Where does the soap come from?

Soap bar – we can confidently say that this is a product that everyone knows. Since the dawn of time, the first traces of bar soap production were found in Babylonian culture and date back to 2800 B.C.E. It is modified and improved from year to year to satisfy its users as much as possible and meet each skin’s individual needs. The use of various bases and additives in soap production and adding colours and shaping shapes allows buyers to use the finished product more pleasantly. Contemporary soaps are more attractive to the eye and nose than their ancient predecessors, and there are many variations in their subject matter. Manufacturers of care products often meet the growing demands of consumers, and the current technological development has allowed going a step further in composing products for everyday hygiene. Thanks to this, shampoos have also taken the form of a bar, which have recently gained great popularity and a wider group of supporters. What exactly are they, and why aren’t they standard soap at all? We invite you to read the text that will explain the whole secret.

What exactly is a soap bar?

Let’s start with the explanation – what exactly is regular body soap? It is a surfactant that removes dirt from the skin. The saponification of natural fats produces a pure base – mainly sodium or potassium – accompanied by ethyl alcohol. The finished product is a uniform, solid block, which foams when in contact with water, and the resulting foam is very slippery. From a chemical point of view, soap is a preparation that likes water and fats at the same time – this is why it can be used as a washing agent. When used, the soap forms a kind of emulsion of dirt and water, which is then easily rinsed off with clean water.
Interestingly enough, lithium soap is also produced. However, it is not suitable for human use because such soaps are poorly soluble in water. However, they are used in bearing greases due to their specific, soapy slipperiness.

Is a bar of soap suitable for washing the scalp?

Someone will think that, in this case, ordinary soap is suitable for washing the entire body, including the skin on the head. Nothing could be more wrong! It is expected that the skin of the face – due to its increased sensitivity – requires separate treatment. We have individual, specialized face cleansing preparations and tonics to restore the proper acidity, even face creams have a completely different composition than body lotions. The skin on the head also has unique requirements, which we will explain by its structure.
As you can see at first glance, the scalp grows the most hair compared to the density of the hair on the rest of the body. The condition of the scalp, to a large extent, determines what kind of hair we can boast of. For many women, this decorative crown is essential – everyone cares about a well-groomed, eye-catching storm of hair, and men also more and more often want a neat, shiny and thick hairstyle. The scalp also has the largest number of sebaceous glands responsible for the production of sebum and natural protection of the hair against external factors and moisture loss. The scalp also has its specific bacterial flora, thanks to which we are not exposed to its diseases.
To keep the scalp flora in harmony, the natural pH of the scalp should not be disturbed. The scalp has an acidic pH which also promotes the viability of these good bacteria. If this protective barrier is disturbed, we risk developing fungal and bacterial infections, which cost us the deterioration of the scalp condition, the appearance of the hair – including excessive hair loss, and pharmacological treatment, which is often long, unpleasant and embarrassing. Body soap has a pH of 7 upwards, i.e. a minimum neutral and mostly alkaline. This neutralizes the acidity of the scalp, thus destroying our natural shield. Dedicated bar shampoos have an acidic pH. However, they are neutral for the scalp, thus ensuring our safety and comfort – we do not need to use special acidifying rinses later.

What exactly does a shampoo bar do?

Thanks to the densely spaced sebaceous glands, the scalp produces the most sebum from all parts of the body. The task of sebum is to maintain an appropriate level of skin hydration and – in the case of the scalp, to protect and make the hair more elastic. When you feel that the skin is excessively cleansed of sebum, the sebaceous glands increase its production even more – after all, if it is lacking, it means that there is not enough of it and more is needed. This is because by washing the scalp with too strong a detergent, we excessively dry it, which makes the glands work more intensively, and the production of sebum increases significantly. The result is overly greasy hair that does not look aesthetically pleasing, and the excess sebum also contributes to the development of skin diseases. A vicious circle begins to form, and the skin becomes more oily, so we wash it more often and become more oily again. Soap is a strong detergent, the occurrence of the excessive oily scalp when washing with ordinary soap is more than certain. Bar shampoos are properly balanced in this respect, and they contain much more delicate detergents with which we do not have to worry about anything. They dominate this topic even over ordinary drugstore shampoos containing SLSs that literally work like a vacuum cleaner for fat.

