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

[GrayHare]

Welding soap goes with recycling dryer sheets. I do both.

 

[EastWest Gal]

My guess is that "body wash" is simply the marketeers' name for highly diluted soap sold at a much higher margin than bar soap. But basically the same stuff.

Not to mention plastic bottles.

I've also switched to bar shampoo and conditioner for that reason. I use bar soap at the sink for handwashing as well. As I swim almost every day, and my skin is dry, there is little to reason to soap my skin (excluding hands) at all except occasionally in the creases. I do a thorough rinse off shower before getting in the pool, but no soap.

To note, Irish Spring is not recommended for people with eczema. It is harsh (dries out the skin too much) and scented in a way that many people have a reaction to. FYI, I learned this from pediatric dermatologists over 30 years ago.

 

[Dreamer]

Dermatologist recommended using Dove unscented soap. I bought the bars, but my DH likes the body wash, so I have been using it also. I will go back to using the bar soap.

 

[Gumby]

....
Gumby would you mind posting your soap recipe, or send it to me by PM?

This for a Castile-type bar soap
36% water. 5 percentage superfat/discount. Makes about 5 pounds of soap, which will last about 5 months for two people.

Equipment:

8 qt stainless steel pot
1 quart or larger glass bowl (I use one that is like a big measuring cup with a handle and pour spout)
medium sized ceramic or glass cereal or soup bowl
large stainless steel whisk
ice cream scoop
stainless steel tablespoon (regular silverware type)
long thermometer
silicone spatula
digital scale that measures in grams
wooden cigar boxes (the deep kind)
plastic wrap
a stick blender

Ingredients:

375 grams coconut oil (14 oz. jar at Aldi)
442 grams palm oil (ordered from Amazon)
716 grams olive oil (the cheapest you can get at the grocery. It doesn't need to be EVOO)
48 grams essential oil for scent (I use rosemary or citrus and get them from Amazon.)

552 grams distilled water (the "distilled" part is crucial)
217 grams of Red Crown lye crystals (from Amazon)

Process:

A. Prepare the oils:

1. Put jar of coconut oil (still sealed) in sink with very hot water, so it melts a little and is easier to get completely out of the jar.

2. Put 8 qt stainless pot on scale and zero it.

3. Put the coconut oil in the pot. It should weigh within a few grams of 375 g. Re-zero the scale and, using the ice cream scoop, put the palm oil in the pot right on top of the coconut oil (you'll have to push it off the scoop with your thumb, so have a washcloth handy). Re-zero and pour in the olive oil. Finally, re-zero and pour in the essential oil.

4. Put the oil filled pot on the stovetop on low or simmer. You need to melt any still solid coconut oil and the palm oil. You want to get the temperature up to about 110-115 deg. F It is easy to overshoot and then it takes a long time to cool back down. So shut off the heat early.

B. Prepare the lye: (BE CAREFUL. LYE IS CAUSTIC AND WILL BURN YOUR SKIN.)

1. Put the glass bowl on the scale and zero it. Pour the distilled water into the bowl to the proper weight. Then set the bowl aside.

2. Put the very dry cereal bowl on the scale and zero it. Using the tablespoon as necessary, carefully pour the lye crystals into the cereal bowl until you hit the proper weight. Don't worry if there are clumps, just as long as the weight is right.

3. Now, very carefully but confidently, pour all the lye crystals into the bowl of water. Stir with the stainless whisk until the solution is clear. Don't splash any of the solution on your hand. When it is clear, stop stirring and set it aside. It will be quite hot - above 175 deg. F. I usually put the bowl on a cold burner on the stove top, so I can run the range hood just in case there are vapors.

4. Measure the temperature of the oils and of the lye solution periodically. Be diligent about cleaning off the thermometer after measuring one and before measuring the other. You are aiming to have them both at about 110-115 deg. F before you will mix them. It will take about 35-40 minutes for the lye solution to cool.

C. Make the soap:

1. While the lye is cooling, prepare your cigar box molds. I use two crossing sheets of plastic wrap, long enough to completely cover the soap after it is poured in. Mold the wrap down into the box, pushing it into the corners, leaving the loose ends up over the rim of the boxes.

