You feel the heft the moment you pick it up. Oshun is unlike any other bar of soap you’ve held before. But how long does a bar of soap last in a best-case scenario, and what can you do to extend the shelf life of bar soap?
The long and short of it is this: water is the enemy of bar soap. The longer it sits damp on the sinktop or in the shower, the faster it degrades. Our 7 oz bar of goat milk soap lasts 4-6 weeks on face and body if you give it the ideal storage conditions.
Care for your bar of Oshun, and it’ll care for your skin right back. Learn more below.
Key Takeaways
- Mass-produced bars with no real food-grade ingredients can last 2-3 years unopened.
- A handcrafted bar made with real ingredients from Mother Earth will only last 12-18 months.
- A bar of Oshun can cleanse and nourish your face and body every day for 4-6 weeks.
- The bar soap shelf life depends on not just how it’s made but how it’s used and stored.
- The best thing you can do for your soap is keep it in a well-draining dish.
Does Bar Soap Go Bad?
We get asked all the time - does soap expire? Not in the same way food goes bad. You won’t get violently ill from lathering up with an old bar of soap.
You’re unlikely to have any sort of adverse reaction to old soap (that is, assuming the ingredients in the soap itself are not harmful - which is a big assumption with a lot of the syndet bars you see on the shelves). That’s because bar soap is anhydrous, according to Rob Robinson, a cosmetic chemist. In other words, there’s no water for bacteria or mold to grow in. Anhydrous products are the least likely to be a microbial risk.1
What does happen, though, is oxidation. The bar’s natural fats can slowly but surely break down, especially in a really good bar of soap that doesn’t rely on synthetic preservatives. That’s why handmade soap doesn’t last nearly as long as mass-produced syndet bars.
The oils used in the soap play a part as well. Bars made with polyunsaturated fats degrade faster than those built on stable fats like coconut oil and shea butter. You’ll know your soap is past its prime if you notice:
- Sour smell
- Orange spots on the surface
- A soft, crumbly texture
But in general, how long does a bar of soap last?
How Long Does a Bar of Soap Last?
We have to look at the shelf life of bar soap through a few different lenses:
- Bar soap shelf life vs how many washes you get out of it
- Mass-produced bars vs handmade soap like Oshun
Shelf life is multiple years (or at least 12-18 months). How long a bar of soap lasts on your face and body depends on the size of it. Oshun is substantial. That’s part of what separates it from the soap you’ve settled for all this time. You can cleanse your entire body and face with it, every day, for 4-6 weeks - assuming you keep it stored well. How long does a bar of soap last from the drugstore, then? 3-4 weeks at most. Usually less, but we’re being generous.
There are other factors besides how the soap is made, too. Water temperature plays a big role. Hot water (and even steam from the shower) will cause the soap to degrade faster.
How you lather matters as well. Don’t be stingy, though. This is a ritual for YOU. Indulge in a moment of guilt-free indulgence and lather to your heart’s content. You’ll find that the goat milk soap lather is much different from what you’re used to. Think creamy instead of sudsy.
But perhaps most importantly - the storage conditions for a soap when it’s not being used for cleansing. Which is nearly the entire day. Keeping your bar soap somewhere that water can continuously hit it (under the faucet in a shower caddy or on the shelf on the side of the shower) will slowly but surely eat away at it.
Even keeping it up out of the shower, but in an area where water pools, is going to cut into the shelf life of bar soap. So, we recommend you learn how to store goat milk soap (or any artisan bar, for that matter). We’ll share some tips below.
Ways to Maximize the Shelf Life of Bar Soap
- Use a draining soap dish: We’re working on making our own soap dish, but in the meantime, just make sure you keep it in something with raised ridges or slats so water can escape and air can circulate under the bar.
- Keep the bar out of the direct water stream: We talked about this earlier. Store it on the far side of the shower or on a shelf above the spray.
- Let it fully dry out between uses: This means keeping good ventilation in your bathroom itself. Open a window and let the bathroom breathe between showers.
- Use a washcloth or loofah: Rub the bar a few times, set it down, and lather from the cloth if you want to use less soap per wash. Totally up to you.
- Cut the bar: Slice it in half and use one piece at a time. Put the other half somewhere dark, cool, and dry. This will at least protect a good chunk of the bar from the elements.
- Keep unused bars somewhere cool and dry: Like we just said, you can maximize the bar soap shelf life if you store unopened bars in a linen closet or something like that. Handmade bars will keep hardening over time, too!
Get the Longest-Lasting Bar Soap at Oshun!
The soap you use isn’t merely a means to an end. Oshun is handcrafted from the finest ingredients sourced with intention from Mother Earth. That includes:
- Nubian goat milk for its rich fatty acids and vitamins
- Manuka Honey +20 UMF for its healing power
- First cold-pressed olive oil brimming with polyphenols for antioxidant protection
- White willow bark for gentle exfoliation with natural salicylic acid
- Shea butter for deep moisturizing and smoothing benefits
- Kaolin clay to purify pores, soften texture, and draw out impurities
There’s also citric acid, mica powder, and Himalayan pink salt. All ingredients your skin recognizes and responds to with softness and glow. You exit the shower and pat yourself dry, feeling nothing is missing. No need to lather up in moisturizer or apply the toner. Just quiet, comfy skin that’s right where it needs to be.
