Besides reminding you of that almost never-empty soap tray, which was restocked ever so often with yet another sweet smelling bar by your mum, these palm-sized bathing bars have come full circle to occupy prime space on your shower shelf today. With lesser packaging material and therefore less discarding, not only do they make for a more sustainable switch, but they also come with skin-loving benefits. A true labour of love, handmade soaps are delicately blended and moulded by individuals in small batches, with carefully selected ingredients and combinations that are natural, safe, and caring for the skin. Most often infused with essential oils, handmade soaps come with the promise of no-nasties and healing properties, with glycerin bases that moisturise. And, they make your bath smell delightful. Here, our favourite picks.

Earth Rain by Mud and Mood 

Infused with the essential oils of revitalising eucalyptus and cedarwood, along with exfoliating dead sea mud and charcoal, expect a minty fresh, deep but gentle cleanse, while getting reminded of the beautiful misty outdoors with the soap’s gradient, earthy colours.

Kaisori Rose Geranium Soap

Besides the precious packaging that comes with artwork created by a local miniature painting artist to depict the beauty of femininity, this handcrafted soap is lovingly crafted with ingredients that come from the valley of Kashmir. Plant-based glycerin and castor oil ensure the skin stays nourished, with rose and geranium’s antibacterial properties protecting it.

The Switchfix Co Viva La Sativa Shampoo Bar

This clean, vegan, zero-waste and plastic-free brand’s shampoo bar is the slow switch from liquid to solid we all need to make, if we love the planet we live on. Their locally sourced hemp seed oil is packed with antioxidants and omega fatty acids, and will ensure your scalp stays healthy and moisturised.

Vilvah Unscented Goat Milk Soap

Safe for your little one too, the farm-fresh raw goat milk in the soap, besides being extra hydrating, contains AHAs and vitamins that fight body acne. This moisturising bar also comes with extra virgin olive oil, organic coconut oil and castor oil to meet all your dry skin concerns too. 

Surprise Elements Citrus Got Real Soap Bar

If you need a pick-me-up, this fresh soap, with a blend of lemon, bergamot and tangerine, will ensure that you're up and at ‘em as soon as you’re out of a shower. A nourishing drizzle of olive oil and shea butter makes it a pleasure to use. 

Inatur Sandal and Turmeric Bathing Bar

This soap-free soap is brightening, hydrating and cleansing all at once, power-packed with shea butter, coconut oil, sandalwood scent, turmeric extract, saffron oil and lotus extract, so an invigorating experience is guaranteed. Sandalwood, turmeric and saffron are all brightening, anti-inflammatory additions that are able to tackle pigmentation and dark spots while moisturising and protecting skin. 

Skinella Apricot Seed Scrub

Take your scrub and your soap all at once—with apricot seeds to exfoliate and olive oil to nourish, this 2-in-1 product is a shower shelf must-have. A quick once-over will slough off all the dead skin cells and leave you looking and feeling thoroughly cleansed without feeling dried-out. 

Nuskay Rose Petal Soap 

The marriage of roses and Vitamin E oil is the anti-ageing bar missing from your bath shelf. Rose water has anti-inflammatory properties that can help nix redness and soothe eczema or dermatitis, while Vitamin E is essential to maintain skin elasticity. 

Bare Necessities Annato Spa Bar 

A blend of coconut, castor, sesame, neem and annato oil make for an antioxidant-rich blend that'll fight blemishes and fine lines while nourishing and balancing the skin all over. 

Earth origin Moringa Natural Bar 

Packed with Vitamin A and antibacterial properties, moringa helps achieve your clear skin dreams thanks to its fatty acids (particularly oleic acid). Apply it daily on your skin followed by a body cream for a fulfilling, simple bath ritual.