How to Make Soap Last Longer
So you have bought our handmade soap and of course we want you to get the most out of it. There are many ways to make your soap last longer, it just takes a little effort.
1. Keep the soap away from water.
Nothing will make your soap disintegrate faster than keeping it wet. Water breaks down the consistency of the soap and makes it necessary to replace your soap much more frequently. Avoid storing your soap in a place that is constantly in contact with water, like in the direct stream of the shower.
2. Let the soap air dry.
Allowing the air to dry out its moisture will make a bar of soap harder (and therefore less likely to crumble), so that it lasts longer. The more time your soap spends completely dry, the longer it will last. Because of this, the more people who use a bar of soap, the faster it will need to be replaced. More users means less time between showers and more time that the soap will spend wet.
3. Always keep your soap in an appropriate soap dish that allows for drainage.
A wire rack, bamboo soap dish or a self-draining soap disht. Soap dishes without drainage keep the moisture longer and will make it harder for your soap to dry out in between uses. Although some of the more fancy plastic and stainless steel soap dish designs are funky and cute, unless they have drainage, they are liable to make your soap soggy.
4. Store smaller pieces in a soap-saving pouch.
Once your soap bar breaks down into smaller pieces that are difficult to use, put those smaller pieces inside a soap-saving pouch. This small bag will work to contain the pieces for reuse, but it also acts as a type of exfoliating washcloth that you can use to bath yourself with the soap remnants inside. Instinks is looking for some awesome soap savers.
5. Use a washcloth instead of your hands.
Skin is less able to produce and retain lather from soap than other materials. If you use a washcloth instead while you are bathing, the whole process will use less soap overall because the washcloth will create more lather and it the suds it creates will go farther in cleaning your body than simply using your hands alone. Additionally, you can use a loofah to help the soap last longer.
6. Take cooler showers.
Hot water will make your bar soap dissolve more quickly and will require more effort to make lather. A cooler shower will help your bar soap last longer by allowing it to maintain its shape and consistency for a longer period of time.
7. Water hardness.
Softer water will also help prolong the life of your soap over hard shower water.
8. Cut the bar of soap into smaller pieces.
Smaller bars of soap will last longer because you are taking smaller pieces into the shower with you each time. This means that only the smaller piece gets wet during each shower, so the other pieces can remain dry the entire time until you are ready to use them. Cut your soap bars into halves, or even thirds, if possible. Only use one small piece at a time until it is gone.
9. Convert bar soap into liquid soap.
Diluting your bar soap into liquid soap will help it stretch farther over many more uses. Follow these simple instructions:
- Use a grater to scrape pieces off your bar of soap.
- Take 1oz. of the grated soap and put it in a jar or other kind of container.
- Add 1-2 cups of clean, filtered water and let it sit overnight.
- Stir the mixture well before use.