soap school
How to Make Your Bar Soap Last Longer
Cold-process soap behaves a little differently from many dense, pressed commercial bars.
Because glycerin is naturally formed during the soapmaking process, a cold-process bar can take up moisture more readily when it is exposed to too much water for too long.
A few simple habits can help it stay firmer, wear down more slowly and let you enjoy every bar for longer.
Water matters more than you might think
Your soap needs water to lather. But when a cold-process bar gets too wet, it begins to soften more noticeably.
The more excess water it meets during use, the more easily soap can be worn away. And if it stays wet between showers, it keeps taking up moisture instead of getting the chance to dry properly.
So making your bar last longer really comes down to two things:
- Use only the water you need while washing.
- Help the bar lose that water quickly afterwards.
Everyone has their own showering habits, and there is no one right way to use a bar.
But if you'd like to help yours last a little longer, these are the habits we'd suggest trying.
WHILE YOU USE YOUR BAR
Use water intentionally
Wet your soap enough to get the lather going, but you do not need to keep soaking it while you wash.
If you want to use a little less soap, lathering the bar in your hands generally creates less direct friction on the bar than repeatedly rubbing it over wet skin.
And once you have enough lather, turn off the tap while you wash. There is no need to keep water running over you or the soap.
One small habit: The Flick
Once you have wet your bar, give it a quick flick before you start lathering. That shakes off the excess water you do not need.
Then, before placing the bar back on the soap dish, give it another quick flick.
Whether you have rinsed the bar, added a little more water for extra lather, or simply finished using it, that final flick removes excess surface water before the bar is put down.This carries less water back to your soap dish and gives the bar a head start on drying.
Wet → Flick → Lather → Flick → Dry
BETWEEN USES
Give your soap somewhere good to rest
Let the water drain away
Your bar should not sit in pooled water or on a flat surface where water collects underneath it. A soap dish with proper drainage allows excess water to move away from the bar instead of keeping one side wet.
Let it air-dry
Drainage is only the first step. The moisture still on and around the soap needs airflow so it can evaporate between uses. Keep the bar somewhere open rather than enclosed, and try not to leave it directly under the shower head or in the trail of raining shower water.
Soap Yoga
Give your soap a little yoga
Your soap does not have to spend its whole life resting on the same side.
Every now and then, turn it over, rotate it or stand it on another edge.
This exposes different sides of the bar to the air instead of leaving the same damp surface against the soap dish after every shower.
A little Soap Yoga goes a long way.
Try to prevent your bar from getting waterlogged
Cold-process soap naturally contains glycerin, which attracts moisture.
If the bar is exposed to too much water for too long, the surface can eventually become soft, translucent or gel-like.
If that happens, move the bar somewhere with good airflow and let it dry thoroughly before continuing to use it. It can firm up again as it dries.
However, once part of the bar has become gel-like or translucent, drying it will not turn that part opaque again.
So prevention is better than trying to rescue a waterlogged bar.
When your bar gets small
Tiny pieces of soap still have plenty of life left in them.
If you are saving several remnants to use together, let each piece dry properly before adding it to your sisal soap bag. Avoid accumulating wet pieces together, as this traps more moisture between them.
Once you have collected enough dry pieces, pop them into the bag and use them together. After each use, hang the bag somewhere it can dry thoroughly again.
How long should a bar of soap last?
For one person showering around twice a day, one My Naked Bar soap can generally last around one month or more.
Some of our regular users make theirs last considerably longer.
There is no single number that applies to everyone because how quickly a bar wears down depends on how much water it meets, how much it is rubbed, how often it is used, how well it dries and the formulation of the bar.
Different formulations can naturally wear at different rates too. A bar that disappears a little faster is therefore not necessarily a poorer soap.
Enjoy your bar for longer
There is a little learning curve when you first switch to cold-process soap, especially if you are used to a dense commercial bar.
But it does not take long to get a feel for how much water your soap needs and where it dries best in your bathroom.
A little care becomes second nature, and helps you enjoy every bar for longer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cold-process soap naturally contains glycerin, which attracts moisture. If the bar stays exposed to excess water for too long, its surface can take up enough moisture to become soft, translucent or gel-like. Let it dry somewhere with good airflow before using it again. It can firm up as it dries, but a part that has already become translucent will not turn opaque again.
Yes, but not all soap dishes work equally well. A useful soap dish should let water drain away, allow air around the bar and make a wet bar easy to lift. If a damp or softened soap sticks firmly to a flat surface, you may end up yanking the bar free and leaving some of your soap behind.
How you use and store the bar matters, but formulation matters too. Different combinations and proportions of oils, superfat and other ingredients can affect the hardness of a bar and how it behaves in water.