A good bar of soap is worth looking after. With a few small habits, you can get significantly more use out of every bar - less waste, better value, and a better experience from the first use to the last.
Here's how.
Water is the main reason soap bars disappear faster than they should. Natural soaps are made with oils and butters that soften quickly if left sitting in moisture. The single most effective thing you can do is let your bar dry out completely between uses.
A flat soap dish is a soap bar's worst enemy. Look for something with drainage - raised ridges, slats or holes that allow water to run off and air to circulate underneath. Our Soap Ladder does exactly that, it's one of the simplest ways to extend the life of your bar.
If your soap lives directly under the showerhead or next to the tap, it's getting wet whether you're using it or not. Move it to the driest spot you can find - the opposite end of the shower is ideal.
If more than one person is using the same bar back to back, it never gets the chance to dry out fully. Keep two bars on the go and rotate between them - each bar gets time to firm up between uses, and both will last considerably longer as a result.
If you're using your soap in the shower, try working up a lather on a washcloth or loofah first rather than rubbing the bar directly onto your skin. Less direct water contact with the bar means less wear per wash.
Unopened bars are best kept in a cool, dry spot away from direct sunlight. A linen cupboard works particularly well - the bar continues to harden as it sits, making it last even longer when you do come to use it. And it'll fragrance the space nicely in the meantime.
When a bar gets too small to use comfortably, press it firmly onto a new bar while both are slightly damp. Leave them for a few hours and they'll fuse together - no soap goes to waste.