Ditch the Liquid Hand Soap It is actually quite amazing how our hand soap habits have changed in the last 20 years. It wasn’t that long ago when everybody I knew used bar soap. Now, it almost seems as if it is an ancient relic. Liquid soap dispensers that come with matching toothbrush holders, cotton swab containers, and lotion dispensers litter Home Depot, Bed Bath and Beyond, Costco, Walmart, and Macy’s. It is almost as if a bar of soap is perceived as ugly and un-chic. I know the soap residue is totally offensive to your guests, but it just may be worth it to swap out that liquid or foaming soap bottle for a hand-crafted bar filled with natural exfoliants, sea salts, and essential oils.

 What’s more, you’ll be reducing your consumption of petrochemical plastics that are a major environmental disturbance. And my dudes, let’s be honest here. If you’re decorating your bachelor pad, do you think liquid soft soap or foaming suds screams “confident, rugged, unique, elegant, cultural, or tasteful”? Impress your guests with bar soap that wreaks of quality. Not all of them have to smell like petunias (that’s a flower, fellas). Many are scented with coffee, chocolate, spices, and woody essential oils. Take for example these. So skip the expensive car for now and surround yourself with quality at every turn. Take pride in your the little things and more importantly in your health. How You Save Money Bars of soap like these can last months on end; much longer than a comparably priced 64 oz refill bottle of liquid soap. My latest 5 oz bar of soap has been decorating my bathroom for over 5 months and is still going strong. And some estimate the cost of liquid soap to be 10 times that of bar soap on a per wash basis. My experience suggests its even greater. Why It’s Healthier Handcrafted bars of soap not only bring a wonderful scent to your space, they are often works of art that combine many textures, patterns, and colors. But most importantly, many of them focus on quality ingredients that don’t contain harmful chemicals like triclosan, sodium lauryl sulfate, ammonium lauryl sulfate, chemical fragrances, or other petrochemicals. All of which have been shown to have one ore more of the following health effects: skin damage, hormonal disruption, destruction of skin-based microbiome, potential carcinogenic effects, and liver dysfunction.

Beyond personal health effects, exist environmental effects. These chemicals have to go somewhere. Concentrating these chemicals back into the environment, wherever they may land is not doing anybody any good. Then we have all the plastic bottles that get used in the process of packaging and dispensing these liquid soaps. This may seem trivial, but millions of bottles a year can really add up. BONUS: Buying handcrafted bars like these can make a positive contribution to the world by supplying jobs to Nepalese women who have been rescued from trafficking. An added benefit comes from the card that tells the story of a woman who has been set free from slavery and brought from darkness into light. This has the profound ability to generate perspective in your own life. Use it as a reminder of gratitude to further enhance your health.

 Or when you buy a locally made handcrafted bar of soap, you contribute to your local economy and feed business to a small-business owner instead of a large chemical company and its massive supply chain that often neglects and damages the global environment. Stay tuned for tip #2]]>