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I've been using bar soap for a good few years now as it was the means of cleaning that I could most-easily buy locally that seemed to incur the least plastic im

I've been using bar soap for a good few years now as it was the means of cleaning that I could most-easily buy locally that seemed to incur the least plastic impact. I like to imagine that the invested energy density and cost of transport is better too, compared to gels and liquids. Regardless of all that worthiness though - I just prefer using the stuff and am gently delighted when I walk into my bathroom and minded of the smell of my grandmother's house, decades ago. As the article implies, it comes with a certain fondness. - Added bonus - it works great on clothes that have been fouled by baby mess or food splatter.

11235813213455 7y ago
Same here, the joy of a good Marseille soap (I'm in France). It lasts at least 3 months for showers, washing hands, and everything (hair as well) I heard some people wash their teeth with soap, I'm not there yet :))
- detritus 7y ago
  Oh Good Lord, no - I don't know if it's a particularly British thing, but children were threatened with having their "mouths washed out with soap" if they said rude words!
  - gshdg 7y ago
    Definitely an American thing too, and there’s no British ancestry in my family.
  - merpnderp 7y ago
    I'm American and as a kid definitely had my mouth washed out with soap by my grandmother.
- tempguy9999 7y ago
  When I was a young kid we were out of toothpaste and some adult suggested using soap. I remember it wasn't very nice, but that's all. For the sake of science, I just repeated that, so as taught in school, the scientific method. experiment: brushing teeth with soap instead of toothpaste. apparatus: toothbrush, soap (sainsbury's cheapo), teeth, darwin-award level of stupidity. result: surprisingly inoffensive. Almost no taste of soap unless the suds reached the very back of your tongue. Considerably foamier than toothpaste! conclusion: for this brand of soap at least, an acceptable substitute. Minty soap would be better. Note that toothpaste actually contains a very fine abrasive which soap lacks. Also laundry soap (came in thick green bars IIRC) was probably far worse.
  - lm28469 7y ago
    AFAIK using soap wouldn't do much to clean your teeth. Toothpaste work because it contains abrasive and to a lesser extent fluoride and other additives. Most of the cleaning comes from the action of the brush on your teeth which physically removes bacterias, leftover food, &c.
    - tempguy9999 7y ago
      I agree and have to wonder whether toothpaste really does anything significant, or perhaps it's just a moneymaking consumable.
      - FreeFull 7y ago
        Brushing with an abrasive does make a significant difference. The fluoride also has a significant effect on reducing tooth decay. The other parts aren't too important (flavour and mouthfeel). You can definitely get away with using other abrasives, but it won't be as pleasant.
        jaclaz 7y ago
        Old toothpastes (and some of the new ones) used sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) in the ingredients, it is slighly abrasive, it is whitening, not at all bad tasting and non-toxic if ingested/swallowed accidentally.
- mathnode 7y ago
  I have never heard of this (UK), a bar of soap you can wash hair with?
  - 11235813213455 7y ago
    You can wash your hair with any soap bar, simple, efficient
twic 7y ago
I cannot stand shower gel. It feels like it sticks to my skin, and takes ages to wash off. Soap is straighforward, effective, washes off easily, and is available in many wonderful forms. I currently use Dr Bronner's inimitable liquid soap, and am looking forward to using some small but ruinously expensive bars i bought from Claus Porto while on holiday.
- ebg13 7y ago
  > Soap is straighforward, effective, washes off easily I suspect that the real reason why soap feels like it washes off more easily is that it leaves a layer of soap scum on your skin and detergents don't. Those detergents also likely have moisturizers added to compensate for stripping off all of the natural oils that protect your skin.
X6S1x6Okd1st 7y ago
Some places also sell bar shampoo. Something you can take on planes & can be sold in simple wax paper.
- kzrdude 7y ago
  What's the real difference between shampoo and soap anyway? It's two kinds of soap, can't be that much difference.
  - ebg13 7y ago
    Shampoo is a detergent, not a soap. Detergents and soaps have different properties. Soaps lose effectiveness and produce soap scum in hard water. Detergents don't. Many body cleansers also cause less skin irritation than your common soaps do because they control alkalinity and add moisturizers.

11235813213455 7y ago

Same here, the joy of a good Marseille soap (I'm in France). It lasts at least 3 months for showers, washing hands, and everything (hair as well) I heard some people wash their teeth with soap, I'm not there yet :))

detritus 7y ago
Oh Good Lord, no - I don't know if it's a particularly British thing, but children were threatened with having their "mouths washed out with soap" if they said rude words!
- gshdg 7y ago
  Definitely an American thing too, and there’s no British ancestry in my family.
- merpnderp 7y ago
  I'm American and as a kid definitely had my mouth washed out with soap by my grandmother.
tempguy9999 7y ago
When I was a young kid we were out of toothpaste and some adult suggested using soap. I remember it wasn't very nice, but that's all. For the sake of science, I just repeated that, so as taught in school, the scientific method. experiment: brushing teeth with soap instead of toothpaste. apparatus: toothbrush, soap (sainsbury's cheapo), teeth, darwin-award level of stupidity. result: surprisingly inoffensive. Almost no taste of soap unless the suds reached the very back of your tongue. Considerably foamier than toothpaste! conclusion: for this brand of soap at least, an acceptable substitute. Minty soap would be better. Note that toothpaste actually contains a very fine abrasive which soap lacks. Also laundry soap (came in thick green bars IIRC) was probably far worse.
- lm28469 7y ago
  AFAIK using soap wouldn't do much to clean your teeth. Toothpaste work because it contains abrasive and to a lesser extent fluoride and other additives. Most of the cleaning comes from the action of the brush on your teeth which physically removes bacterias, leftover food, &c.
  - tempguy9999 7y ago
    I agree and have to wonder whether toothpaste really does anything significant, or perhaps it's just a moneymaking consumable.
    - FreeFull 7y ago
      Brushing with an abrasive does make a significant difference. The fluoride also has a significant effect on reducing tooth decay. The other parts aren't too important (flavour and mouthfeel). You can definitely get away with using other abrasives, but it won't be as pleasant.
      - jaclaz 7y ago
        Old toothpastes (and some of the new ones) used sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) in the ingredients, it is slighly abrasive, it is whitening, not at all bad tasting and non-toxic if ingested/swallowed accidentally.
mathnode 7y ago
I have never heard of this (UK), a bar of soap you can wash hair with?
- 11235813213455 7y ago
  You can wash your hair with any soap bar, simple, efficient

twic 7y ago

I cannot stand shower gel. It feels like it sticks to my skin, and takes ages to wash off. Soap is straighforward, effective, washes off easily, and is available in many wonderful forms. I currently use Dr Bronner's inimitable liquid soap, and am looking forward to using some small but ruinously expensive bars i bought from Claus Porto while on holiday.

ebg13 7y ago
> Soap is straighforward, effective, washes off easily I suspect that the real reason why soap feels like it washes off more easily is that it leaves a layer of soap scum on your skin and detergents don't. Those detergents also likely have moisturizers added to compensate for stripping off all of the natural oils that protect your skin.

X6S1x6Okd1st 7y ago

Some places also sell bar shampoo. Something you can take on planes & can be sold in simple wax paper.

kzrdude 7y ago
What's the real difference between shampoo and soap anyway? It's two kinds of soap, can't be that much difference.
- ebg13 7y ago
  Shampoo is a detergent, not a soap. Detergents and soaps have different properties. Soaps lose effectiveness and produce soap scum in hard water. Detergents don't. Many body cleansers also cause less skin irritation than your common soaps do because they control alkalinity and add moisturizers.