We’re Bring (Sexy) Soap Bars Back!

[@access_control@]
[@article_id@]
[@blog_author@]
[@blog_content@]
[@blog_id@]
[@blog_subheader@]
[@blog_subject@]
[@category_id@]
[@category_name@]
[@category_ref@]
[@category_subheader@]
[@ccat_id@]
[@compat_id@]
[@compat_list_id@]
[@compatcat_description@]
[@compatcat_description2@]
[@compatcat_fullname@]
[@compatcat_name@]
[@compatcat_ref@]
[@content@]
[@content_allow_reviews@]
[@content_author@]
[@content_compatibility_code@]
[@content_description1@]
[@content_description2@]
[@content_description3@]
[@content_external_ref1@]
[@content_external_ref2@]
[@content_external_ref3@]
[@content_external_src@]
[@content_fullpath@]
[@content_id@]
[@content_label1@]
[@content_label2@]
[@content_label3@]
[@content_level@]
[@content_module@]
[@content_name@]
[@content_ref@]
[@content_short_description1@]
[@content_short_description2@]
[@content_short_description3@]
[@content_type_code@]
[@content_type_id@]
[@content_type_name@]
[@content_wufoo_form@]
[@date_posted@]
[@date_updated@]
[@description@]
[@description2@]
[@external_ref@]
[@gp_restriction@]
[@id@]
[@name@]
[@page_content@]
[@page_editor@]
[@page_header@]
[@page_id@]
[@page_index@]
[@page_subheader@]
[@parent_ccat_id@]
[@parent_content_id@]
[@parent_id@]
[@rating@](CODE)
[@rating_decimal@](CODE)
[@rating_round_half@](CODE)
[@reviews@](CODE)
[@short_description@]
[@sortorder@]
[@subtitle@]
[@templatebody@]
[@templatefoot@]
[@templatehead@]
[@templatesearch@]
[@thumb@](CODE)
[@thumb_alt@](CODE)
[@thumb_alt1@](CODE)
[@thumb_content_type_id@]
[@timestamp@]
[@title@]
[@url@]

In our quest for convenience, liquid soap and its wasteful plastic packaging, has somehow made its slippery way into bathrooms everywhere. Well, we’re celebrating the humble soap bar and bringing plastic free, eco-friendly soap bars back. Here’s why….

 

When you think of all the things you do to reduce your consumption of plastic, what do you think about? For us, shopping bags, cutlery and food wraps, made from beautifully natural materials such as organic cotton, bamboo and beeswax spring to mind.

 

Then there’s reusable coffee cups and water bottles, made from a wide range of less harmful and more stylish materials than plastic.

 

But what about in our bathrooms? The cacophony of products available to wash ourselves with these days is mind boggling – body scrub, shower gel, body wash, foaming, non-foaming, body wash triple moist (and yes, that is an actual thing), coffee scrub, shower milk! Argh!! A sign commercialism has surely gone mad!

 

We can all make a conscious effort to reduce the things we use, and avoid the temptation of the latest ‘must have’ (never has a phrase annoyed us so much) with some simple steps and eco swaps.

 

Go right back to basics and buy solid soap bars!

 

Bars of soap used to be ubiquitous. How often did you go to Grandma’s house and find a bar of lavender or rose scented soap on the side of the sink? Like with many things, Grandma was right. Because plastic pump bottles of soap and shower gel spell bad news for your pocket, and Mother Earth.

 

Thankfully the good news is that, for the first time this century, sales of soap bars are on the rise. In Britain alone, sales have risen by 3%.

 

So what does the humble bar of soap have going for it…?

 

Soap Bars Are Clean & Hygienic

There’s a misconception that bars of soap harbour “other people’s germs”.

 

It’s been proven that solid soap doesn’t transmit bacteria.

 

In one experiment, even when bacteria were added to bars of soap under laboratory conditions the bugs weren’t transferred during normal hand washing.

 

Soap is after all meant to clean our hands, it doesn’t sit on our sinks just waiting to infect us.

 

Why have we been led to believe that bacteria are always so bad anyway? The message of the ‘hygiene hypothesis’ - that a lack of exposure to bugs in childhood can slow down the development of the immune system, leading to an increase in allergies in adulthood – is having a hard time getting through.

 

As for bars of soap being messy, how long does it really take to give your soap dish a rinse?

 

Liquid soap costs more, and not just in price.

 

Liquid Soap Costs More, and Not Just in Price

It’s reported that we use six times more liquid soap than bar soap in one hand wash. This means six times more costs to us, more chemical processing and more plastic bottles to landfill. We also use 30% more water when we wash our hands with liquid soap over bar soap.

 

And those convenient pumps? If they have metal components, they can’t be recycled unless they’re dismantled before they reach the recycling plant.

 

Are you prepared to take them apart and clean them before putting them in your recycling bin?

 

Bars of Soap are Climate Change Friendly

When you look at the ingredient list, it’s probably no surprise that the first ingredient in your liquid body wash is water. And if the truth be known, your body wash is probably around 80% water. This means from a climate change perspective, we’re creating a whole lot of unnecessary carbon emissions flying, shipping and trucking water (in our body washes) all over the country.

 

On the other hand, our planet friendly bar of soap is concentrated meaning you’re getting a soapy bang for your buck without hurting the planet.

 

Take the First Steps Towards a Plastic Free Bathroom

Whichever way you look at it, soap bars come out squeaky clean. They get the job done, they’re cost effective, their paper wrappers don’t hang around for hundreds of years and they don’t add to our climate change woes.

 

In terms of which soap bars are best, choose bars of soap that are free from nasties such as parabens and SLS, and that don’t contain rainforest-damaging palm oil. 

 

At Wholesome Hub we have a great range of soaps that are made using organic ingredients, vegan, cruelty free and palm oil free like The Australian Natural Soap Company range so you can still be like Grandma and go for lavender or rose, or choose from our complete range of beautifully scented bars of soap.

 

Let’s all #bringbackthebar