# Those Expensive Clear Soaps-Worth It? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 19, 2009, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-expensive-clear-soaps-worth-it/493626 "2009-04-19T16:17:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2009, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-expensive-clear-soaps-worth-it/493626/1 "2009-04-19T16:17:36Z")
Regular soap is cheap and does a good job. My question: those expensive glycerine-based clear soaps-are they any bettr that the regular stuff? They cost about 3 times as much-are they really any better? ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2009, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-expensive-clear-soaps-worth-it/493626/2 "2009-04-19T16:29:20Z")
I had a friend with ultra sensitive skin, and that clear neutrogena bar was the only thing she could use. If you have normal skin that doesn’t have negative reactions to regular soap, you probably don’t need to change it out. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2009, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-expensive-clear-soaps-worth-it/493626/3 "2009-04-19T19:43:58Z")
I work for dermatologists, and have heard them recommend Dove bar soap on a clean washcloth hundreds of times, I bet. Plus, you only need to wash body folds and stinky areas- face, pits, groin, butt, and feet (not necessarily in that order). Simple and cheap. ---
**Author:** ![Lucky\_13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucky_13/32/13209_2.png) [@Lucky\_13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucky_13)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2009, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-expensive-clear-soaps-worth-it/493626/4 "2009-04-19T19:52:02Z")
I usually buy Ivory, and occasionally will splurge on a bar of Dr. Bronner’s lavender soap. I find the cheap castile bars work as well as the expensive glycerin soaps. If I want fancy scented glycerin soap, I can make my own - just bought a kit at Michael’s yesterday and made my first batch of soaps scented with a couple of drops of essential oils I already had around the house. They turned out pretty and smell nice. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-expensive-clear-soaps-worth-it/493626/5 "2009-04-20T01:14:32Z")
[del]One of the most expensive clear soups is Bird’s Nest soup. At high end restaurants, they go for over $100/bowl. [/del] Glycerin soaps are rarely medically necessary, but I admit I do like the feel of them myself. ---
**Author:** ![mariposalabrown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ad7895/32.png) [@mariposalabrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mariposalabrown)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-expensive-clear-soaps-worth-it/493626/6 "2009-04-20T02:33:13Z")
Purpose soap! I can’t recommend highly enough, and cheap as hell! I stayed at a girlfriend’s before and had it in a ziploc bag in her bathroom. The next morning she came out and said “Why were we eating cheese in the bathroom last night?” Ah, Purpose, how you do look like cheddar. Oh, on topic, I prefer it to the fancy glycerin soaps I buy from Lush, I think Purpose is better. My dermatologist recommended it to me as well, said Dove was good if my skin was ever dryer. Although that Dr. Bronner’s Hemp Rose is wonderful stuff, it smells so good. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-expensive-clear-soaps-worth-it/493626/7 "2009-04-20T03:14:23Z")
In case anyone’s wondering, antibacterial soaps are a complete waste of money. Do a good job with normal soaps and you don’t need them. Do a bad job with them and you’re still pretty much gross. I’m pretty sure I can scare up some cites on request. ---
**Author:** ![Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-expensive-clear-soaps-worth-it/493626/8 "2009-04-20T03:30:33Z")
Pears Soap is the soap of the gods. I use other soaps but nothing is better than Pears for me. Doesn’t dry the skin and you feel wonderfully clean.