Soap On The Go!
Places We Take Our Natural Soap
Has your bar of natural soap or shampoo bar ever left the bath or shower? If the answer is no, we think it’s time for it to explore! Your natural soap has places to go and people to see!
Soap was the first natural skin care product that I learned to make using a little mold that produced only 8 bars.
After 22 years, my skin has become so accustomed to the gentle, mild lather that anything else makes my skin dry and itchy. So when I travel anywhere, so does my soap!
Bar soaps and shampoos are excellent travel companions for daily use, camping, the gym, and short or long travel.
We wanted to share a few quick tips on different places we bring our natural soap. These small changes could help make your life a bit easier, your skin a bit healthier, and our planet a bit greener.
Purse/Backpack
Situation: The liquid "soap" available in public restrooms may not only be irritating your skin, it may also be spreading disease.
Public restrooms replaced bar soaps with liquid detergent soap in the 1960s when liquid soaps became readily available.
Scientists have known for quite a while that liquid soap dispensers in public restrooms can easily become contaminated with bacteria from airborne particles or the hands of people refilling them. Also, to save money some companies dilute the concentrated soap not only making it less effective against germs but increasing the chances of mold and bacterial growth.
Our suggestion: Using either a full bar of soap or soap scraps cut into small one-time use pieces. You can also use scrap from one of our Scrap Sack sales (see below).
Customer Tip: One customer told us that she uses an extra coarse cheese grater to make soap noodles. She carries the soap noodles in a small linen bag and sprinkles some out for one-time use. We have very clever customers!
Here is another way that saves money and waste. My husband hates using slivers of soap in the shower. So when we are ready for a fresh soap bar, I save the slivers, allow them to dry completely, and toss them into a paper bag. As I need them I cut them into small one-time use pieces or save the slivers for travel.
You can store your single use soap pieces in a small fabric or paper bag. I like to save the cleaned metal tins from my lotion bars or salves and use them to carry small soap scraps. These scraps are easy to carry in your purse, backpack, briefcase, or car. Now you can wash your hands with natural soap instead of the chemical-laden detergents in public restrooms.
I know many people carry hand sanitizer, but remember that hand sanitizer does not "clean" your hands.
Read our blogs
Simple Soap Can Help Decrease The Spread Of Viruses
Hand Sanitizer vs Soap & Water
The Gym
Situation: You go to the gym before or after work and often shower after a workout. Your normal routine includes packing bottles of shampoo and/or body wash, or maybe just using the product at the gym.
Our suggestion: Bring along a bar of natural soap or shampoo. I cut a full bar in half and use a travel soap dish since the soap will be wet after my shower.
The smaller size bar will last longer. Natural soap will get quite soft if it remains wet, so open the soap dish at home and allow the soap to dry. You can also store your natural soap in a nylon soap sack and place it in a reusable waterproof bag or soap case.
Reduce the need for multiple products. Use a soap or shampoo bar to wash your hands, body, face, and even to shave.
Camping
Situation: Camping is your family tradition, and you always bring commercial soap and shampoo from the store.
Commercial soaps, body washes, shampoos, and dish soap contain many synthetic ingredients such as artificial colors and scents, detergents, and chemical preservatives. These chemicals do not break down easily.
Traces of these chemicals will remain in nature for many, many years and can have a potential negative impact on plants and animals.
A biodegradable natural soap is made with natural, organic ingredients that break down efficiently when exposed to the bacteria found in the soil.
A bar of soap made will only natural ingredients is quite versatile. You can use the bar to wash your hands, body, and face, shave, and even wash your clothes, dishes, or fruits and veggies. Who needs to bring multiple products?
Our Suggestion: While all of our soaps are made with natural ingredients and are biodegradable—even biodegradable soap can eventually pollute lakes, rivers and streams if it is not used sparingly and properly.
Using soap made with only natural ingredients is a better camping alternative but be sure that your soapy rinse water ends up in the soil away from fresh water sources like lakes, rivers, and streams. No, you should NOT take a soap bath in the river!
Read more about camping and soap in our blog, Are Chagrin Valley Soaps & Shampoo Bars Biodegradable
How To Travel With Natural Bar Soap
Airplane Travel
Are you a traveler looking to simplify your packing routine?
Situation: You’re going on a two week European vacation and stopping in multiple cities (yes, we’re jealous!).
Traveling can be both exciting and stressful. We all want to pack light and keep security hold-ups to a minimum by adhering to the TSA’s 3-1-1 liquid rule.
Since a soap or shampoo bar is considered a solid item it is not subject to the same restrictions as liquids, gels, and aerosols.
Travelers can bring bar soap in both carry-on and checked luggage and bypass all the pesky liquid limits.
Traveling with liquids (like shampoos and body wash) can result in leaks, will make your luggage heavier, and if you only bring carry-on luggage can slow you down as you travel through the TSA security lines.
