1.18.2019

Intentional Living: Switching to Bar Soaps

Find a good bar soap
It doesn't need packaging
Bubble germs away.

One of my favorite sustainable swaps in 2018 was from liquid dish soap, shampoo, and conditioner to bars.


I was hesitant about the change. In my mind, a bar soap could never bubble and clean grease like a liquid. But I was wrong. I saw a good review about Beehive Alchemy's Big Block Kitchen Soap, about how it actually cut through grease in the kitchen, so I wanted to give it a try. It's made in the tradition of Savon de Marseille, which creates a hard soap using at least 72% olive oil and other eco-friendly ingredients. And it works beautifully! After 6 months of use, I have no complaints and feel the Big Block works just as well, if not better, than a liquid eco dish soap. I probably have 4 months of soap block left, so I estimate one block lasts me 10 months.

I highly recommend buying the soap tile to keep the bar in place. I tried using a smooth soap dish and found everything was much too slippery. Swish a wet brush on the soap surface and scrub your dishes clean!

All of my kitchen brushes are made by Bürstenhaus Redecker. They have wood handles and natural fibers, and hold up well over time (just remember to rinse them out and store them bristles-up.) My favorite is the Tampico Fiber Dish Brush. All work wonderfully with the Big Block Kitchen Soap.

I was even more hesitant to start using a shampoo bar. My hair tends greasy, and I'd read reviews from all different hair types about how shampoo bars left their hair feeling dirty. I knew it just wasn't going to be for me. But after the Kitchen Block success, I let shampoo and conditioner bars slip into my cart during a good sale at Package Free Shop. Surely I'd decide my hair was gross like the others, but I'd have made my own decision in the end. I was completely surprised when my hair felt extremely clean, silky, and healthy afterward. From day 1 until now, after over 6 weeks of everyday use, the results haven't waned. I've tried so many biodegradable shampoos and conditioners over the years and have never been happy with the results. This was a completely different experience.

In the photo, the conditioner bars are sitting on top of the shampoo bars. I purchased both in "Hydrator" from Package Free Shop. The pair on the left are new and the pair on the right have been used for just over 6 weeks. I expect about 3 months of use per bar (probably more like 4 months for the conditioner.) To ensure a long life, I highly recommend using the Silicone Soap Dish by Yamazaki Home and placing it away from any water run-off.

Another notable switch away from liquid-in-plastic soap last year was with laundry detergent. While I still use some liquid laundry detergents from The Laundress for denim, wool, and workout clothes, I've switched to powder for our regular laundry (everyday clothing, bedding, towels). I don't love the ingredients usually recommended for making your own powdered laundry detergent, and I don't want to shave a bar of soap to make flakes, so I found DanSoap All Natural Laundry Detergent, which is completely biodegradable and comes in a compostable container! It does a great job getting our laundry clean. For the tougher loads, I add a scoop of Nellie's All Natural Oxygen Brightener. It comes in a reusable metal tin, though unfortunately the powder is packed in a plastic bag (which I recycle at Target).

I hope this encourages you to take a next step in your intentional living decisions! We can make a big impact when we find sustainable replacements, especially for the products we use every day.

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