Shampoo bar in action

People’s awareness of the subject of care is growing in their eyes, and bar shampoos are an excellent alternative for people who want to take care of their hair in a unique way. Creating such a shampoo allows for the closure of many ingredients that have a beneficial effect on the hair follicles. Plant extracts, natural premium oils (including coconut oil, shea butter and even argan oil), herbal extracts and clay – regular use of appropriately selected compositions makes the already grown hair more flexible and visibly stimulates the growth of new shampoo. In addition, it regulates excessive oily hair, calming the sebaceous glands and collecting excess sebum from them. As a result, hair grows faster, grows thicker, stronger and more well-groomed – all in a safe environment for them because the shampoo in the ankle ensures that the care is buttoned up at every angle. After using an ankle shampoo, hair is lovely, soft, shiny and easy to comb. Using ordinary soap makes the hair dull and challenging to comb due to its alkalinity.
In most cases, it is left with an unsightly, soapy residue, creating the effect of thick hair. The classic soap is ultimately the same, while the manufacturers of bar shampoos make a wide range of variants suitable for each hair type – from straight, curly or oily, to flat and difficult to style. Everyone will find their favourite option.

The main washing ingredient in a shampoo bar

What ingredient is responsible for the cleansing properties of a bar shampoo? The most commonly used is delicately saponified coconut oil in SCI – Sodium Coco Isethionate. This ingredient is responsible for the thick, well-retaining foam during washing and thorough cleansing of the scalp, and its unique advantage is that it does not sting the eyes. It is a gentler washing agent than essential soap or SLSs, prevalent in standard, drugstore liquid shampoos. In the ankle, it presents itself in the form of small, snow-white flakes. SCI is a compound so delicate that it is ideal for use by owners of even susceptible scalp and allergy sufferers. SCI is also 100% biodegradable and non-toxic to the environment.
As for the additional ingredients, if you look closely. Bar shampoos have extremely short compositions, which means that each of the valuable elements is relatively large. Compared to drugstore shampoos, the ingredients of which often extend over a few lines, and the essential additives for us are usually at the very end of the list – bar shampoos have several, up to a dozen or so. This means that each of them has a chance to work to an appropriate degree, because there is enough of it to conquer anything.

Efficiency and convenience of using a bar of shampoo

It is also worth paying attention to the convenience of the characters they offer us. The shampoo bar is as efficient as possible with minimal storage space. So it is an excellent alternative for people who have a small usable space in the bathroom or for people who value transparency and minimalism in their decor. Travellers will appreciate their convenient form – as a solid, they do not cause problems when travelling, they will not spill in the luggage, and with a little suitcase, they do not have to be poured into smaller bottles. Despite its small stature, according to users’ opinions, it is sufficient for an average of 50 to 70 washes – even more than two months of use! People in a hurry don’t have to worry about the shampoo running out, and you have to run for a new one. There is no risk that too much will spill from the bottle – we gradually saponify as much as we need. An additional advantage of bar shampoos is the zero waste idea used in their production – we will get them in the form of one package. We can buy only a supply or wrapped in 100% biodegradable paper. The suds themselves are entirely non-toxic to the ecosystem. Less plastic and less toxic substances mean a happier environment. Animals are also happier because shampoos in cubes are created according to the cruelty-free principle – no shampoo is ever tested on a living organism, except possibly the producers themselves.

We hope that all doubts about the difference between body soap and bar shampoo have been dispelled. What’s more, we hope that the group of supporters of this form of shampoos will grow, because they bring enormous benefits when using them. Well-groomed hair, comfort, safe animals and the environment – for us, these are 3x yes! Comfort, safe animals and the environment – these are 3x yes!