The Dish About Soap

Many people have strong soda pop preferences. Some lean toward brown eggs over white. Others think laundry powders are better than liquid. Six of one, half-dozen of the other.

The politics of the bar soap seem similarly split. If you grew up using body wash, your hand instinctively reaches for a container full of sweet-smelling liquid. But many others feel they aren’t really clean unless they’ve lathered up with a bar of soap.

If that’s your tune, this blog posting is for you.

At Thymes, we’re proud to cater to all cleansing preferences. Indeed, all our bath and body collections feature bar soap (and body wash).

For anyone who has studied the soap-making practices of colonial America, the days of lye, coal ash and animal fats are long gone. (How those worked as heavy-duty cleansers boggles the mind!) The soaps Thymes blends today are a world apart, falling into two categories: glycerin and triple-milled.

Here’s the difference:

GLYCERIN SOAP

Soaps in the glycerin category are made with humectant glycerin, an all-vegetable ingredient that draws moisture to the skin while it cleanses away impurities. The translucent nature of glycerin gives the soap a colorful gem-like quality. This formula also offers excellent fragrance retention, the ability to keep skin hydrated, and provides a wonderful lather. Discover the beauty of glycerin soap with the Eucalyptus Bar Soap and Lavender Bar Soap.

TRIPLE-MILLED SOAP

Also made from all-vegetable ingredients, this gently moisturizing soap goes through a “French” milling process to make it ultra-creamy and rich. Most of our bar soaps are made through this French triple-milled process, which means the formula goes through three stages of refinement to disperse the ingredients evenly throughout the bar. This process ensures that the skin-conditioning soaps provide a luxurious bathing experience from first to last use. Customer favorite triple-milled soaps include Olive Leaf Bar Soap and Goldleaf Bar Soap.

THE BEST WAY TO USE BAR SOAPS

Bar soaps lather best when used with warm water. Take the soap and rub it between your hands for a few seconds to generate a lather and apply to either your washcloth, loofah, or even directly to the body. Continue to lather until the desired cleanliness is achieved and rinse thoroughly.

Proper storage in between uses is key to helping your bar soap live its longest life. Keep the bar in a spot that allows any excess water to drain, such as a soap dish with an elevated holder, a wire rack, or somewhere that doesn’t collect water. The bar should be able to dry between uses to prevent cracking and color degradation, keeping the bar looking and performing its best.

GIFTS GALORE

Scented soaps make an outstanding gift as a stocking stuffer, hostess offering, or paired with a fragranced body lotion or hand cream. Better still, they’re unisex, good for both gander and goose.

For a gift with even more oomph, we offer the Mandarin Coriander Bar Soap — a clever combination of refreshing, odor-neutralizing soap. And as the holiday season nears, fans of Frasier Fir will certainly relish a gift of Frasier Fir Bar Soap. To find a bar soap that’s right for you or someone on your gift list, shop all of our bar soaps or find your local specialty retailer. Your next shower or bath could be a bar above.

PRODUCT DEEP DIVE: NEROLI SOL BAR SOAP

Each Thymes bar soap formula is custom developed for the featured sophisticated, high-end fragrance and beneficial extract blends. All our formulas contain a high level of glycerin to provide a deeply moisturizing experience. Let’s take a look at the additional ingredients that make the Neroli Sol Bar Soap unique. The tropical fragrance has been specifically blended with other botanical extracts that reflect a warm, island locale and deliver the cleansing and moisturizing benefits our fans love.

Aloe vera (Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice): known as the “first aid plant,” aloe vera gel is well-known for its anti-inflammatory, soothing, and healing properties to skin.

Certified organic coconut oil (Cocos Nucifera Oil): this beneficial moisturizer restores and replenishes dry, flaky skin. Coconut oil helps to strengthen skin and sweeps away dead skin cells while deeply hydrating your skin.

Blue green algae extract (Spirulina Maxima): Spirulina is a type of oceanic algae that contains a wide array of nutrients. It has protein and large concentrations of vitamins and minerals and is known to boost skin’s recovery and improve the overall appearance and health of skin.