Why Are Men Switching Back to Bar Soap?

Bar soap's been around forever. Body washes, shower gels, those three-in-one bottles that reckon they'll do everything. All of them have had a crack at pushing it out. It's still here.

There's a reason for that. Want to wash your hands and body without any messing about? Hard to beat a bar. Simple. Easy to store. Doesn't kick up a fuss when you travel with it, and you're not short on scents or formulations either.

But is it worth it? What does a bar give you that a bottle of body wash doesn't? And when you're stood in front of the shelf, what are you actually looking for?

Right, here's the rundown.

What Is Bar Soap?

Solid cleanser. Meets water, lathers up. You rub it straight onto wet skin, or work it between your hands first and wash with what builds. That's it. No pump. No bottle. Nothing to run out mid-shower.

Body wash comes in a bottle. A bar doesn't need one. Whole difference, right there. And it's why a bar's just as happy sat by the sink as it is in the shower.

No routine to follow. Wash your hands, wash your body, done.

7 Benefits of Using Bar Soap

So why go for a bar when the shelves are heaving with shower gel and body wash?

Few reasons.

1. It's simple

Nothing much to work out.

Wet the bar. Lather. Wash, rinse.

That's the appeal. You're not measuring anything, not judging how much to pump, not getting caught out by a bottle running dry with soap still in your hair.

Every now and then a grooming routine's better with less in it.

2. A good bar can last for weeks

Look after a decent-sized bar and it keeps going for ages. That's one of the best bits.

Ours are 175g. Generous for everyday hand and body washing, not one of those bars that's gone in a week.

How long it lasts, though, that's on you. Depends how often it's used. How many people are getting at it. Whether it ever dries out between washes.

That last bit's the one people miss. Leave a bar sat in a puddle of its own runoff and it'll go to mush way faster than it should. A ledge, a dish, anywhere it drains off. That's all it wants.

3. It's convenient at the sink or in the shower

A bar doesn't need a fixed spot.

Sink for washing your hands through the day. Shower when you want a proper wash. Same bar. Both jobs. No bother.

So it's more of an all-rounder than a shower-only thing.

4. It's easy to take travelling

Packing body wash is a faff. A bar isn't.

No bottle to cram into a wash bag that's already full. And nothing sat there waiting to leak over everything else in your case the minute the lid loosens.

Let it dry, pop it in a soap dish or a little travel tin, and off you go.

Weekends away. Holidays. Gym bag. Trip to the barber. Handy for all of it.

Sails through airport security as well. It's a solid, so the 100ml liquids rule doesn't touch it. Your body wash can't say the same.

5. You can choose a fragrance you actually like

Soap's not only about getting clean.

The smell matters. A lot, if the soap's part of a routine you actually care about.

We've got a few signature fragrances, so you're picking based on what you want to smell like rather than making do.

Big Blue Bar carries our Original. Gold Soap Bar goes warmer, deeper, a Cuban-inspired scent. Classic Ice is the fresh, cooling one if you like it sharper.

Can't decide? Soap Stack sorts that. Three 175g bars in one, so you work through the range instead of gambling on a single bar. Find the one you like, then just buy that on repeat.

6. There's less packaging to deal with

A bar doesn't need the plastic bottle a liquid cleanser leans on.

Go solid and you're cutting down on packaging in your washing routine. Simple as.

Got to be straight with you here though. Doesn't mean every bar soap's automatically greener than every body wash. Ingredients count. So does how it's made, the packaging it does come in, how far it's shipped.

But if you like a solid format and you'd rather not stick another plastic bottle in the corner of the shower? Obvious shout.

7. It keeps your grooming routine straightforward

Men's grooming gets out of hand quick.

Face wash. Exfoliator. Moisturiser. Beard oil. Shampoo, conditioner, whatever styling stuff you're on this week. Shower gel on top.

And that's before you've even got to shaving.

A bar's a lot more stripped back for your hands and body. Pick it up, lather, wash, rinse.

One bar does what four or five bottles are trying to. Tough to argue with if you like keeping things no-nonsense.

Bar Soap vs Body Wash: What's the Difference?

Same core job, both of them. Get you clean.

Format's where they part ways.

Bar Soap	Body Wash
Solid format	Liquid format
Used with water to create a lather	Usually dispensed from a bottle
Easy to store at the sink or in the shower	Usually kept in the shower
Convenient for travelling	Can be bulkier to transport
No bottle required for the product itself	Requires a bottle
Available in a range of fragrances	Available in a range of fragrances

So, is a bar better than body wash?

