Body soap?

[N6GQ]

I came to this area looking for a recommendation on a good body soap. I've tried a lot - some have good fragrance, some have good moisturizing ability, but I have yet to find the "right" one. The closest I have found is Cremo's 508 body wash, a Walmart exclusive. The fragrance is great and it seems a pretty thorough soap.

In reading through here, it seems that most use bar soap. Maybe I have yet to be enlightened, but for us guys that shower/shave daily, what are you finding is the best body soap (liquid), or is there a pervasive argument for bar soap in the shower?

 

[EclipseRedRing]

I avoid liquid soaps simply because I do not wish to regularly purchase and discard a plastic container. I prefer to use bar soap and like to purchase vintage bars, normally Yardley, on the bay as they are inexpensive and seem to last longer than the modern versions, possibly because they are triple milled. I use them with a flannel, or washcloth, or a super hard grade salux. I have never found a bar soap to be drying or needed it to have moisturising properties. I am not sure what you mean by a 'thorough' soap, every soap I have ever used has lathered up just fine, and left me feeling clean and fresh; perhaps I am easily pleased. Anyway, welcome to the forum, hopefully someone will provide a more helpful answer

 

[N6GQ]

I avoid liquid soaps simply because I do not wish to regularly purchase and discard a plastic container. I prefer to use bar soap and like to purchase vintage bars, normally Yardley, on the bay as they are inexpensive and seem to last longer than the modern versions, possibly because they are triple milled. I use them with a flannel, or washcloth, or a super hard grade salux. I have never found a bar soap to be drying or needed it to have moisturising properties. I am not sure what you mean by a 'thorough' soap, every soap I have ever used has lathered up just fine, and left me feeling clean and fresh; perhaps I am easily pleased. Anyway, welcome to the forum, hopefully someone will provide a more helpful answer

Thanks for your thoughts. Ya, by "thorough" I just meant pretty much what you said - ability to lather, clean and feel clean after. I hadn't thought of the plastic container issue - and my experience had always been that bar soaps were harsher than body soaps but I'm sure there are bar soaps that are not harsh.

I guess what I'm looking for is a high quality soap (bar or liquid) that retains its fragrance/smell over time. Maybe I'll try some of the artisan soap makers to get one that is frangranced the same as the shaving soaps I like.

Thanks for the welcome!

 

[CANES]

For bathing, I only use bar soaps and rotate different things. Dove and Palmolive original are my favorite commercially available brands. The Palmolive comes in a 3 pack at the Dollar Tree. I have to use a different soap for my face (eczema) and use an Olive Oil based soap for that- but they are great bathing soaps, too- just a little more expensive. Savon de Marseille, Pre de Provence and Aleppo soaps are easily found on-line. Kiss my Face Olive Oil soap is found in some grocery stores, etc. Some don't like the "natural" scent of them, but I love it. They work great as a pre-shave too.

I've used samples from Stirling and a bar of something from Zingari Man and while they were good, it's too much of a hassle for me to order constantly. They also disappear at a faster rate for me.

 

[N6GQ]

Great thoughts. Thanks CANES!

 

[MHBru]

pre de Provence is my all time favorite bath soap but it's hard to find at a reasonable price. i buy as much of their milk soap as i can when i find it on sale. ditto l'occitane. kirks is pretty good, cheaper, and availalble in the grocery.

 

[ajkel64]

I have fairly sensitive skin and any soaps with a high scent content seem to give me an itchy rash. I find that Dove bath soap bars work for me very well.

 

[Marco]

I only use solid bars of soap. My favourite brands are Nesti Dante and the original Savon de Marseille (Fer à Cheval, La Corvette and Marius Fabre).

 

[DrewMc]

I’ve tried lots of different bar soaps, and by far my favorites are from Stirling Soap Company. They have MANY fragrances, and release some seasonally. Simple cardboard packaging—no plastic. And the soaps lather well, last a reasonable time, and smell great.

Also, they ship fast in very neat packaging (love that), and always include a sample to help you try new fragrances.

 

[N6GQ]

Thanks - ya, I ended buying a number of bars of Stirling and loving them!

