By BR Amelia
There’s been a bit of a stigma around bar soap the last few years. Once a staple in any shower or bath, it’s been shunned for the perceived cleanliness and hygiene offered by body wash. And as body wash grew in popularity, people began to stare down their noses at the humble bar of soap… and then the whispers began.
“It can’t be all that sanitary, can it?”
“A bar that sits in humid conditions, it must be bacteria-ridden.”
“Everyone sharing the same bar of soap, surely that’s just a recipe for sharing germs?”
Poor old soap, it went from being every family’s way of keeping themselves squeaky clean to sitting in a shower caddy slowing eroding away while other methods of cleaning were employed. Well, my lovelies, prepare to love soap again…
According to this piece from PRNewswire, your run of the mill soap isn’t the big bad we think it is.
Recently the FDA ruled against the necessity to use antibacterial soaps, saying that soap is naturally antibacterial, a sentiment echoed by Ed George, Vice President of Research and Development at Bradford Soap Works. He further stated that bar soaps were healthier for the body than body washes and much more environmentally friendly. And apparently several studies and clinical research tests have seen bar soaps come out on top.
The piece also mentioned information from Cambridge University, which says bar soap when used regularly does not support the growth of bacteria, and in fact bacteria cannot be transferred between people who share bar soaps.
Now as this information is coming from a soap manufacturer, one would have reason to be a bit suspicious, and one was, but then I found this piece from the HuffPost in which scientist Elaine L Larson PD, debunks the theory that bars of soap are a germaphobes nightmare. She does admit that germs can and do live on soap, but she does go on to say they’re not the kind of bugs anyone who is healthy needs to worry about. And getting rid of said bacteria that takes up residence in the slime of the soap is as simple as running it under the shower spray or running tap water before you put bar to body.
So there you have it. The old school bar of soap is back in fashion. However while I was consider sharing it with family, I think I’d pass on flatmates, and I’d prefer not to share it with strangers in public toilets. But that’s just me … I mean, it’s important to have some boundaries, right?
I don't think the fact that something comes in the shape of a bar is important for whether it's good for your skin or not, what matters are the ingredients. There are lots of high quality body wash bars, shampoo bars, etc. out there that work well, are good for your skin, and save on the use of plastic bottles.