Does Handmade Soap Really Melt Faster?
Every once in a while someone tells me they don't buy handmade soap because "it melts too fast."
And every time I hear it, I kind of tilt my head like a confused golden retriever.
Because...that just hasn't been my experience.
In fact, one of the compliments I hear most often is:
"I can't believe how long that bar lasted!"
Now, I'm certainly not going to argue with a compliment!!!!! 😄
I've wrapped...well...let's just say a whole lot of bars of soap over the years. If they were all disappearing in a week, I have a feeling I'd know about it.
So where did this idea come from?
I have a theory.
Handmade soap is a little different.
Actually...it's a lot different.
Most of us grew up using commercial soap. (Or, more accurately, detergent bars pretending to be soap. But that's a conversation for another day.)
Those bars are made to survive just about anything.
Sitting in a puddle?
No problem.
Constant shower spray?
Still hanging in there.
Handmade soap is...well...actual soap.
And it has a couple of preferences.
One of them is that it would really appreciate not taking a bath when you're not using it.
Seriously.
Your soap doesn't want to take a bath.
The biggest "secret" isn't much of a secret.
People ask me all the time how to make a bar last longer.
They're expecting me to whisper some ancient soapmaker's trick that was handed down through generations.
Nope - I'm not breaking the code! Because it's super simple...
Get it out of the puddle.
That's it.
That's the whole fancy secret.
Soap likes to dry between uses.
It doesn't need a $75 artisan soap dish carved from reclaimed unicorn wood. (If someone sells one of those, good for them - and send me a sample so I can test it and then recommend it to my customers. 😂)
It just needs somewhere the water can drain away.
A wooden slatted dish.
A ceramic dish with drainage.
A soap saver pad.
Whatever works.
The soap honestly couldn't care less what it looks like (or how much it cost).
Here's something else most people don't know.
When I make soap, it doesn't go straight on the shelf.
Every batch sits and cures for weeks.
Weeks.
Sometimes I wander past the curing racks and wish they would hurry up.
They never listen.
That curing time lets extra water slowly evaporate so the finished bar is harder and longer lasting.
Could I rush it?
Sure.
Am I going to?
Not a chance.
I'd rather hand you a bar I'm proud of than shave a couple of weeks off my schedule.
Want your soap to last even longer?
Good news.
This part is easy.
~ Let it dry between uses.
~ Keep it out of standing water.
~ Don't leave it directly under the shower spray.
~ Store extra bars somewhere cool and dry.
~ Use it.
Yes...I meant that last one.
I have customers who tell me they're saving a bar because it's "too pretty."
Please don't.
Soap wants to be soap.
Life's too short to save the fancy soap.
So...does handmade soap really melt faster?
I don't think that's the right question.
I think the better question is:
How are you treating it?
Because I honestly can't count the number of customers who've come back and said,
"Karen...I swear that bar lasted forever."
And I believe them.
Good handmade soap that's properly cured and allowed to dry between uses can last a surprisingly long time.
Long enough that I occasionally hear,
"I finally ran out..."
...and I find myself thinking,
"Well, it's about time!" 😄
One last thing...
I make soap because I want you to enjoy using it.
Not admire it.
Not save it for company.
Not tuck it away in a drawer "for someday."
Use it.
Lather it up.
Take the long shower.
Then let it dry until next time.
That's what it was made for.
Karen's Garden Notes 🌿
Confession.
Even the soapmaker has left a bar sitting in a puddle before.
More than once.
Usually because I was in a hurry, and apparently I don't always take my own advice.
So if your soap ever gets a little mushy, don't panic.
It isn't ruined.
It isn't defective.
It's just politely asking for a better parking spot.
Ready for More?
If you've never tried properly cured handmade goat milk soap, I'd love to introduce you.
Every bar is made right here in New Hampshire in small batches, cured patiently (whether I'm patient or not), and wrapped by yours truly before it heads out the door.
Go find one that makes you smile every time you step into the shower.