Natural soaps aren't full of long lasting chemical surfactants and detergents so they don't generally have the same life span as those store bought soaps do. But there's good news, you can do things to help extend the life of your natural soaps, and stretch that hard earned cash you just spent on them as well.

KEEP IT DRY

First and foremost, keep it dry when not in use. Nothing kills a natural bar of soap faster than letting it sit in water on the shower ledge. Water quickly works to break down the consistency of soap. Use a soap saver/soap dish to keep air flowing around the bar allowing it to dry off completely after use. Make sure the soap saver will let water drain away from it. It doesn't do any good to let soap sit in a dish that collects water, so find saver that keeps that prized bar elevated from any unnecessary water contact.

Secondly, try to keep it as far away from the spread of water as possible. That could mean storing it on a shower shelf at the opposite end of the shower head location. Some people go even further and store their soap outside the shower once it's finished drying after use.

WASH SMARTER

We here at Great Woods Trading prefer holding a bar of soap and building that lather in our hands. But to be honest, it's not the best way to ensure a great lather and a longer lasting bar. Using a washcloth or loofah instead will absorb the lather much better than your hands can and save your soap at the same time. Load it up with a few scrubs of soap and place the bar right back on the soap saver. By not using the bar directly on your skin you're also keeping it out of the water, which we already know is a good thing. Alternatively, you can rub the bar on your body if you prefer and then follow up with a washcloth/loofah to do the majority of the work. The main goal here is to simply keep the bar from excess water contact.

SOMETIMES LESS IS MORE

Take that beautiful bar of yours and cut it right in half. Set half aside until the other half of gone. With less surface area for water contact comes less break down of soap. Use the first piece until it's gone and get that second piece out of the cupboard for round 2!

And don't just throw out those small scraps that are too small to hold, they still have plenty of life! Stick all those pieces in a soap pouch until you've gotten enough for a pretty sweet Frankenstein's monster of a soap. Plus, the soap pouch acts just as a washcloth or loofah does, extending that soap to it's full potential.

Who's ready for the kicker?

There's a lot of debate on whether we need to use soap every day when washing, or even wash every day in the first place. Some say that doing so can remove the healthy oil and bacteria from our skin, resulting in dry and itchy skin. Common thought here is that if we aren't working up a heavy sweat every day it's perfectly fine to skip a shower every other day, or at least simply a water only wash on those off-days. Now, we know that this idea isn't for everyone but it's worth a try, right? Think of how much you'd be saving your soap in this scenario!

We're sure you thinking to yourself right about now...but don't you sell soap? why would tell us not to use soap every day?

Yeah, we do sell soap. But we don't just care about selling you soap. We care about getting you the most out your soap, too. Just please consider our soap for whatever your washing needs are.