Depends. On you. On the product. On how you wash.

Like a liquid cleanser you squeeze from a bottle? Crack on, no argument here. Want something solid that's easy to use, easy to store and easy to chuck in a bag when you're off somewhere? Bar's your bet.

Plenty of blokes run both, mind. Bar at the sink, gel in the shower. Nothing says you've got to pick a side. No sense overcomplicating it.

Can You Use Bar Soap on Your Hands and Body?

Yeah. A bar made for hand and body does both, no drama.

That's the useful thing about keeping a properly sized bar in the bathroom. Sink for your hands, shower for the rest of you, one product doing the lot.

Don't assume every soap suits every bit of you though.

Your face is the one to watch. Facial skin's got its own needs, tends to be more sensitive, and our own men's skincare guidance steers you towards a dedicated face wash there instead of a body soap. Hands and body, that's exactly where a hand and body soap earns its keep.

How Do You Use Bar Soap?

No technique to learn. But here's how it goes.

Step 1: Wet your skin

Warm water. Get your hands or body wet first.

Step 2: Create a lather

Wet the bar, rub it between your hands. Or work it straight over wet skin. Either way you'll get a good lather going.

Step 3: Wash

Work it in. Give a bit more attention to the spots where sweat, dirt and grime build up over the day. Pits, feet, wherever.

Step 4: Rinse

Rinse it all off. Clean water.

Step 5: Let the bar dry

The step nearly everyone forgets.

Once you're done, stick the bar somewhere the leftover water can drain off it. Drying out between uses is the single biggest thing keeping a bar going.

How Long Does a Bar of Soap Last?

No single answer here. Anyone handing you a hard number's guessing.

Comes down to the size of the bar. How often it's used. How much water it's getting hit with. Whether anyone else in the house is dipping into it.

Bigger bar, more washes. Obvious enough. Ours are 175g, so there's a fair bit of everyday use in one before you're reaching for a replacement.

Want yours to go further? Keep it dry between washes. Don't leave it sat in standing water. And stop running it under the tap for no reason.

A soap dish that actually drains makes way more difference than you'd think. Couple of quid, and it pays for itself in soap you're not washing down the drain.

How to Choose the Best Bar Soap for Men

Bit more to it than grabbing the best-looking bar off the shelf and hoping for the best.

Four things worth a thought.

Fragrance

You're using this daily. Pick a scent you actually like. Our range goes from the fresh Original through to the warmer, Cuban-inspired Gold, so there's something whichever way you lean.

Size

Bigger bar earns its place in everyday use and buys you more time before a replacement. Ours are 175g. Chunkier than a lot of what's out there.

Where you'll use it

Want one for the sink and one for the shower? Buy two, it's hardly a fortune. Or keep a bar in each bathroom and quit carting the same one round the house.

Your routine

Best soap's the one you'll actually reach for. If you want something easy for everyday hand and body washing, no point buying something that drags the whole thing out.

Which Bluebeards Revenge Soap Should You Choose?

After a men's bar soap and not sure where to start? Few options.

Big Blue Bar of Soap

Hefty 175g bar, our Original fragrance. The Big Blue Bar of Soap is built for straightforward hand and body washing. Just as at home at the sink as in the shower.

Gold Soap Bar

Another 175g bar. The Gold Soap Bar has a deeper, Cuban-inspired scent. Made for everyday body washing, and it'll do sink duty too.

Classic Ice Soap Bar

Fancy something fresher? The Classic Ice Soap Bar has that cooling, wake-you-up kind of fragrance. Hand and body again, 175g, so plenty of use in it.

Soap Stack Kit

Can't pick one? The Soap Stack Kit brings three 175g bars together. Easy way to work through the fragrances in a single go.

Also a solid gift for anyone into proper traditional grooming.

Is Bar Soap Better Than Body Wash?

No outright winner to hand you.

Bar soap's on top if you want simplicity, something portable, easy storage, a solid format you don't have to think about. Body wash makes more sense if you just prefer a liquid cleanser and always have.

What matters is something built for the job that suits how you wash.

Want a straightforward hand and body cleanser without piling another step onto an already crowded bathroom shelf? A good bar still does the business.

Frequently Asked Questions

Every Bluebeards Revenge soap is 100% vegan, cruelty-free and proudly made in the UK.