Savon de Marseille Cubes - where have they been all my life?

flowercandle

A few months ago I bought a block of Savon de Marseille soap from TKMaxx as I have been trying different soaps trying to go plastic free as much as i can.

Where has this soap been all my life? its bloomin fantastic.  New Cubes keep appearing in different locations, there is one by the washing up bowl to wash the dishes (yup its cloudy water but it works really well: i use a jug to rinse off dishes on the drainer; and I even use it on the kitchen surfaces with a cloth), there is a cube in the shower, there is a cube for the dog kept under the sink (and his fur has been so so soft since I changed to this soap) and one next to the washer for smearing across shirt collars and other stains and stinky bits before i pop in the wash (and its worked far better than other concoctions in plastic bottles) in fact its solved my yellowish face oils stains on my white cotton pillowcases that never seemed to wash out until now (but i also stopped using pods/liquids and went back to powder to save on plastic.

Has anyone got any other uses for it? When the weather gets warmer I might try washing the car with it, or the windows, or maybe I just need to get out more? anyway if you are looking for something super-cheap and long lasting give it a go!  (was 2.99 for 500g, less for the 300g block they do a lavender, plain and olive one) 

thriftwizard

It's great for felting wool, if that's something you like to do - needlefelting or wet-felting. It really suits my skin, too, compared to more commercial soap-type products. At one point my DS3 did a year's teaching in Provence & came back with a suitcase stuffed full of the stuff - I'm just using up the last of it now. 

babyshoes

I've looked at it online and it looks like it's real soap, as opposed to most commercial soaps which contain a synthetic detergent. Most of the difference you notice between real soap and synthetic detergent soaps are due to what's not included, as opposed to what's added. Of course, different oils and fats do have different effects in the soap so you can tweak it for more bubbles or to be milder etc. 

You can probably get much the same effect by either buying local handmade soap, or by making your own. I've been making cold process soap this year, and it's a lot of fun, plus my skin much prefers real soap. I have a couple of different recipes, including a 100% olive oil one and one with traditional lard. For washing dishes or clothes, you'd want one that's high in coconut oil. 

Folks get scared about using lye at first- but if you wear gloves and goggles, it's really no more dangerous than using a kettle of boiling water. There are plenty of you tube tutorials to get you started. 

I can't legally sell soap without an expensive assessment, but @flowercandle if you'd like to try some, I'll happily post you a small bar - technically you would then be a "tester". Just send me a private message. 😊

(Sorry I don't have enough available to offer it to everyone.)

flowercandle

wow thank you babyshoes thats really kind of you, but I think Im happy to stick to the cubes ive been buying for now.  Maybe in a few years I might try making some soap, its just I am a bit of a messy person so when I have de-cluttered a bit i might have a go.  Thank you for your replies! I didnt realise how much better this soap is than the stuff I have been buying (which I wont anymore because it seems to last 5 times longer than normal soap)! Hope you all have a merry christmas xx

General_Grant

babyshoes said:

. . .

Folks get scared about using lye at first- but if you wear gloves and goggles, it's really no more dangerous than using a kettle of boiling water. There are plenty of you tube tutorials to get you started. 

 . . .

I do remember making soap in chemistry lesson 60 years ago.
Having made it, we weren't allowed to use it - even then H&S came into play.

babyshoes

General_Grant said:

babyshoes said:

. . .

Folks get scared about using lye at first- but if you wear gloves and goggles, it's really no more dangerous than using a kettle of boiling water. There are plenty of you tube tutorials to get you started. 

 . . .

I do remember making soap in chemistry lesson 60 years ago.
Having made it, we weren't allowed to use it - even then H&S came into play.

Probably for a couple of reasons - most importantly if you had measured wrong, it could be lye heavy, which will at best seriously dry out your skin, or worse actually cause chemical burns if the measurements were very wrong. 
Secondly, it needs cure time. Most recipes need 4-6 weeks minimum, but some need months to cure.