 

[Chaucer]

You might try Le Petit Marseillaise. Lathers easily and moisturizes but rinses clean and quickly. A bar lasts a couple of months of daily showers. What more could you want?

About $5 for a 2-bar package in a local drugstore. May be cheaper online.

 

[Chaucer]

You might try Le Petit Marseillaise. Lathers easily and moisturizes but rinses clean and quickly. A bar lasts a couple of months of daily showers. What more could you want?

About $5 for a 2-bar package in a local drugstore. May be cheaper online.

Oops. I meant Le Petit Marseillais. Spellcheck strikes again.

 

[Phoenixkh]

I've used bar soaps my whole life until recently. I started having skin issues because of my Psoriatic Arthritis affecting my skin, not just my joints.

My dermatologist suggested I start using products from Cetaphil and CeraVe. We have been using their facial wash, body wash and my wife just loves their moisturizer..... she'd been having flakey skin on her legs and had tried everything... including some oils she mixed herself. The tubs of both Cetaphil and CeraVe solved that problem immediately, for which she is grateful.

I don't care for the plastic containers either... but all my shaving soaps and/or creams come in plastic tubs or metal tubes. I will repurpose the tubs.... most of them are a good size and can be used for a multitude of organizing projects.

Both product lines are scent-free. My dermatologist said the ingredients used in various scents are problematic for me and were part of the reason I had to come visit her.

 

[Cezar]

If you are looking for something better or fancier then mainstream bath soaps Stirling’s are fantastic, as are PAA’s. Great performance and lots of scents to choose from.

 

[AZBronco]

I used to buy body wash, but like others--I stopped because of all the plastics (that aren't recycled 90% of the time when you put them in the bin). Microbeads were also popular when I gave up liquid soaps, but I think all manufacturers stopped using those.

Anyway, I buy Pre de Provence bars--one of the big 8 oz bars is like $8, but it lasts me for 3 or 4 months. When I forget to order those, my local Trader Joes and Whole Foods also have triple milled soaps that are pretty good. I also use shampoo bars. Many of the shave soap artisans also make these and I find them mild and effective. And again--it eliminates the plastic bottle waste.

 

[ask4Edge]

The best liquid body wash I’ve used is made by Czech & Speake (No.88/O&C/Neroli).

However, I prefer hard bath soaps, personally.


Some examples:

Klar Seifen

Nesti Dante, S. M. Novella, Saponificio Varesino

Savon de Marseille (Union des Professionnels du Savon de Marseille + Rampal Latour)

...I guess what I'm looking for is a high quality soap (bar or liquid) that retains its fragrance/smell over time...

Scent of S. M. Novella Tabacco Toscano soap, in particular, is very concentrated and tenacious.

 

[Major Overkill]

For bar soap, I've never gotten a better result than from Lever 2000. I've only recently dabbled in liquid body washes. Right now, I'm using an Old Spice variety. I like the scent; as old school as it is, anything that reminds me of my great uncles who fought in and helped win the Big War is a good thing.

My Uncle Harry, peace upon him, won the Distinguished Flying Cross as pilot of a B-24 Liberator over Nazi-occupied Europe. As I like to say, he knew the way to handle Nazis: you don't call them "very fine people," you unload tons of high-explosive ordinance on their heads! Moe, I believe it was, hit the beach on D Day, and Joe was cookin' ham for Uncle Sam in the south Pacific. Or maybe I got Joe + Moe reversed there.

-Z

 

[N6GQ]

Awesome story Azion!

 

[njpaddy]

For 10 years, or so, I've been using mostly Grandpa's Pine Tar bar soap for body, hair, face, hands and pre-shave. My favorite body soap when I get bored with pine tar is Stirling Rosemary-Mint or a lavender bar.

 

[La Malice]

You might try Le Petit Marseillaise. Lathers easily and moisturizes but rinses clean and quickly. A bar lasts a couple of months of daily showers. What more could you want?

About $5 for a 2-bar package in a local drugstore. May be cheaper online.

I take it you live I Europe, can't find those anywhere in the US but from small specialized French online store ..