Everything changes when you decide your skin deserves more. That YOU deserve more. Body wash, even the “good stuff,” just doesn’t cut it. Bar soap is better in every way that counts:

• Better for your skin
• Better for the environment
• Better for your daily ritual

Learn why more and more people are returning to bar soap, and how to use bar soap in the shower to cleanse, nourish, and restore your skin with nothing but Mother Earth’s finest ingredients. See what a difference Oshun’s goat milk soap can make today. 

Key Takeaways

• Bar soaps like Oshun are crafted by hand using only natural ingredients from Mother Earth.
• Our bar cleanses, hydrates, purifies, and protects. It replaces so many other products in your skincare routine.
• Work the bar of soap into a lather between your hands, and massage the creamy goodness all over your skin. 
• Use this as an opportunity to be present and practice gratitude. This is time for yourself. Enjoy the stillness.

What to Expect When Replacing Body Wash With Bar Soap

You’re not alone if you're used to cleansing with body wash or some sort of shower gel. Most people have used it at some point in their lives. And it’s easy to see why. Convenience. Familiarity. Scent. 

But if you’ve read our comparison of bar soap vs body wash, you know why it’s time to return to basics. The question is, just how different is washing your body with bar soap instead? Very.

We like to say that learning how to use bar soap in the shower is less about “learning” and more about “unlearning.” The lather is dramatically different. Think creamy instead of sudsy. This is why a lot of people have the misconception that bar soap doesn’t deliver the same clean. It’s just that, though - a misconception.

The truth is, body washes foam up because of what are called surfactants. The same stuff that makes laundry detergent, dish soap, and car shampoo bubble. That’s what goes on your skin. It strips away moisture and leaves you feeling tight.

In contrast, you’ll emerge from the shower feeling restored after using bar soap. Your skin is hydrated, happy, and almost glowing - before you put anything else on it. You’ll think to yourself…why didn’t I make the shift sooner?

How to Use Bar Soap in the Shower: Getting Started With Your Oshun Ritual

The best way to use bar soap in the shower is with intention. Slow down and enjoy this time caring for not just your skin, but your soul. Rushing defeats the purpose of holding something worth your attention. 

1. Let the Water Run Over Your Body

Warm water softens the skin and helps loosen up whatever is sitting on the surface of your skin, be it dirt, makeup, or simply dead skin cells. Give it a minute or two before reaching for the bar. People skip this step because they’re in a hurry. Don’t be. 

2. Work the Bar into a Lather

Grab your bar of soap from its dish and let the water run over it whilst in your hands. Then, roll it back and forth between your hands as the creamy lather starts to form. Notice how different it looks and feels. It’s indulgent rather than clinical. 

One thing we want to mention is not running the bar directly over your skin. A lot of people do this, but it leads to using a lot more of the soap than you need to. The bar is your source. Your hands are the tool.

3. Carry the Lather Across Your Skin

Start with your face. Lighter pressure, circular motions, and avoid the eye area. Let the lather sit there for a few moments as the ingredients work into your pores. Then you can rinse away and repeat the process across the rest of your body. 

We see a lot of people use loofahs or washcloths. That’s not how we recommend using bar soap in the shower. The white willow bark in Oshun already brings you the exfoliation you’re looking for. 

4. Let it All Rinse Away

Stand under the water and watch as the lather runs down your body and then down into the drain. All the impurities burdening your skin when you stepped into the shower go with it. 

5. Put the Bar Back in its Soap Dish

We can’t stress the importance of proper goat milk soap storage enough. A well-draining dish dries out between uses. In contrast, a soap sitting in a puddle of water will continue dissolving, all while creating the ideal conditions for bacteria to grow.

6. Pat Your Skin Dry

Your skin is well-nourished at this point. Don’t undo that by rubbing your skin dry with a towel. Pat gently with a clean towel. Let it do all the work. You’re just guiding it across the damp areas of your body. 

Now What?

The next steps are yours to take. But when you use something like Oshun, you’ll find that your post-shower routine becomes a relic of the past. 

No longer do you need to follow up with a moisturizer because your skin feels tight. You don’t need a toner to balance anything out. You don’t even need a separate exfoliator. 

That’s because Oshun has ingredients that do all this for you. The goat milk, shea butter, and olive oil moisturize. The kaolin clay sucks impurities out, while the white willow bark exfoliates. The citric acid balances your skin’s pH. The manuka honey calms inflammation.

Try going without the rest of your routine for a little while and see what happens. You may find that your skin is happier than it’s ever been, and you’re not toiling over a 10-step routine. 

Why Returning to Bar Soap is the Best Thing You Can Do For Your Skin

Knowing how to use bar soap in the shower is one thing. Committing to it is another. Here’s what you stand to gain if you’re still on the fence.

What Goat Milk Soap Leaves on Your Skin

Body wash is notorious for stripping your skin dry and leaving it bare. That’s the “squeaky clean” sensation; that unmistakable “tight” feeling. 

Bar soap works differently, though. This natural alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) helps dissolve dead skin cells without abrasion. It sloughs away buildup and leaves the pores tighter while your skin is smoother. This is why goat milk soap is often called the best exfoliating bar soap.

That’s not all, though. The fat content does the rest. It locks in moisture and prevents natural oils from getting lost in the wash. Using bar soap crafted from goat milk means your skin holds onto what it needs, so you don’t have to replace it after every shower.

Fragrance-Free By Design

Most soapmakers add fragrance. Ours purposefully omits it. This ingredient is one of the most common causes of contact dermatitis. The risk gets harder to justify when you use the same bar on your face and body every single day. 

You still enjoy the warm notes of Mother Earth’s finest ingredients. But we’ve found that ritual means more when you assign the meaning, rather than letting a scent dictate how you feel.

Cold-Pressed and Left to Cure For 8 Weeks

Most commercial soaps are made with heat and rushed from the production floor onto the store shelves. But this breaks down all the valuable compounds in a good bar of soap. It’s why we use a cold-pressed process and give the bar 8 weeks to cure. It’s worth waiting for.

This way, oils slowly saponify, and glycerin (an invaluable natural humectant) stays intact. The water evaporates, and the bar begins hardening, to the point that you’re left with a hefty chunk of soap weighing in at 7 ounces. It’s substantial.

Whether you’re looking for the best bar soap for acne or the best soap for aging skin, Oshun is going to change everything you think you know about cleansing. 

Understanding how to use bar soap in the shower is just the beginning. It’s learning how to form a ritual that means something that really matters. Define the ritual yourself today.