Thousands of years ago, rain washed fat and ashes (from animal sacrifices), down a river; this led to the discovery of a lather that had the ability to wash skin and clothes. Before this, people had used urine. According to the New York Times, “A drop of ordinary soap, diluted in water is sufficient to rupture and kill many types of bacteria and viruses…”. Soap is the most effective way to stay safe this flu season. So this brings us to the ultimate battle of bar soap vs. liquid soap and which is better for our health.

Bar Soap vs. Liquid Soap

Everyone wants soap.  In fact, you need soap! The use of soap breaks down dirt and grime that water alone cannot do. This seems elementary. 

 “Yes, Lily, we already know this”. I know, I know… But do you know what kind of soap to use? What about which essential oils, herbs, or botanicals? Why use bar soap over liquid soap? I get the question every day: ‘Why not use liquid soap?’

William Sheppherd Begins the Battle

For hundreds of years, people relied on bar soap to keep good hygiene and ward off sickness. But, in 1865, a man named William Sheppherd patented liquid soap.  In 1890, Minnetonka Corporation made Sheppherd’s liquid soap well known. It was called Softsoap. I’m sure you’ve heard of it. The battle of liquid vs. bar soap had officially begun. 

Liquid soaps have become, over the years, the soap of choice. The switch from bar to liquid soap has been driven by the fear of bacteria on the bar itself. But, that’s ridiculous because soap, by nature, kills bacteria. 

Down to the Molecule

Chemists have shown why bar soap is more reasonable.  Soap molecules are electrically charged salts that surround and destroy bacteria and viruses’.  These destroyer molecules and protectors of health are called micelles.

Large companies, however, began to stress that liquid soap was more hygienic. This was a sales ploy. The liquid soap industry profits from the lies they spread. Let’s look at a couple of products that are on the market, to show their exponential profits.

Why Bar Soap Stays Winning

1.) Saves you money

2 teaspoons of Olay liquid body costs about $1.33 per wash. 1 solid bar of soap from Ivory only costs approximately $0.09 for each wash. See the difference?

Now that you can see the extreme difference in cost per wash, you can observe that companies received a significant profit when America switched from bars to liquid. Fact is, per wash, bar soap is cheaper and healthier.

2.) It will save your skin

Traditional bars of soap contain plant and animal fat that are nourishing to the skin, unlike liquid soaps. Nobody should ever be using chemical-filled liquid detergent on their skin.

Liquid soaps are made of petroleum-based synthetic surfactants which of course come with their own set of environmental impacts. Not to mention where the chemicals end up – in our oceans, lakes, and even our tap water.

3.) Better for the environment

Liquid soap is also packaged in plastic, resulting in pollution. Plastic ends up in our landfills and oceans, harming wildlife, and polluting the air. Bar soap has simple, environmentally safe packaging and disposal. Liquid soap requires five times more energy to produce and nearly 20 times more energy to package, and, we use about seven times more liquid soap than bar soap for each hand wash. Even though we tend to use about 30 percent more heated water washing with bar soap, it was still the environmental winner.

According to Conservation Magazine, “A recent study on the environmental impacts of soaps and their associated packaging found that bar soaps have a lower environmental impact than liquid soaps in many important categories including carbon footprint, ecotoxicity, ozone depletion potential, and eutrophication potential.”

Do Yourself a Favor and Make the Switch

Further, liquid soaps are loaded with emulsifying agents and stabilizers that are known to cause cancer.  Traditional bars of soap contain plant and animal fat that are nourishing to the skin, unlike liquid soaps.

In sum, liquid soap offers no benefits to the consumer. Bar soap saves money, it’s better for the environment and healthier for the body. Bar soap simply saves lives!