# I miss the ubiquity of bar soap **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 2, 2023, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-miss-the-ubiquity-of-bar-soap/986433 "2023-07-02T03:03:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2023, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-miss-the-ubiquity-of-bar-soap/986433/81 "2023-07-03T02:47:19Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > Now get yourself some of those foaming hand wash bottles. When the gel is used up fill it 2/3s with water and add a couple pumps of your body wash. It will work just fine. I do this for hand soap: Dawn soap to water. It works, but I wish I could bulk/gel it up a bit - it’s so thin. Suggestions? Glycerin? PS: why do you add salt to soap? What’s the advantage? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2023, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-miss-the-ubiquity-of-bar-soap/986433/82 "2023-07-03T02:55:59Z")
Yeah, I still use Dial and Irish Spring regularly, as well as Safeguard, Zest, and Lever 2000 on occasion. I can get Ivory and Kirk’s Coconut castile, but they both dry me out something fierce most of the time. My wife uses Dove- there are 3 or 4 variants of it commonly available - pink, white, unscented, and some others that seem to have honey and other stuff in them. > [@needscoffee](#): > > Soap and detergent are different. Soap tends to leave a scum, detergents don’t. Liquid gels are generally (not always) detergents. Detergents can be formulated stong (as in dishwashing liquid) or weak (as in shampoo/hand/body gel). The main difference is that soaps react with the minerals in hard water, and create stuff like magnesium stearate or calcium stearate, which are what causes soap scum. Detergents don’t react like that, so no scum. In terms of their surfactant duties, they largely operate the same. > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > BTW, what is it about goat milk that people are making soap from it? Why goat milk and not cow milk? Probably some woo about how it’s nourishing to the skin or something. I’d bet that the soap itself is probably made from regular old fats like beef tallow, olive oil, soybean oil, and lye, like other solid soaps. The goat milk is almost certainly an additive- you can’t make soap out of it straight- not enough fat. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2023, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-miss-the-ubiquity-of-bar-soap/986433/83 "2023-07-03T03:06:40Z")
The ingredients for the goat milk soap I use are > Sodium Palmate, Sodium Cocoate and/or Palm Kernelate, Water, Glycerin, Goat Milk, Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Sodium Cocoyl Threoninate, Sodium Chloride, Pentasodium Pentetate, Tetrasodium Etidronate. So palm oil before goat milk. (And I’m not very happy that they use palm oil given the negative impact of its cultivation.) ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2023, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-miss-the-ubiquity-of-bar-soap/986433/84 "2023-07-03T03:15:24Z")
Palm oil, coconut oil and/or palm kernel oil before goat’s milk. Sodium palmate, sodium cocoate, sodium palm kernelate are all the actual soap, and the glycerin is another product of the fat + lye reaction that produces the soap. Those glutamates & threoninate are probably part of [something like this](https://cosmetics.specialchem.com/product/i-ajinomoto-amilite-et-cs-12), meant to improve lathering. They’re derived from coconut oil. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2023, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-miss-the-ubiquity-of-bar-soap/986433/85 "2023-07-03T03:20:10Z")
I’m not a chemist, i just found a bunch of recipes on line and then played with them to find what worked for me. My sense is that salt makes the result feel slicker and thicker, rinse better, and keeps the stuff fresh over long storage periods. But take that with a grain . . . ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2023, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-miss-the-ubiquity-of-bar-soap/986433/86 "2023-07-03T03:20:24Z")
> [@JaneDoe42](#): > > Did your great grandmother make soap back on the farm? Cause if she did, it was probably cow milk and lye. I’d guess lard and lye. The one time i made soap (at camp) those were the ingredients. ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2023, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-miss-the-ubiquity-of-bar-soap/986433/87 "2023-07-03T03:37:00Z")
That could very well be too. The only thing I know about soap making is that I have found someone who makes what so I don’t have to do it myself. And that I adore her for always having unscented for me. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2023, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-miss-the-ubiquity-of-bar-soap/986433/88 "2023-07-03T04:30:20Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I’d guess lard and lye. The one time i made soap (at camp) those were the ingredients I have a very frugal friend who used to have me save all my leftover bacon grease for her to use to make soap (unscented). I didn’t have to buy soap for years. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2023, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-miss-the-ubiquity-of-bar-soap/986433/89 "2023-07-03T07:12:30Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > I don’t really like washcloths at home because they’re gross after one use, and you hang them up and they mold/mildew. I hang up my washcloth after one use (on a drying rack in another room). The next day I take a fresh washcloth. At the end of the week the towel, 7 washclothes, etc. go in the wash. > [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > I have some skin allergies, and am nervous about using any soap other than Ivory. I’ve inherited my mother’s tendency towards exzema and have problems with contact dermatitis. Her doctor told her that Ivory is one of the worst soaps to use with her skin. I don’t do most scented products, nor shea butter or lanolin. Fun times. I use a skin cleanser\* created and manufactured here in Switzerland. When I am in the U.S. I use either Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser or Cerave cleanser. On the product I use here, it is specifically written “to be used the same as liquid soap”. The products are more expensive, but my skin is a lot happier. Ever so often I’ll there will be a bar soap I like in a hotel, and I’ll bring it home for washing my hands, but not for my body. Most bar soaps end up melting at some point and I end up throwing it away. Not useful. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2023, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-miss-the-ubiquity-of-bar-soap/986433/90 "2023-07-03T14:24:52Z")