Our Suggestion: How you pack and use your soap depends how you will be traveling.
Are you staying in one place for two weeks? Pack a bar of soap that has been cut in half.
If you are moving from place to place use trial size bars, full bars cut into smaller pieces, dried soap slivers you have saved from your shower, or scrap from one of our scrap sack sales (see below).
I like to have small enough pieces so that my husband and I can use them for a day or two and then there is very little left to toss away.
Since I always bring a few pair of socks when traveling, I usually place my extra dry soap bars in my socks. You can also place them in a linen or paper bag. It will keep your clothes smelling fresh.
But I like using a bigger soap bar! (A comment I hear from my husband with his soap scrap aversion). When people travel with a bar of soap they often decide to put it into a plastic resealable ziplock bag. Unfortunately, this will cause the used, wet soap to get soft and cause a gooey mess in the plastic bag. You can purchase a traveling soap dish, but I have not had success with them. Here is my solution.
I cut the full bar in half or bring one of our travel size bar (smaller pieces dry faster).
I like using some sort of washing cloth or nylon mesh when showering. I have also learned that many hotels, B&B's, etc., especially in Europe, do not supply washcloths.
So, I pack my dry soap in a plastic zip bag with a washcloth or a soap sack. If my soap is still wet when I need to repack, I wrap it in the washcloth or put it in the soap sack and then place it in the plastic bag. As soon as I get to my new destination I unpack my soap and cloth to allow them to dry a bit. This methods prevents the mushy mess in the plastic baggie and works well for me.
Another helpful travel tip—You can use your natural soap to do a quick wash of your clothes in the sink, then leave them to hang dry while you are out exploring. This saves you the money and time of visiting and finding a local laundromat. It also saves you extra space in your luggage for fun souvenirs to bring back instead of packing additional clothes. Win win!
If you are taking a long flight or two, be sure to carry a few soap scraps in your backpack or purse for a quick freshen-up before landing or during layovers.
Tip: Our fluffy lathering shampoo bars are great as body soap and shaving soap, which makes them perfect for camping, traveling, business trips, and the gym. No need to pack little bottles of soap, shampoo, and conditioner. One shampoo bar can do it all.
Short Business Trips
Situation: You are traveling on a tight schedule--maybe even on short notice. You could be driving to the city next door, or flying across the country for a conference, seminar, or business retreat. You have to pack light and get ready quickly.
Our Suggestion: Natural soap may not seem like the answer to decreased traveling stress or packing light—but it could help!
Instead of worrying about liquid soap leaking all over your only business suit, or getting irritated skin from the hotel soap, pack a few small pieces of a dry soap bar. Wrap them in a small cotton bag or even a sock. It will keep your clothes smelling fresh.
Conclusion
From reducing environmental impact to providing some simple conveniences like saving space and preventing spills, embrace the advantages of traveling with natural bar soaps or shampoos.
Here’s why bar soaps and shampoos are excellent companions for your next outing, day trip, or travel:
- Convenient: A compact soap bar is lightweight, saves space, and is easy to bring anywhere.
- TSA Friendly: TSA’s 3-1-1 liquid rule does not apply to bar soap.
- No Spills or Leaks: Bars of natural soap and shampoo eliminate the risk of spills or leaks in your luggage.
- Multipurpose: You can use bar soap to wash your hands, body, and face, shave, and even wash your clothes which reduces the need for multiple products.
- Reduce Waste and Environmental Impact: Lots of little 3 ounce bottles means lots of plastic! So, opt for a bar of soap or shampoo and help reduce plastic pollution waste.
- Sustainable & Eco-Friendly: Made with natural ingredients by a company committed to sustainable practices helps promote a greener planet
Hint! Hint! Hint!
Take advantage of our Soap and Shampoo Scrap Sack Sales.
A Scrap Sack includes ONE POUND of soap or shampoo bar odds and ends packaged in a recyclable kraft paper bag made from recycled paper.
Your scrap bag will contain slivers, chunks, cracked bars, and odd size end pieces. Scents and colors may be faded and they may not be pretty, but you will get all the goodness of our all-natural handmade soap at real savings!
Scrap Sack sales are only offered 2-3 times per year.
Click here for more information on scrap sacks.
One More Traveling Tip
Do you need a moisturizer that will not melt or ooze out all over your purse, backpack, or luggage?
Or a TSA-friendly, on-the-go moisturizer?
Our small, compact, organic Lotion Bar Tins are easy to tuck into your purse, backpack, lunch box, car, toolbox or even your pocket.
They are conveniently sized to travel anywhere you go, so say goodbye to messy watery lotions that take up lots of space and explode in your luggage.
This one amazing product can moisturize skin all over your body. Your rough, dry hands or feet, flaking knees or elbows, dry chapped lips, split cuticles, and even the ends of your hair will thank you!
