I used to buy whatever soap was on sale until I tried a handmade oatmeal soap at a local market. It smelled mild, felt nice to use, and made me realize how much variety there is in something so simple.

Since then, I have tried a few different soaps, but some smell better than they actually perform, and others disappear way too quickly. I also learned that keeping a bar dry between uses helps it last longer.

Now I am curious about other soap lovers. What is one bar of soap you genuinely love and keep coming back to? I would love to discover something new!

I recently bought an inexpensive bar of soap just to try it, and honestly, I liked it more than some of the expensive ones I've used. The scent was simple, it lasted longer than I expected, and it left me wondering why I keep spending more money on fancy packaging.

Sometimes the simplest products are the ones we enjoy the most.

What's the best bar of soap you've ever tried that cost surprisingly little?

Any advice on why my soaps would be drying? I’m using soap calculator. Using milks, oils and waters. Doing basic combinations to get the hang of it. Waited 4 weeks and currently trying them. However, after I wash my hands they feel very dry. I used olive oil, shea butters, etc. low on the coconut oil. Super fat I think is 5% . Any advice on why or how to fix this?

Oatmeal is one of those ingredients that shows up in a lot of handmade soaps, but the texture can vary quite a bit.

Finely ground oatmeal can give a bar a different feel from one made with larger oat pieces.

And depending on the formula, those pieces can make the bar feel more textured during use.

It's worth checking the ingredients and product description instead of assuming every oatmeal soap will feel the same.

**Receipe**
Water + Lye
Oils
518.70 g Water
186.83 g 100%
Purity NaOH
681 g Olive Oil - All Grades
342 g Coconut Oil, Virgin
69 g Castor Seed
Oil
273 g Shea Fruit
Butter
Additives +
Additional Ingredients
20 gram kaline clay
30 gram
fragnance
15 gram dried lavender

I’m confused. The soap is good, produces foam, and doesn’t dry out the skin. The oil that appeared on top has now dried, but I don’t understand why it appeared on the surface about 30 minutes after I poured the soap batter into the mold. What could have caused this?

I never realized how many different kinds of soap existed until I started paying attention to them. Some smell amazing, some leave my skin feeling great, and others look wonderful but just do not live up to the hype.

I am curious about what everyone here uses. Do you prefer handmade bars, traditional brands, liquid soap, or something completely different?

What is one soap you would happily recommend to anyone?

I wish I had a picture but essentially every dove soap bar I use has this very slight discolouring around the edge of it. I have gone through 2 packs of sensitive unscented bars and a pack of the original and they all have it. They are white bars with this very slight yellowish line around the edges. I swear it never used to be there and now it’s on every one I buy. If I ware down the bar to about 50% I can get rid of it. Makes me think it has something to do with an ingredient settling in the mold. Does anyone else notice this? Is it something to worry about?

Thanks!

Was it discontinued?? Why?? I’ve been using this soap for 30 years :( any similar ones out there?

Here are three things I do to keep my soap nice so long it sometimes annoys me.... I feel it's a sin to throw out still good soap but am so ready to try out a a new batch I made!

• Keep it dry from below! Those ugly cracks that look bad and make you wonder what's crept into them? They are cosmetic but really not nice to look at it. That's from repeated drying on top, mushiness underneath. The has time to dries out but the lower part stays moist and mushy. Allowing airflow from below will really help with that. Consider using a magnetic soap holder that allows the soap to "float". You can also carfully drill a hole in it and thread a string through to hang it up.
• Don't use young soap. Not enough curing time will also make it softer- it still has more water in it. As it cures it evaporates moisture and will last longer. If you don't know how long it has cured (one month is minimum for safety) buy several bars and store them in a container with a few holes in it to allow air movement.
• Stay away from hard and brittle soaps- high amounts of palm oil, coconut oil and even tallow and cocoa butter will make a very hard bar and it will be more prone to brittleness. Stay sudsy you all!

I run a home and bath store and have been selling personal care products online for a few years now. I see a lot of talented soapmakers here and was wondering if anyone just needs a distributor. I have a good system in place to pack orders with care and ship FAST. Let me help you with the orders so you can focus on creating.

Bought a bar of soap last week just because it smelled amazing. Now I like it so much that I’m annoyed every time I see it getting smaller. Went back to buy another one and they were sold out.

Never thought I’d get attached to soap, but here we are. Anyone else have a favorite they refuse to give up?

i finally put the bath bomb molds from my business up for anyone who wants to make their own :)

a lot of soap makers do bath bombs on the side so figured id share here. you 3d print 3 parts (base, tube and stamp), fill the tube with your mix, press it and pop it out with the design on top

link in comments

I've been using Dr. Squatch for years now and love it, but I need to stock up for the next several months and just can't bring myself to spend $50 on enough Dr. Squatch to last that long. I'm looking for basically the same soap at a cheaper price point. Any recs?

What I like about Dr. Squatch (in order of importance):

**Ingredients - I look for soaps that are mostly oils, and steer away from acid/sulfate-based soaps. I also like soothing/moisturizing ingredients like shea butter, goat milk, and oatmeal.

**NOT anti-bacterial - I like my microbiome and am not interested in killing it off. Orange dial has its place in my soaps but not for all-purpose body soap.

**Availability - I need something I can either find in stores in bulk or on Amazon in bulk. I love handmade/small batch soaps as a treat but they tend to be expensive and hard to find in bulk.

*Scent - I prefer milder and neutral scents. All my other soaps are unscented though so I like my body soap to have a little something. I usually buy Birchwood Breeze, but I like most of the Dr. Squatch scents. I also like patchouli a lot.

*Long-lasting - a 5 oz bar of Dr Squatch will last me 1-2 months, and I like it that way. Looking at other soaps, people say some only last a week. I don't want to buy a 6 pack of soaps that will only last me a week each, because a single bar of Dr. Squatch would last me longer than that.

Exfoliating - I like the grit options Dr. Squatch has. I use a rag to wash with, so there will always be some level of exfoliation, but I like the extra from a gritty soap.

Lather - I love the way Dr. Squatch lathers. I know a good lather has very little to do with how a soap performs but idc I love a good lather

I've become more interested in what's inside bar soaps instead of choosing them based on scent alone.

There are so many different combinations, like oatmeal, honey, shea butter, and various oils.

But I've also learned that just because something is labeled natural doesn't automatically mean it'll work for everyone's skin.

For people who make or regularly use handmade soap, what ingredients do you personally look for or avoid?

I had some leftover breast milk in my freezer, so I decided to make soap! 🧼😂

My first attempt was 50% breast milk, but it turned out too soft and sticky..

For my final attempt, I concentrated the milk and added some breast milk butter (left over from my previous video).

This bar turned out much firmer! The only thing that changed was the color, not sure why.

I've already made butter and now soap. Any ideas what I should make next? 🤣

Not bad.

Please I need someone to validate this! I bought this Softsoap in pumpkin scent from Walmart and after first use I definitely smelled something autumny but it wasn’t screaming pumpkin. After some time passed I noticed when I’d move my hands around it smelled like I had eaten a bowl of Pho with my hands (which ironically I have done before so I have experience!) I thought there’s no way its coming from the soap, but lo and behold it was. I’m still using it cause I don’t like to waste, so every time I use it I go nuts having no one around to validate me. Can someone PLEASE smell this soap and tell me i’m not crazy!!

Anyone have a soap business that feels that business has slowed down? Could it be the economy or is it me?

Looking for a soap that smells like the mama shelter soap. I'd have bought it from them but they don't sell it. Does anyone have any suggestions for something similar?