Soap v Handwash

GreyQueen

I confess myself baffled at the popularity of handsoap dispensers for home use, although I can see the point in very high traffic public areas (inc church halls;)). Plastic packaging bugs me, although some people are obviously re-filling which mitigates that and saves them some money as well.

I used to use Imperial Leather soap but got thoroughly annoyed with the excessive packaging and switched to 6-packs of Knight's Castile, from the poundshops. This does me very well. If the bar on the sink seems to be getting a little softened on the underside, I park it on the wire bath rack beside the sink whilst I go to work and it dries nicely.

I follow my mother's OS teaching; soap is unwrapped for some time before use and tucked into the airing cupboard so that it starts drier and lasts longer. Plus, when it gets down to fiddly-size, I shove it into the scratchy bath mitt and use it up like that; zero waste.:)

I hae read that it is almost unheard-of for ordinary soap to cause skin reactions but that shower gels and liquid soaps are notorious for it. Sodium laurel (and sodium laureth) sulphates are the principal cleansers; check your labels. They were originally cooked up by chemists as industrial engine de-greasants............yuck!

valk_scot

I still don't get the soap going soggy bit. I use Palmolive, Imperial Leather and ocassionally Pears if it's on offer and they don't go soggy. But it also occurs to me these are very old time long standing brands. Maybe the more modern superfatted type soaps with extra moisturising ingredients or perfumes or oatmeal etc are more prone to squishness?

As to hairs, that's down to poor operative error, sorry. If someone so much as dared to leave gross things like that on a bar of soap in this house they'de be dragged back through to the bathroom to pick it off with their teeth.

I prefer hand wash in public toilets etc, must admit. But it makes my hands feel dry and itchy so I also carry a tube of hand cream.

Taadaa

I have never thought about this, but we have shower gel, soap and handwash. How silly. I use soap for shaving my legs, I am sure it must save money. Not to mention waste - all that darned plastic! I might get some soap and trial it as a money saving measure

Linda32

I use value/basic soap now. I used to use soap years ago but I do remember it going soggy and had to use the expensive sort (4 bars for £1.00) to stop it going soggy.

Thats when I swopped to shower gel, but now the bars don't seem to go soggy. So we use bars of soap with sponge/flannel and cream bath in pot dispensers for the sinks rather than "expensive" liquid soaps.

SpikyHedgehog

I remember buying soap bars with high glycerine content when I was a teenager (& moaning 'cos my younger sisters used them up for me ;-) ), and I did find they went soggy quickly unless well dried between use. I always used bar soap when my elder son was little as he & his cousin were prone to using about 10 squirts of undiluted liquid handwash at a time... Then my husband preferred handwash, so we used that instead.

I've been going back to bar soap, and getting a fairly basic soap, though without tallow in it as we're vegetarians, since DS1's dermatologist suggested it - he has prescription shower/bath gel, but I wanted something to keep at the sinks for him to wash his hands with. I do still have shower gel (that I've bought...) at the moment, but can see this changing over time. I'd like to try out homemade shower gel, since we like the homemade laundry gloop.

I can feel the difference in my hands when I've been at work where we only have handwash, which dries out my hands - I don't think I wash my hands that much more at work!

purdita

I've filled my empty soap dispenser with basics baby bath for when my hands are really dirty after gardening. It's a fraction of the cost of liquid soap and does the job really well without drying my hands. I'm going to slowly replace all the others in the house as they get used up!!

Hobsons_Choice

I have a bottle of Molton Brown handwash sitting on my bathroom sink.
Well OK...it was originally Molton Brown (a prezzie from No2 son) but has been refilled many times with cheapo stuff from Bodycare - cheapo stuff that smells and behaves exactly like Molton Brown.
The MB dispenser doesn't put a load of handwash all over your hands, so is really economical.
That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!;)

adelight

I never realised people even regularly used shower gel until I went to university- I assumed it was a southern thing I jest but the culture difference once you go south of birmingham is mad, some people down here haven't even heard of bread sauce :eek:
Soap seems to last forever, one bar does my whole family longer than a bottle of showergel does OH. I still use soap in the bath, it's just simpler. I do have hand wash on the sink but more often than not I'll use soap.

Citygirl1

I always thought that soap shouldn't be used on sensitive skin and its always been a no no to use on the face. I have used Dove soap in the past and that doesn't go soggy whereas other soaps do. I use shower gel and handwash now as its more convenient and better on my skin, soap makes my skin so tight and dry.

jackyann

Good soap is one of my luxuries. I tell anyone going to France to bring me back the big bottles of liquid soap you can buy cheaply (if you don't count the fare!). I put it in dispensers and love the feel of it!! When I go to France I buy as much as I can (sorry, not money-saving!!)