Bar Soap Vs Body wash

[Chappyk]

Just curious to see what people's opinions are on the use of bar soap over body wash? I know that that we make homemade soaps because of better ingredients but I keep getting the argument that bar soaps are more drying because of sodium hydroxide than the typical body wash....now maybe I should have looked at the ingredients of body wash before I posted but thought I'd get peoples opinions.

 

[Obsidian]

I don't like body wash or home made liquid soap very well. Store bought body wash is drying and makes me itch, home made liquid soap doesn't lather good enough.
If handmade soap is formulated properly, it shouldn't be drying. If someone is getting dry skin from handmade soap, they need a different formula or recipe. I'm pretty sensitive to CP soap, it dries me easily so I had to formulate a lower cleansing bar with higher SF.

 

[CanaDawn]

Well....there should not be any sodium hydroxide left in a good bar soap, so that argument is a little tricky to address. Who is making that argument? (Knowing that might point to the "real" point of concern, so you could address that most directly)

Most body wash I've seen is syndet and not soap, as are most "beauty bars" (or what most people think of as "bar soap"). Maybe the people arguing for bodywash haven't used nice soap? Or are comparing syndet bodywash to syndet body bars?

 

[Chefmom]

For many years before I made my own soap, or even tried a homemade soap, I used commercial body wash and a nylon net "scrunchie" in the bath and shower.

I never knew that the reason I felt icky after showering, and then slathered lotion on thinking that would somehow correct it, until I lathered up my first home made bar of soap. I felt clean, my skin felt soft, no itchy weird feelings after and NO need for a body lotion either.

Now, more than 15 years later my homemade soaps, formulated to my personal taste through endless testing give me just as much bubbles and lather that the commercial body wash did. I can lather up with super bubbles, even in my hard water with my nylon scrunchie and enjoy the luxury of a lovely soap. Rinsing clean with my skin feeling so wonderful.

In the end, it's what you and your skin like. I will never go back to a commercial body wash, why? when it's an inferior product.

 

[fuzz-juzz]

Bar soap is a natural soap made from oils and NaOH. Commercially made body wash is a detergent. If soap is properly made, there shouldn't be any NaOH left in finished product. For me, soap is better in many ways, it's not drying as many of body washes, has slight fragrance, while many body washes are overloaded with fragrance and why wash my one and only precious skin that doesn't get better with age (hehe) with something that's used to wash of grease on dirty dishes, etc. We are tricked into thinking that bubbles in body washes and shampoos are equal cleaning, but it's just another marketing trick completely misunderstood by consumers. What we see on the TV add must be right, yeah?

 

[Bex1982]

I like using soap better because of all the crap they put in body wash. It might temporarily soften skin because of synthetic skin softeners they add. People also like that body wash has a stronger scent.
I like that I can control what's in my soap.
But some people's skin does need to adjust to soap when they've been using commercial stuff for years. Skin has to start producing it's own oils etc so it might seem drying only at first. I tell people to give it st least a week before they just give up on soap.

 

[pamielynn]

I like using soap better because of all the crap they put in body wash. It might temporarily soften skin because of synthetic skin softeners they add. People also like that body wash has a stronger scent.
I like that I can control what's in my soap.
But some people's skin does need to adjust to soap when they've been using commercial stuff for years. Skin has to start producing it's own oils etc so it might seem drying only at first. I tell people to give it st least a week before they just give up on soap.

My thoughts exactly! Most people don't even remember what "clean" feels like. I love the fact that since I've been making my own soap, I haven't had to spend hundreds of dollars a year on lotion. I slap a little home made body butter on occasionally, but that's it.

But some people still whine about how "messy" handmade soap can be - as opposed to the landfill-clogging convenience of body wash bottles.

 

[eucalypta]

Every time I'm amazed and pleased once again with the abundant and creamy lather of my CP soaps. (perhaps not literally every time, but YKWIM.) Hearing the same pleasant surprised astonishment in the voices of new-to-CP-soap customers, makes me really happy!

So in short: I favour CP soap in the shower.

That said, I have to admit that I have nothing against a good syndet "soap" or shower gel, bubble bath, shampoo, whatever. And I do enjoy making those.
I make my own MP from scratch; one of my specialties are syndet shampoo bars and I'm taking pride in making the best possible "allergen-free" shower gel.
We are in the privileged position to be able to make customized products, by carefully choosing the best ingredients for those products and at the same time leave out those ingredients that we consider unwanted or less favourable in a specific product.

We can have the best of both worlds, so why not put it to use.

 

[LunaSkye]

I personally gravitate towards solid soap for a few of reasons. It's easy to make, easy to lather in a washcloth, I don't need to spend money on preservatives, and I don't have to worry about finding containers to store them in... though honestly I do have to worry about where to let my bars cure.

 

[lsg]

I use bar soap in the shower, but I do make body wash. You can choose mild surfactants that produce bubbles without making a drying product. Adding aloe vera, emollients and proteins also helps to make a mild product. Here is a link to my go-to place for info.:

http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com/2012/04/formulating-for-dry-skin-creating-basic_12.html

 

[Moody Glenn]

...But some people still whine about how "messy" handmade soap can be - as opposed to the landfill-clogging convenience of body wash bottles.

Thanks Pamielynn for mentioning this. My brother's family never tried my soap stating about the 'grossness factor' of using "used bars" and always believed that bottled body wash products were best since they made no mess in the bathroom. Made me ticked off so I told them thanks for contributing in making the nearby landfill a much bigger place. They had no idea what I was talking about.

Last year my nephew got married and his wife goes wild over my soap. My nephew suddenly discovered how great cp soap provides lather and lasts a whole lot longer (thus more economical) than a bottle of body wash. Each has their own favorite scented bar and never uses the bottled stuff. That makes me happy. :grin:

 

[IrishLass]

Last year my nephew got married and his wife goes wild over my soap. My nephew suddenly discovered how great cp soap provides lather and lasts a whole lot longer (thus more economical) than a bottle of body wash. Each has their own favorite scented bar and never uses the bottled stuff. That makes me happy. :grin:

The same kind of thing happened to me with a couple of members in my family, only it was the other way around- the husband was the one who went wild over my soap, which then caused his "liquid-soap-only" wife to be curious enough to finally try a bar. She now loves my bar soap is one of my most vocal fans. It's funny how that happens.

I make both bar soap and liquid soap, but I (and my family) prefer to use only the bar soap in the shower.

I package my liquid soap in cleanable, re-usable glass pump bottles and keep them by the sink for convenient hand-washing. Don't laugh, but I also keep a bar of my CP soap right next to it by the sink as well, so we can choose (another one of the great perks that come as 'part & parcel' with making your own).

While I love my liquid soap (I'm able to formulate it to be quite bubbly and non-drying via the glycerin method), I only make small 1 lb. batches of it at a time to keep on hand (for lack of storage reasons). So, that's why we only use it sink-side. Well..... that, and the fact that there's nothing like the luxurious feeling of lathering up a bar of soap in the shower. I don't know what it is, but there's just something wonderful about it. lol


IrishLass