We love the intimate and sensual experience of using our vegan cleansing bar soap, but bars often need a little more love and care than liquid or bottled soaps. We want your Botanical Bar to last for many bathtimes to come, so we’ve rounded up six tips for keeping your bar healthy, happy, and well-loved:
1. Home is where the soap is.
Give your Botanical Bar a home: using a drainable soap dish (instead of the side of your tub) is the easiest way to extend its life. Soap dishes allow your soap to dry properly between uses and minimize bacteria growth.
Ko Soap Dish by Object & Totem
Some recommendations from our favorite design tastemaker Sydney Gore of Architectural Digest include Object & Totem’s Ko Soap Dish ($30) and Binu Binu’s Green Onyx Soap Dish ($75). Some budget friendly ones include this concrete one with drainage ($12) from Etsy, or this minimal soap stand ($10). Store your dish away from your shower/bath’s water source to prevent product breakdown between uses.
2. Do the dishes.
We clean our bathrooms regularly, and our soap dishes should be no exception. There won’t be any hair or particles on your soap bar … if they have nowhere to live.
A thorough wash once a week will keep bacteria at bay and your space fresh. To remove small amounts of dried soap you can wipe your dish clean with a warm, wet cloth. For a deeper clean, we recommend the following:
- Combine equal amounts of vinegar and water into a spray bottle (or create a soaking solution with the same ratio).
- Add a tablespoon of dish detergent and shake gently.
- Spray this solution onto your soap dish and let it sit for 5-10 minutes.
- Use a warm, wet cloth to wipe away the grime or scrub it clean with a soft-bristle brush for tougher buildup.
- Rinse with hot water and thoroughly dry before returning your soap to its home.
3. Lather smarter, not harder.
Lather up in your hands or with your favorite loofah, rather than all over your body—this helps to conserve your bar’s cleaning power.
The Konjac Body Sponge by Everist
The Turmeric Botanical bar offers a rich, dense lather that’s less foamy than some other bar soaps due to its natural and moisture-rich ingredients, so a loofah or body scrubber can help you achieve a fluffier lather for those seeking suds.
4. Just in (the) case.
You can easily place your bar of soap in a baggie for trips, but this puts it at risk of getting smushed, dented, or rubbing all over the inside of the bag (and tragically wasting product as a result).
Soap Travel Box by Copo Design
A durable soap case is your best bet for minimizing damage to your bar while en route to your next destination.
5. Take back bathtime.
A more leisurely, intentional pacing can help minimize the chances of soap bar slippages, avoiding dents, wasted product, and excess bacteria reaching your soap from the far reaches of your bathing space.
Slowing down and being mindful of each step, product, and movement in your bathing ritual, you’re not only extending your bar’s life, but also bringing more intention and attention to your personal life.
6. It’s in the bag.
It’s always hard to say goodbye, especially to your favorite bar of soap. Make the most of the very last bit of your Botanical Bar by purchasing a soap saver: a small, mesh bag that keeps the little bits in your hand so you can keep using them up until the very end. Massage the bag in your hands to create a lather, or use it directly on your skin for gentle exfoliation.
Side Note: Soap saver bags are a tidier option for soap storage if you don’t have space for a soap dish or are a bathside minimalist—use the bag’s strings to hang your soap away for a quick drying and long lasting life for your Botanical Bar.