Four alternative uses for bar soap in your beauty routine

There’s no question the soap bar is a beauty regime staple.

However, there are many more ways a great natural soap can be used other than for simply washing your hands and face.

For ideas on how to get the most out of the humble bar soap, we spoke to Lisa Bronner of natural soap brand Dr Bronner’s for her go-to recipes.

Soap cream

Not only perfect for handwashing, a soap cream can also be used for bathing, dishes, laundry, and more. Dice a bar of soap into one centimetre cubes and soak this in 960 ml of water (distilled or reverse osmosis preferred) for at least one day.

“Put the mixture in a blender on low for 30 seconds or until the soap is fully blended. Do not turn the blender on higher as this will whip excess air into the mixture and increase the volume beyond the capacity of your blender. Blend half the soap/water at a time if the volume is too much for the blender,” advised Bronner.

“To achieve in less than a day, grate instead of cube the bar soap and use warm (not hot!) water to blend.”

This will make around 2.4 litres of soap cream. Store in an airtight container, such as a Mason jar, and it will have a shelf life of three weeks. However, be aware that the soap cream looks a lot like beaten, foamy egg whites – so be sure to label!

Clean make-up brushes

Washing and drying make-up brushes aren’t typically the most exciting of tasks, but it doesn’t have to be a chore.

“Wet your make-up brush and then apply a couple of drops to a small squirt (depending on brush size) of Castile liquid soap to the brush,” the expert said, recommending a soap with tea tree oil as it will have antimicrobial properties that can help manage bacterial overgrowth and acne.

“Massage and rinse in clean water. To dry, gently squeeze brush bristles with a clean towel.”

Body scrub

Ever wondered what to do with your leftover coffee grounds? Why not make a homemade body scrub with them! Simply take the coffee grounds and leave them to dry out for a day or two.

“Then, mix one part of grated bar soap and two parts dry, ground coffee. You can pick your scent – coffee also smells really good with almond soap. Keep it in a jar, and whenever you want to use it, scoop out a spoonful,” said Bronner.

“This scrub is excellent for exfoliation, especially for hands and feet, but perhaps not your face. It’s also great for removing odours from your hands. If you have garlic on your hands or petrol, this will help take the scent off your skin. It makes a great and easy gift too.”

Face scrub with liquid soap

“Sugar is much lighter than coffee, and so, it’s a gentler exfoliant. You could use coconut sugar, granulated sugar or go as fine as castor sugar. The finer you go, the gentler the exfoliant will be. You can make this with salt too,” she added.

“Take 60ml Castile liquid soap and mix with 160g organic white granulated sugar (or exfoliant of your choice). It’s going to be fairly dry and crumbly when you’re done. You want the sugar to be concentrated in there. It almost makes a paste.”

Store in an airtight container. You can add a little water if the scrub becomes too dry.

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