I buy bar soap Irish Spring from a seller on Amazon, twenty four bars at a time. My gf has several pump dispensers for girl-soap in her shower. I totally don’t get that. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2023, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-miss-the-ubiquity-of-bar-soap/986433/91 "2023-07-03T16:09:30Z")
Irish Spring has a really obnoxious STRONG scent for me. Goes up my nose and gives me a headache. ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2023, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-miss-the-ubiquity-of-bar-soap/986433/92 "2023-07-03T16:31:59Z")
Totally with you on this one! To me, liquid ‘hand soap’ feels like coating my hands with heating oil, and takes just about as long to wash off. Yuck. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2023, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-miss-the-ubiquity-of-bar-soap/986433/93 "2023-07-03T16:42:40Z")
You only need maybe a teaspoon or so to get a lather on your hands. Sounds like you’re using way too much. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2023, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-miss-the-ubiquity-of-bar-soap/986433/94 "2023-07-03T17:25:43Z")
I use a lot less than a teaspoon of I’m just washing my hands. Or did you mean for a shower? ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2023, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-miss-the-ubiquity-of-bar-soap/986433/95 "2023-07-03T17:33:33Z")
Yeah, I guess it’s more like half that amount. A teaspoon would more likely be the right amount for a shower. I just couldn’t imagine using so much soap that it took a long time to rinse off (or felt like motor oil?). ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2023, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-miss-the-ubiquity-of-bar-soap/986433/96 "2023-07-03T17:55:05Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > > [Skin Relief Fragrance-Free Body Wash, Sensitive Skin | AVEENO®](https://www.aveeno.com/products/skin-relief-unscented-body-wash-for-sensitive-skin) > > > > This fragrance-free body wash, with a soothing Triple Oat formula, gently cleanses while leaving skin feeling moisturized. > > Stopped using bar soap ages ago. Never looked back. To each his own, but those moisturizing soaps drive me nuts, especially in the shower. I remember after I was grown up and out of the house, when I’d go to visit my mom, she’d have bars of those moisturizing soaps in the guest bathroom. (We never had them at home, growing up.) I’d rinse and rinse and rinse, and the soap would still be clinging to me. That was my first encounter with these kinds of soaps, and I didn’t know what the deal was, but I couldn’t stand it. Sometimes we stay at a hotel where the shower soap is moisturizing soap. I usually take along a bar or two of regular soap from home when we travel, but occasionally I forget, and it still creeps me out, but at least I know that’s what’s going on now. If we’re staying more than overnight, I’ll get some normal soap the next day. My relationship with soap is very simple: I use the soap to get the dirt off, then I use water to get the soap off. I realize we’re not all the same and obviously there are a lot of people who really like those moisturizing soaps, and that’s fine, but just don’t spring them on me. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2023, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-miss-the-ubiquity-of-bar-soap/986433/97 "2023-07-03T18:04:56Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > If one is trying to use liquid soap sans scrunchie, it’s no surprise to me they are disappointed with its use. > > The scrunchie makes all the difference. You wash your hands with a scrunchie? I’m not trying to give you a hard time, I’m just trying to understand. The main place I encounter liquid soap is in addition to or in lieu of bar soap at a sink. Switching gears here, I keep a small bar of soap at the kitchen sink, in addition to the liquid soap my wife has a bottle of there. When cleaning pots and pans, the liquid soap she prefers does a piss-poor job of cutting through any grease that’s gotten on my hands. A bar of Safeguard does the job just fine. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2023, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-miss-the-ubiquity-of-bar-soap/986433/98 "2023-07-03T18:12:18Z")
To be honest, I had no memory that body washes were moisterizing. I had to look up what it means, which apparently is a term used for soap substitutes that don’t dry out your skin. So it’s preventative more than performative, I think. I have dry skin, and that’s a pain. Soaps, i.e. detergents, do dry out skin. Here’s a seemingly neutral site: > **[Is Soap Bad for Your Skin?](https://www.verywellhealth.com/what-soap-does-to-your-skin-1069544)** > > Soap can be bad for your skin, especially the skin on your face. The cleanser you use matters, but so does how (and how often) you wash. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2023, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-miss-the-ubiquity-of-bar-soap/986433/99 "2023-07-03T18:22:52Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > I have dry skin, and that’s a pain. Soaps, i.e. detergents, do dry out skin. That makes sense, and I suspect that’s one of those things where the effects vary a great deal for different people. The skin on most of my body feels just fine in terms of moisture level, but ten or twelve years ago, I started applying moisturizing lotion on my hands before bed in the wintertime, and 3-4 years ago, I went to using it year-round. The weird thing is, my face started getting oilier sometime in my late 50s, and I wash my face four or five times a day on account of that. I even get the occasional zit, which I hadn’t had for decades. (Excuse me, skin, but what’s with this teenage crap? Don’t you realize you’re nearly 70 years old? I’ve heard of ‘second childhood,’ but this is more like ‘second adolescence.’ 😉 ) ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2023, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-miss-the-ubiquity-of-bar-soap/986433/100 "2023-07-03T20:56:07Z")
The bar soap in the bathroom at my local bar, is a liquid. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-miss-the-ubiquity-of-bar-soap/986433.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-miss-the-ubiquity-of-bar-soap/986433.md?page=6)