Tesco Value Line: bar soap

BrandNewDay

I just thought I'd post an endorsement for the Tesco Value brand of bath soap. 3 bars for 19p!

It seemed that we were going through a LOT of shower gel. I may be crazy, but I think it was because my husband likes to give a good hearty squeeze to the bottle every time he wants to soap up a body part, and saying, "Honey, could you try to use less shower gel?" seemed like I'd be starting down the path to Nagging Wife-ville. So, I thought, "I wonder if bar soap wouldn't be more sensible?" Anyway, I saw that the Tesco Value bars are so cheap and figured it couldn't hurt to try them.

Well! They work just great. They lather up beautifully and do everything you'd expect a basic bar of soap to do. They don't have moisturizers or deoderants built in, but we already use moisturizer and deoderant, so that's not an issue. In one respect, they are superior to other soaps: they are non-scented. Absolutely odorless. For many people, that's a plus. It's just plain, basic soap.

If you just gotta have pretty-smelling soap, there's the not-so-cheap Tesco soap. I think it's about 60p for four bars, and it comes in a couple of scents. I like the magnolia - I use it as our hand soap in the bathroom.

And, it does seem that a bar lasts at least as long as a bottle of shower gel, so long as you have a good soap dish. So! We're definitely saving a little bit of money.

Heth_2

I've always used soap for everyday washing. We buy slightly more expensive soap (I like the simple stuff, as I find some really dry out my skin) but it does last alot longer than shower gel. We occasionally buy nice shower for special occasions though.

AT the gym I use shower gel because it is more practical. I recently picked up some free samples of simple shower gel, they come in 7 ml packets and there is enough there for one shower. Shows how much you really need and how much you can easily use when squirting it from the bottle!

jellycat40

I don't like to use soap because it seems to harsh on my skin and I get very itchy.

However OH always uses bars of coal tar soap and it does last ages. I try and buy it on offer.

Louise

Austin_Allegro

Yes, I use Sainsbury's 3 bars for 19p soap. Shower gel is just another rip off designed to get you to use more product and charge you more for packaging and fancy smells.

It was heavily marketed in the 80s to tie in with the changing bathing habits of the British at that time, who moved from baths to showers, and, like many heavily marketed products, was overpriced as an 'aspirational' product.

The only time I use gel is for convenience if I'm going to the swimming baths, and even then it's the economy 39p bottle...

EagerLearner

Interesting post AustinAllegro - I wish I could use soap but skin too sentitive and dry...

What I end up doing is getting a big bottle of gentle bath bubbly, and decanting it into a shower gel bottle, works fine and lasts ages...

Occasionally for a treat, rather than get 'shower oils' like the new Dove range, I use 1 tablespoon of virgin olive oil which is a) practically free as I have some at home and b) purely organic so no nasty chemicals.

pounds_and_pensive

Lidl have got some really nice soap that I'll probably buy again. I can't remember what it's called and I've chucked the box away - something to do with apricot peel? Hmmm, that sounds bizarre even to me, but you'll know it if you see it. It's got all these little exfoliating bits in it, foams up beautifully and leaves your skin really soft. It also seems to last for absolutely ages.

BrandNewDay

Regarding dry, itchy skin...

I only use soap on the bits that really, um, need it. You know, groin, pits, and feet. (Shampoo gets my neck and behind my ears.) I don't think my bicep or shouder actually needs to be soaped up. Swishing a washcloth over it while standing under running water probably cleans it up plenty. I tend to get itchiest on my back, torso, and calves. I don't use soap on those bits. I may be weird, though!

BrandNewDay

Oh, yeah... regarding soap lasting a long time... if you let it dry out, it will last longer.

My maternal grandmother was a miser. As in, the obsessive-compulsive kind. Anyway, she filled up a four-story apartment building she owned with stuff she'd stockpiled. One of these was a BARREL of bar soap. All different brands, obviously bought on sale over the years.

After she died, my mom didn't have to buy soap for nearly 10 years. Not only did we just have a ton of the stuff, but the bars had dried out. That meant they lasted longer.

I haven't done it, myself. But, if I were to buy maybe 100 bars of the Tesco soap for £19, and I kept them in a box in the bottom of the airing closet, they'd probaby dry out in a few years and then they'd absolutely last at least two or three times as long. Plus, you'd be beating inflation.

Cazzdevil

Here's a good money saving moisturising tip I got from my OH - Aqueous cream. It's about £1.50 for a half kilo tub of it and is possibly the best emollient I've ever come across.

After you've washed (be-it in the shower or bath), rub some all over your skin; arms, legs, chest, shoulders etc... then rinse it off, get out and dry off as normal. It leaves a coating on your skin just the same as baby oil does once it dries and locks in moisture but is a darn site cheaper than any moisturiser or lotion and is suitable for sensitive skin too.

I'm a fan of good old soap too (o:

MATH

I buy bar soap for handwashing and scrunging into stains in laundry but would never use it in the shower and deffo not for face washing it is just far far too harsh. I once had to use soap in an emergancy when away from home and my skin was taught and flaking for days after

furrypig

I know I am a bit wierd but I don't like the idea of soap in a shower because someone else has used it on their 'bits' also finding a pubic hair on a bar of soap makes me feel a bit queasy!! (even if I know it's from my OH!!)