Remember the good old days before body wash was invented? All we had to do was get the first bar of soap we saw on the supermarket shelves, but now there is an incredible variety of bar soaps to choose from, and with body washes joining in on the competition, there’s a new question in place–bar soap vs body wash, which will you choose?
While some people may already have a strong preference to one of these, others may have a harder time choosing. If you belong in the latter category, this guide can help you understand how bar soaps and body washes score on different fronts. Once you’re aware of this, you may find it easier to choose. So, read on to find out all about what bar soaps and body washes are, and how they compare.
What Is Bar Soap?
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In the bar soap vs body wash contest, the former is the one that a vast majority of the people are more familiar with. Still, let us try to define this product we know so well and love so much. Soaps have been around for ages. In fact, the bar soap is so ancient that nobody really knows its exact origins.
The earliest available records indicating the existence and the use of soap date back to 2800 BC, in ancient Babylon. A formula for soap used by the people of Babylon has even been found on a clay Babylonian tablet dated 2200 BC. The formula consisted of water, alkali, and cassia oil, which is similar to soap as we know it today. Other records of the use of soap in ancient civilizations suggest that the ancient Egyptians, the Romans, and the people of ancient China and medieval Europe all used variations of this formula as cleansing solutions.
Essentially, soap is a long chain salt of a fatty acid and an alkali, with a pH that is usually between 9 and 10. The word "soap" is also used to describe a variety of products that used for cleansing and lubricating purposes. A bar soap can also be used around the house for performing regular chores like bathing, washing clothes, dishwashing, and other routine kinds of cleaning. Soaps in their chemical form are used in industries as thickeners, as components of lubricants, and as precursors to catalysts.
Today, bar soaps come in many forms, including the following:
And then, aside from these kinds of soaps, there’s also another variety–liquid soap. This brings us to the next contender in the bar soap vs body wash dispute.
What Is Body Wash?
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Body wash may be new to the scene compared to soap, but body wash has its own edge in the whole bar soap vs body wash debate. But first, it's important to understand exactly what a body wash is. Body wash is a liquid cleanser that use mild surfactants to cleanse the skin and wash off the dust of everyday life from the pores.
A related product in this conversation is shower gel as it can be easily confused with body wash. Shower gels and body washed use similar chemical formulations, but the difference between them lies in their consistency. Shower gels are thinner, making them better suited for warmer climates, which body wash is generally thicker and more moisturizing, making them better for cool climates.
Another subcategory in the body wash family is the body scrub. These products are body washes that come with tiny granules in their mix, making them slightly coarse to touch. They are typically thicker than body washes, and they work better at scrubbing away dead skin cells on the body, thus allowing moisture to settle in and replenish your skin’s vitality.
Bar Soap vs Body Wash: Major Differences
Both body washes and body soaps are best used with a loofah, a washcloth, or a pouf, but they still have some major differences. To try to settle the bar soap vs body wash dilemma once and for all, let us see how the two compare regarding various parameters.
Hygiene
Cost
Ecological Friendliness
Effect on Skin
Convenience and Compactness
Conclusion
It turns out the bar soap vs body wash debate is a close call. Both bar soap and body wash products will clean your skin, but each one has its own specific formula and effects, and depending on your personal situation, certain attributes of a specific bar soap or body wash will be best suited to meet your needs.
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