What to Know Before You Buy Your First Handmade Soap

Handmade soap looks different, feels different and behaves differently than the commercial bar soaps most people have used their whole lives. If your first experience with a handmade bar doesn't go the way you expected, it's usually because the difference wasn't explained upfront.

Here's what changes when you switch, and how to set yourself up for a good first experience.

The lather will feel different

Commercial bar soap often produces a heavy, fluffy foam because it contains added foaming agents. Handmade soap produces a denser, creamier lather that doesn't pile up the same way. It's not less effective. It just looks different.

In your first week with handmade soap, you might reach for more than you need because the lather doesn't signal "enough" the way commercial soap did. Resist the instinct. Handmade soap is concentrated, and a small amount goes further than you'd expect.

Your skin may notice the change

Commercial bars are often formulated to leave a conditioning film on skin. Handmade soap doesn't, so your skin may feel different at first. Some people notice it feels a little drier or tighter before they settle into the new routine. If that happens, follow with a moisturizer while your skin is still slightly damp.

Handmade soap keeps its natural glycerin, a byproduct of the soap-making process, which gives the bar a smooth, soft feel on its own.

How to store it

Handmade soap needs to dry out between uses or it will dissolve faster than it should. A soap dish with drainage, slats or a raised surface that lets water run off will extend the life of the bar significantly.

Keep it out of the direct spray of the shower when you're not using it, and let it dry completely between uses. A bar that sits in standing water will last much less time than one that dries well.

Reading the ingredient list on a handmade soap

Cold process soap can list ingredients in two ways, and both are correct. Sometimes oils are listed by their oil name before saponification ("olive oil," "coconut oil"), sometimes by their saponified name ("sodium olivate," "sodium cocoate"). Both describe the finished product. They just name different stages of the same chemistry.

Look for the oil base as the primary ingredients. The superfat percentage (how much extra oil is left unreacted in the bar to add conditioning) isn't usually listed on the label, but you can ask the maker. A higher superfat makes a more conditioning bar.

Scented or unscented: the sensitive skin question

If you have reactive skin or you're not sure how your skin will respond to a new soap, start with an unscented option. Essential oils are well tolerated by most people, but some skin reacts to them. Removing that variable for your first trial tells you how your skin does with the formula itself.

Once you know the formula works for you, try the scented versions if you want them. Unscented first is the lower-risk starting point for anyone with a history of skin reactions. A patch test on your inner arm before first use is always a good idea.

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