Based on what our customers tell us, a bar of The Black Stuff soap should last about 21 showers on average. This will vary depending on individual use, temperature, length of shower, quantity of body hair as well as other factors like water hardness but there are some universal things you can do to maximise the life of your soap.

1. Storing your soap

Before using, we recommend storing your soap in its box in a drawer or linen closet until you’re ready to use it. This keeps the bar dry and has the added benefit of making your clothes and linens smell amazing! When you’re ready to use it, the soap is best kept somewhere dry and away from the shower. Natural soaps have a high glycerine content which is great for locking moisture into your skin but equally great at absorbing moisture from the air if the soap is left in a humid or steamy environment. Make sure you allow the soap to dry out completely between uses to prevent it from getting soft and mushy.

2. Use a Soap Dish

A simple thing but beware! Not all soap dishes are created equal. A good soap dish will keep the soap raised on ridges or small knobs to allow water to drain from the bar and air to circulate around all surfaces, including the bottom. Look for a dish with drainage holes or grooves and a slanted base to allow the water to drain away quickly. Avoid dishes where the sides form a bowl that allows water to pool around the bar. Also bear in mind that some metals can react with the fats and oils in soap and degrade the bar or affect the scent. Look for soap dishes made of wood, plastic, ceramic or glass instead. Avoid storing on any metal other than stainless steel.

You can get our solid teak soap savers here 

3. Washcloth vs Soap to Skin

 This is really a matter of personal preference. While lathering up the soap with a washcloth or luffa / sponge rather than rubbing the soap directly on your body will definitely prolong the life of the bar, many people prefer the soap-to-skin feeling – especially with the rough feel bars. If you are one of them, cutting the bar in half will enable you to keep half the bar in storage and dry and should help to increase the life of the bar.

If you use a washcloth or sponge type product, it's recommended to allow it also to fully dry between use to avoid bacteria building up.

4. Alternate soaps being used

Rotating your soaps is particularly helpful if you tend to take several showers a day. This ensures that the bars have time to dry out completely between uses. If you don’t want to buy multiple bars of soap, cutting your bar in half will do the trick too.

5. Hard Water

If you live in a hard water area, using a cheap water softener will make a huge difference as it will allow the soap to lather more easily. These can be found on Amazon or similar sites and can also be much better for the skin and hair than using hard water.

Another idea in hard water areas is to use the soap out of the direct water stream, the nature of soap and hard water is that the soap will actively try to 'clean' hard water upon contact, which is why the soap doesn't last as long in a hard water area. It's not just cleaning you, it's cleaning the water itself. 

Hard Water = kryptonite for soap.

6. Travel Smart

Of course, unless you’re a hermit, you will on occasion, travel away from home either on holiday or to the gym etc. and want to bring your soap with you (Try our Celtic Tiger bar for the ultimate muscle treatment after a workout or physical activity). In these cases, it can be a challenge to store your soap in a way that allows it to breathe and dry out properly after use. Our Black Pack travel case is designed to do exactly that. The material is breathable and the drainage holes allow water to drain from the bar so you can put your soap away wet if you need to. The carabiner can be used to clip the bag to the outside of your gym bag or luggage while the soap dries so you don’t need to worry about clothes or other belongings getting wet either.

Hopefully these tips will help you to get the very most from your bar of The Black Stuff soap. Check out our fan page on Facebook for more tips, tricks and the occasional special offer or voucher giveaway and have a look at this video from one of our members showing how long he got from his bar of soap (you’ll need to join the fan page to view)

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