2. Plug in your stick blender, set it on the lowest speed and have it ready next to the stove top

3. Once the lye solution and the oils are each about 110-115 deg. F. turn off the heat under the oil pot if you didn't turn it off earlier. Pour the lye solution into the pot with the oils and start mixing with stick blender. Keep the head below the surface and slowly move it around the pot.

4. In about 5 or 6 minutes, the soap will start to resemble custard. Periodically stop blending and draw the tip of the blender across the surface. If the ridges created that way stay up, you've blended enough. If they fall back, keep blending.

D. Mold, cut and age:

1. Once the soap is thick enough, pour it into your plastic wrap lined cigar boxes. I use two and fill them each a little over half way. A silicone spatula will be of great help in getting all the soap out of the pot. A friend would also be helpful. One to hold the pot and one to use the spatula. After all the soap is in the molds, gently bump them on the counter to make sure everything is settled, smooth the top with the spatula, then fold and press the loose plastic wrap ends down over the soap so that it is covered.

2. Close the box top and wrap the box in a kitchen towel. You don't want it to cool too fast. Let the wrapped boxes sit for 2-3 days. Then remove the now harder soap from the molds, remove the plastic wrap and use a large chef's knife to cut it into bars of appropriate size.

3. Sadly, you can't use the soap yet, because it will melt too fast. You have to age it to make it hard. I put my new soap bars, standing on edge and separated from each other by about a quarter inch for air circulation, in two old wire in-baskets. I put the baskets in a cardboard box, close it and put it out in the garage, where it sits for about 5 months, when I bring it in and put the soap in the linen closet on a paper towel.

4. When our current linen closet supply runs out, I bring in the aged soap from the garage and make a new batch to put out for aging. So I make soap about every five months.



While I usually don't vary because I've found the recipe I like best, if you want to make soap with different oils or with different qualities, I have found this website calculator to be an excellent resource.

SoapCalc

Free versatile lye calculator for home soap making

soapcalc.net

 

[folivier]

Thank you!

 

[athena53]

Welding soap goes with recycling dryer sheets. I do both.

I didn't know anyone else welded soap! I don't use dryer sheets.

 

[mountainsoft]

I have used Irish Spring bar soap as far back as I can remember.

I do use body wash when traveling as it's easier to pack than a bar of soap. However, I must not know how to use it correctly as I always feel like 50% of it just goes down the drain instead of on my body. I always seem to have way too much soap in some areas and not enough in other's. I end up using way more body wash than I would with a bar of soap. I guess that's just my ignorance around the use of body wash.

 

[Koolau]

I've used Safeguard antibacterial bar soap for decades. I throw the little slivers away when I get a new bar out.

I thought we weren't supposed to use antibacterial soap because it help the bacteria develop resistance. And decreases it in ourselves. Anyway, I don't like the smell of it so no problem there.

IIRC Safeguard removed the "antibacterials" from their soap many years ago. Also, IIRC, all soaps are "naturally" a little bit antibacterial to some degree. I think the main thing they do is solvate the oils and bacteria so that water washes most dirt, oils and bacteria from the skin.

How Does Soap Work? | Britannica

Soap has some pretty nifty chemical properties that allow oils and water to mix.

www.britannica.com

 

[Surewhitey]

I'm a Neanderthal and use whatever shampoo DW buys for everything...
Simple man

 

[More Cowbell]

I prefer unscented liquid soap/body wash to bar soap for ease of cleanup in the shower. I buy the big refill size of whatever unscented liquid soap is at Costco, preferably on sale. Dr Bronner’s is popular locally but too harsh for my skin. DH uses whatever I buy, and since his skin is dry I just added Cerave as a moisturizing cleanser for him to try. Transfer the bulk soap into a small clear plastic pump bottle so I can see when it needs to be refilled. It won’t break if knocked over. Soap bars slip out of wet hands and onto the floor where they are hazardous to your health if stepped on. A friend used to make soaps, always gave me soaps, which I immediately donated.

To the OP: I understand that Old Spice is back in vogue with my 18 and 21 yo nephews. I was surprised, I thought younger guys liked AXE. My DD used to wear Old Spice!

