Why I love bar soap
I was a later-in-life convert
Last month, in my new little installment about microscopic changes we can make to live greener, I talked about switching to reusable shopping bags. Between then and now, I listened to How to Keep House While Drowning, which emphasizes that doing something half-assed is better than doing nothing. Actually, a lot of what she writes about are methods and mentalities I’ve incorporated over the years and have made my life immensely simpler and more enjoyable. I recommend it.
But what I wanted to reiterate is that these emails are just ideas. If it suits you and you’re up for it, give one of them a try. If not, maybe you’ll remember it one day, when you’re ready or looking for a change.
Doing one small thing, after all, is better than doing nothing.
Today: bar soap
If you’re not someone who was sold on loofahs and fancy body wash way back in the day, this may not surprise you, but…bar soap is the best. Here’s why:
It cleans just the same as gel soap.*
Often, you can buy it without any packaging, as is (at Lush, Whole Foods, and local shops, for example). Or, if you’re picking it up at a larger chain, bar soap is usually packaged in a paper box. No plastic. No plastic! Bar soap + cotton wash cloth = no plastic showering. Bar soap + cute soap dish = plastic-free germ elimination.
You don’t have to dig a bar of soap out of your suitcase when going through security at the airport. Maybe this is just us, but once, early in our marriage, we flew standby. Our bags made it on the flight. We didn’t. For 24 hours we didn’t have toothbrushes and toiletries. After that, we vowed to always do carry-on luggage. (Amazingly, we’ve made this work. Even with four kids to Paris!) But pulling out a zippered plastic bag with liquids going through security is such a pain. Every time I travel, I’m thinking through ways to get away with taking absolutely zero liquids. It doesn’t always work, but this is a huge plus for me.
*I must note that soap can provide sensory challenges for people. One person in our family can’t handle washing hands with bar soap. Showering is fine, but handwashing is not. So we buy liquid refills for bathrooms that come in easily recyclable containers (Grove is a good one, but right now we’re going with a local delivery service that takes the containers back to reuse). Point is, it doesn’t have to be everything. One bar of soap is one plastic bottle not in the dump.
Happy washing (with your bar soap)!
Love, Heidi
P.S. If you were wondering how the retreat and all the cooking went, it was amazing! It brought me so much joy to see and hear people enjoying good food and having options if they have dietary restrictions. The writing time and socializing was stellar too.
That bar soap is BEAUTIFUL! I must admit, I was sold on the shower gel years ago, so this post is helping me change my mind. Well done! Especially going through security at the airport, great point. I will change my ways. Thanks friend!