. Pumice in my soap beats microplastics any day.

 

[Koolau]

We've been using all the free soap from the Marriott hotels we've been in this year. The soap works well enough.

We've always donated those soaps and shampoos/conditioners, etc. to the Women's Shelter. Perfect size for ladies who escaped with (hopefully) the clothes on their backs and not much else.

We have cycled between Dial, Dove, Irish Spring and a few other bar soaps. Never went the liquid route as you're paying outrageous prices for (wait for it) water.

Only 3 soaps I no longer use for bath time are: Fells Naptha, Lava and Ivory. Yes, I've used all three at one time or another in the past when mom and dad ran out of everything else - including money. But we had it pretty good growing up. We always had SOME kind of soap. I knew kids who often went without soap and you knew it.

If you can't tell, I'm NOT a soap connoisseur. Whatever is in the shower or on the shelf w*rks for me.

 

[CaptTom]

And I love good old Lava soap for when I've been weeding the garden- I'm prone to poison ivy and want something strong to wash off any oils

I use the mechanic's orange hand cleaner in a pump for removing grease and oil. Again, they sell refills so you don't have to throw away the pump.

On the subject of plastics, I do try to cut down. I even use reusable glass containers for storing leftovers rather than zip-lock bags. But, in the overall scheme of things, the bulk of my plastic waste is from unnecessary packaging. Our town banned single-use plastic shopping bags. But the packaging around the products in the bags probably contains 100 or maybe 1000 times the plastic the bag itself is made from.

 

[FLSUnFIRE]

I use body wash. Old Spice or store brand equivalent. Hard water here and the body wash makes less of a mess and don't have to deal with the bar either. I installed a dispenser in the shower too so no bottles to move out of the way/trap water when I clean too. I use a silicone scrubby thing and clean it with bleach periodically. Those loofa things get nasty fast.... I don't want to get out of the shower smelling like an old wet sock.

 

[38Chevy454]

Bar soap. Dial, Coast, Irish Spring, whatever. No preference except not Ivory or Dove, or any of the fancy soaps. Just regular old bar soap does the job.

In my detached garage half bath I have the Gojo type hand cleaner for real greasy cleaning. That and some regular dish soap that also works good for cutting dirt and grease.

 

[Teacher Terry]

I don’t use body wash because of the environmental factors.

 

[Tetto]

Yardley oatmeal and almond soap for me

 

[Dalton]

Body wash, Ivory, Original scent (pretty much unscented). I was set on Zest my whole life, but when I moved here, I ran into an issue with soap because I have hard water. Love the hard water, but soap + hard water = soap scum = a pain to clean. Turns out the body wash doesn't generate the scum, so I go with that.

 

[aja8888]

Body wash, Ivory, Original scent (pretty much unscented). I was set on Zest my whole life, but when I moved here, I ran into an issue with soap because I have hard water. Love the hard water, but soap + hard water = soap scum = a pain to clean. Turns out the body wash doesn't generate the scum, so I go with that.

I have hard water too and that's good info to know. thanks for the tip!

 

[Sunset]

I prefer bar soap.
We use ivory bar soap in the summer, because it floats.
Otherwise any bar soap is fine.
We use body wash when DW buys it, more in Winter time.

 

[ncbill]

unscented dove.

also suffices to wash my hair if i've kept it short enough.

 

[wrigley]

During my lifetime, I have been showering with bar soap - many different brands, usually depending what DW picked out when shopping. But lately, I have been assigned the shopping task (widower now) and have been sticking with bar soap.

This subject came up one early morning at a ROMEO coffee/breakfast meetup and some guys went with whatever their DW had bought and some had moved to body wash. Note: There are still some Old Spice users in this group! There was no consensus on what was "better", bar or pump stuff. What else would one expect from 12 or more old dudes who can't remember what they did yesterday?

I'm almost out of my Irish Spring bar soap and ready to "move onto" bigger and better things (quickly, may I say). I need the combined knowledge and experience of this group to point me in the right direction!

(FWIW, DW liked Dove bar soap, me, not so much)

Please give me your thoughts, recommendations and experiences! (asking a lot, I know)

For Gumby: I am NOT going to make soap like you do.

Whatever Suave body wash is on sale at the time!

Mike

 

[aja8888]

Thanks for the reply so far. I'm leaning on switching over to body wash since I have moderately hard water and that may not leave soap scum (if this is true). I may try Suave body wash as I use that brand inexpensive shampoo as my hair is OK with it.