Plot twist! Bar soap, the most mundane item on your vanity, has become the star of the show. By Jamie Rosen: My sister is famously discerning when it comes to just about everything. The hangers in her closet are perfectly spaced, every scuff-free shoe stands at attention, and her suitcase is always neatly organized with packing cubes. And there is one thing she never travels without: a Dove Original Beauty Bar. No liquid body wash, no matter how beautifully perfumed...

A bar of soap? Sounds great. A facial bar? Fabulous. A shampoo bar? Mmmm … not so fast. A shampoo bar is exactly what it sounds like: a solid, concentrated hair cleanser and a low-waste, travel-friendly alternative to traditional liquid shampoo in plastic bottles. Solid shampoo is nothing new, but it has been growing in popularity, thanks in part to conscious consumers looking to reduce their consumption. As someone who isn’t the biggest fan of bar soap—give me shower gel,...

Sales of bar soap had been sadly slipping, but now shoppers are wising up to its many benefits. It wasn't all that long ago that I was lamenting the sad slippery slope of bar soap. I concluded that the demise of the humble soap bar was about misguided fear (of germs) and the unfortunate convenience of liquid soap (and all its wasteful plastic packing). "As we are continually proving our preference for things we can throw away instead of having to...

Have you ever considered using a bar of soap to wash your hair? Treat laundry stains? Scrub your dishes or give your dog a bath? No? You should. With the rise in concern over plastic consumption, bar soaps are becoming an excellent—and accessible—alternative to liquid bath and body products. But substituting your daily face wash or hand soap is just the beginning. A simple concentrated bar soap can replace everything from shaving cream to an exfoliator and even—if you dare—toothpaste. “Castile bar soaps such...

Soap, by definition, is clean. But unfortunately, that doesn’t mean it’s environmentally friendly, or even that it’s free from harmful chemicals. That’s discouraging news about a product that you coat your entire body in daily, like body wash or shower gel. But you can’t just skip the shower if you want to continue living in human society. There are lots of ways to make your hygiene routine more sustainable, and some soap choices are clearly better than others. This article contains affiliate...