 

[aja8888]

I prefer unscented liquid soap/body wash to bar soap for ease of cleanup in the shower. I buy the big refill size of whatever unscented liquid soap is at Costco, preferably on sale. Dr Bronner’s is popular locally but too harsh for my skin. DH uses whatever I buy, and since his skin is dry I just added Cerave as a moisturizing cleanser for him to try. Transfer the bulk soap into a small clear plastic pump bottle so I can see when it needs to be refilled. It won’t break if knocked over. Soap bars slip out of wet hands and onto the floor where they are hazardous to your health if stepped on. A friend used to make soaps, always gave me soaps, which I immediately donated.

To the OP: I understand that Old Spice is back in vogue with my 18 and 21 yo nephews. I was surprised, I thought younger guys liked AXE. My DD used to wear Old Spice!

I think AXE has run its course. Youngsters are moving on.

 

[GravitySucks]

I get dry skin in the winter so last January I splurged and went to Sephora and bought a moisturizing body wash that smell like sandalwood.

I’m worth the $30 a year.

 

[Time2]

We use Caress bar soap. No lingering film, no odor. I dislike any soap that feels like it doesn't completely rinse off.

 

[rembrandt]

Irish Spring bar soap is terrible. It makes my whole body itch!

 

[badatmath]

I read somewhere they use Irish Spring on farms to keep flies away from the cattle. No clue if it is true.

 

[aja8888]

I read somewhere they use Irish Spring on farms to keep flies away from the cattle. No clue if it is true.

I have been using it for a long time and files are never around me. Maybe there is something to that?

 

[badatmath]

I have been using it for a long time and files are never around me. Maybe there is something to that?

you know if it works on mosquitos I should try it. . . I can be out in a group and I will get chomped 20 times for all everyone else gets.

 

[Retired Expat]

I don't care for more plastic bottles, so bar soap it is. Been using Ivory for a long time, but noticed the batch I purchased a few months ago is different for the first time ever. It smells different and the bar feels sort of slimey now. I might be switching to something else.

I feel the same about ivory or Dove. Dial or Irish Spring leave a nice clean feel and smell nicer.

Reason hotels are all switching to body wash is the having to give each new guest a new bar is expensive and now they are moving away from the single use plastic bottles and using the dispensers. Which is what I use in my AirBnB. But they are as easy as tour own bar or squeeze bottle.

 

[Harpy Eagle]

This is my favorite soap, from Grove.co

 

[Sanstar]

Sebamed ordered via Amazon. Ph is 5.5, pump, hypoallergenic and hydrating. Not cheap but lasts months. I have dry, sensitive skin and this is the best! Do use Irish Spring bars….in closets to deter critters and for scent.

 

[GrayHare]

An update on the new Ivory bar soap is it lasts longer than the old version. It also welds very well. I presently have three used bars stuck together and can still see the individual contributions. I like it.

 

[aja8888]

I've been using this as a trial:

Dr. Bronner's - Pure-Castile Bar Soap (Peppermint, 5 ounce) - Made with Organic Oils, For Face, Body and Hair, Gentle and Moisturizing, Biodegradable, Vegan, Cruelty-free, Non-GMO​

Seems OK, but the bar is not long lasting. Also, it's pricey. Will try liquid body wash next.

 

[VanWinkle]

Liquid soap and I prefer Old Spice Swagger with the red pump bottle.

 

[audreyh1]

I found the soap which is my favorite brand. The company is La Maison du Savon de Marseille. You can occasionally find a store in France, easy to find in Provence/Côte d’Azure. It’s a lovely feeling fine soap, lathers easily and rinses off cleanly, and the bars last a long time. Their soaps we like are perfumed, a huge array of floral fragrances available, but the soap rinses off completely clean so you don’t step out of the shower selling like the soap. Rather, you enjoy a nice fragrance while showering, which is what we like.

 

[Gumby]

..... you enjoy a nice fragrance while showering, which is what we like.

One of the benefits of making my own soap is that I can make it smell like whatever I want. I prefer rosemary, but the young wife likes a citrusy smell, such as lime or bergamot orange. We are limited only by the availability of the proper essential oil.