Have you officially switched to the green team of bar soaps and shampoos? Congratulations! Now, it’s time you knew how to store your bar soaps and shampoo bars to increase their efficiency and longevity. Take a look at these five tips and thank us later.
How to store your bar soaps and shampoo bars
Solid beauty products – such as bar soaps and shampoo bars – have several benefits. But to take maximum advantage, you must know how to properly store them. Here are our five tips.
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Keep them away from water
It is with great pride that you have purchased your first plastic-free body care product. You open it and throw the biodegradable carton in the compost or recycling. So far so good. But without thinking, you place the bar on the edge of the bathtub near all your other products or next to the sink. Bad idea! Avoid storing your shampoo or soap where it can come into frequent contact with water or humidity. Remember, a bar format disintegrates faster when it’s constantly wet.
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Let them air dry
Don’t lock them away! After using your bar, let it breathe. The longer it is exposed to the air and kept away from humidity, the more it hardens and the less it crumbles.
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Place them on a moisture-wicking soap dish
This tip on how to store your bar soaps and shampoo bars is simple, yet key: get a soap dish that is designed to efficiently drain excess moisture. Resist closed models (see point 2) that do not have slots for the soap to drain – even if they’re cute. Extra credit if you have a zero-waste biodegradable bamboo soap dish like this.
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Save the small, hard-to-use pieces
You’ve been using your body care bar for a while now and it’s starting to get so small you can barely lather up? Don’t throw it away just yet! Keep the small pieces of bar(s) in a little bag, away from humidity. After stocking up enough, you can meld them into a new bar or ball (depending on your carving skills). Or use them to make a small, but comforting, bath bomb!
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Transform them into liquid soap or shampoo
If you’ve just converted to solid body care, this advice may sound contradictory because this is supposed to be about how to store your bar soaps and shampoo bars. But read us out, it’s very clever! Dilute your bar soap or shampoo in water to multiply the amount! Try this on for size:
1. Use a cheese grater to grate your skin care bar into fine strips.
2. Place the strips in a reusable bottle or jar.
3. Add some fresh water and let the mixture sit overnight.
4. Stir your creation well before use!
| Is it necessary to wipe your bar soaps to eliminate bacteria? |
| No. Most of the bacteria that end up on your bar soap come from your own skin1. In addition, several studies have shown that the bacteria found on bar soap are unlikely to contaminate the skin and even less likely to make you sick2. |
| To take it one step further… |
| Cut your bar into four pieces and use one at a time, while keeping the rest in the box, away from water and humidity. |
The benefits of body and shampoo bars
In addition to being easy to use and store, body care bars like those from our leaves bar™ collection have undeniable advantages:
- They clean the skin and hair just as effectively as liquid soap
- They last longer than liquid soaps when stored properly
- They can easily be applied directly on the skin
- They are often offered in an eco-friendly cardboard packaging and completely plastic free
- They are compact and easy to pack
- The leaves bar™ collection – deodorants, soaps, body care, shampoos, and conditioners – are created without water for an increased concentration and maximum performance.
No matter which body care bar you invest in, the key is to choose eco-innovative products that carry the EWG VERIFIED™ seal. This stamp of approval is the proof that a product does not contain any ingredients of concern.
Now that you know how to store your bar soaps and shampoo bars, use these simple steps to maximize your new shampoo and conditioner bars and make your hair as heathy and shiny as it’s ever been.