If you haven't already noticed, scrub me™ loves bar soap! We make our soaps with rich oils and plant-based ingredients that help skin be at its healthiest. There are lots of options out on the market and unless you're a skin care expert it's hard to tell what's best for you. Not all soaps are created equal. Sometimes bar soap gets a bad rap. Some commercial soaps can unbalance and sensitize the skin, aggravating its condition. So when we say we love bar soap, we mean we love creating deluxe soaps that help the skin to be in optimal condition.

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scrub me secret: our favorite soaps switch from time to time. right now we have two soaps that we've been using often. the balancing treatment bar lathers up great and leaves the skin feeling soft and soothed. it can be used for face and body. our patchouli man soap provides an exhilarating exfoliation.

The best bar soap:

Healthy, glowing skin is the ultimate goal!

At scrub me™ we work on creating soaps your skin will love. While we always strive to have our bars look and smell amazing, we mainly create them to give your skin the best results. Some bar soaps lack major nourishing oils, fats, or moisturizing elements. Fragrance oils and detergents are also commonly added to many soaps to provide the fresh, clean smells. While the smell may be appealing, these ingredients don't have any benefits for your skin and may even cause itching, breakouts, or dryness. Essential oils, when used correctly, provide perfect scents for soaps and also have positive benefits for the skin.

scrub me secret: in all cold process soap (bar soap) recipes you need fats like oils or animal fats to interact with lye. during the process of these ingredients combining the lye disappears from the product and is replaced by naturally-made glycerin. this is what adds moisturizing elements for the skin.

Does bar soap get a bad rap?

How is it that so many commercial bar soaps lack moisturizing properties? Companies extract the glycerin that naturally occurs during the soap making process. The glycerin is then used in other products they produce like lotions and facial cleansers. This is why our skin craves moisture and nourishment after using some soaps. Lacking glycerin and moisturizing properties is just one reason commercial companies are giving all bar soaps a bad reputation. Added chemical preservatives, detergents, and fragrance oils are all factors that unbalance the skin, trigger allergies or eczema, and damage the body. Check out our blogs 'Better Understanding Preservatives' and 'Battle of the Aromas. Natural vs. Synthetic' for more in-depth information on those ingredients.

scrub me secret: detergents used in commercial soap bars clean and sanitize by completely breaking down everything on the skin. this results in healthy oils being stripped from the surface and damage caused to the barrier. the body can also absorb these chemicals into the bloodstream, causing possible issues in the future.

Buying small batched, plant-based bar soaps that contain essential oils vs fragrance oils is better for your overall health and skin health. If you've been turned off of bar soap for a while we guarantee this change will get you back on board.

Little things to love about bar soap

Bar soap is super clean! Water from the sink or shower can easily seep into liquid soaps or cleansers in jars. Bacteria can easily breed in water unless a good amount of preservatives are added. For bar soap, all you need to do is rinse it off before each use and you are ready to go! No fear of mold or bacteria. Just make sure to treat your bar right and don't leave it sitting in a puddle of water.

eczema flare ups can be caused by harsh ingredients in soaps

scrub me secret: soap savers are an excellent invention! they are small pads or dishes that are breathable or have drainage so you can set your wet soap bar on them and it can easily dry. we recommend that everyone has one...or five.

Bars of soap are also super easy to travel with. Because they are solid and not liquid you can easily carry them on a flight. Not to mention there is no chance they will leak into your bag. We always travel with a mini balancing bar to cleanse our face and body on vacation. Using a well-balanced bar soap every day will also ensure healthier skin even if you don't have a regimented routine. We've seen improvement in eczema, dryness, and breakouts when clients switched from a detergent laden soap to a healthy, natural soap.

At scrub me™ we love creating soap but we also really enjoy trying other handmade skin care items. Some other local makers in Chicago we love are Soap Distillery and Nude Acacia. Trying skin care and soaps is kind of an obsession, or let's just say hobby. Make soap your hobby too! Shop all our skin care and figure out which soap is your favorite at scrub-me.com/soaps.