Bar Soaps Buying Guide

Soap is plentiful. You can get soap in many different colours  and scents , and all different degrees of lather. Bar soaps in particular are very popular for showering,  fitting into the soap dish  for hand washing, and surprisingly efficient at facial cleansing when used regularly.  There are so many different types of soaps to choose from. Just take a few minutes to decide what you want to use the soap for--it sounds funny, but it is important.

What do I need?

First off, what is the soap for? Hand soap? Body soap? is it a gift? Is it for your face? Shower or bath soap? Are you vegan? Do you break out easily? All of these factors come into play.

• Dry skin, oily skin, or somewhere in the middle? This divides soaps practically down the middle. Most soaps will specify whether or not your skin type is compatible; for example, if you have dry skin, you'll want a moisturising soap so that your skin doesn't get too dry. 
• Is this for your face? Many people don't know that soap for your face is far too gentle for using on your body, and body soap is far too harsh on your face. So check the soap: if it's a facial soap bar, use it on your face; if it isn't, don't.
• Are you vegan? Soaps are made from lots of different materials, and one of the ways to choose what soap is best for you is deciding whether or not you'd like to have animal fat in your soap. With or without, it's pretty much the same, simply a personal choice.
• Do you prefer organic? A lot of people do nowadays, so if you would like to go organic, there are a lot of soaps to choose from. Enjoy!
• What's your budget? Soap can be very inexpensive or downright pricey. Pick your budget before buying; therefore, you won't be disappointed if things are out of your price range. Luckily, cheaper soaps get you just as clean.

Basic Soaps

Glycerine Soap  has been popular since the 19th century. It is simple to make, takes scents and dyes well, and fits into many different moulds. It is quite popular with at-home soap makers, and fairly good at moisturising.	Animal Fat Soaps  have been around since soap-making began. Animal fat soaps are generally a little less soft, and lather a bit less than say, coconut oil soap, but the classics work, and these soaps have been around for thousands of years.	Vegetable Fat Soap  is made via the same process as animal fat soap, except that different oils are used in place of the fat. Olive oil and palm oil are very popular. These are vegan-friendly, and create soft and lather filled soaps.	Exfoliating Soap  is a lovely way to rub away dead skin (without using a pumice stone or exfoliating scrub) and get you clean at the same time.

Moisturising Soaps

Dove	Ahava	Emu Oil Soap	L'Occitane Olive Soap

Sensitive Skin and Non-comedogenic Soaps

Neutrogena	Cetaphil Gentle Cleansing Bar	Pear's Oil Free Soap

Organic Soaps

Dr. Bronner's Hemp Pure-Castille Soap	Sanctum Certified Organic Lavender and Chamomile Soap Bar	Nui Certified Organic Soaps 100g

Designer Soaps

Bliss	Philosophy Grace	Abode Aroma Frangipani

Related Guides

Soap Making	Bath and Body	Bath and Body Gifts

Related Products

Shower Gel	Body Scrub	Moisturiser