The Care and Keeping of Handmade Artisanal Soap

Like almost anything handmade, handmade artisanal soap is different from commercial factory-made soap. If you’ve used a bar of artisanal soap before you know that it can be nourishing and hydrating to your skin, even while cleaning away the dirt in a way that factory soap just can’t. But you might also know that handmade soap tends to be softer than commercial soap and, if you aren’t paying attention, can turn into a  sad soupy pile of mush. When you pay for a quality soap, you want it to last as long as possible. How do you make that happen? Here are 3 key tips to ensure a long-lived luxurious artisanal-soap experience. 

 

Don’t drown your soap! Use a soap dish that drains water away and allows the entire bar (bottom too!) to dry between uses. Here is one that we love. 

 

Soap needs to breathe. Commercial bar soaps have synthetic hardeners added in and have had most of their glycerine (a natural byproduct of soap-making) taken out. Because we don’t add synthetic ingredients and because we love what glycerine does for our skin (hydrates!) we don’t do this. (Also we don’t even know how one would go about extracting glycerine…) All this to say, the glycerine in homemade soap will hang on to water if you let it, causing a soggy bar. If you use your bar in the shower, try to keep it in a spot that doesn't get sprinkled by the shower head the whole time the shower is running. The drier your soap gets between uses, the longer it will last. 

For showers and baths, use a washcloth, scrubby, or loofah. You will use up less soap than just rubbing the soap all over you—and you’ll get a lot more bubbles. Who doesn’t want more bubbles in their life?

 

Store unused soap in a dark, dry spot. Excessive heat, light, and moisture are your soap's worst enemies.

 

The shelf life of unused soap is probably basically forever. In fact, some soaps, like Castile, were traditionally not sold until they were a year old. But, much like a fine wine, the way you store your soap matters. Keep your unused soap in a dark place that stays at a comfortable temperature for you. Excessive heat and light will quickly degrade the color and scent of your soap. Lingerie drawers and linen closets are great places to store your bars until you are ready to use them. As an added bonus, your linen and “unmentionables” will take on a subtle hint of scent from your soap. Should you find yourself with an old bar of soap that seems to have lost its scent, don’t worry; you will probably find that the scent comes back as you use it. 

How easy is that!? By following these 3 tips, you will be able to avoid soggy bars and enjoy the lovely bubbles, nourishing lather, and delightful scent of your beautiful artisanal-soaps for a very long time.