Handmade, small batch products usually have a short shelf life compared to mass produced products primarily because of the lack of preservatives and chemicals in them. This is obviously a good thing but causes a hurdle when people don’t have enough knowledge on how to store a product with a low shelf life.
When it comes to soap, I’d like to help you understand how to store natural soap, especially since you pay a premium for all hand made goods.
HOW LONG DOES COLD PROCESS SOAP LAST (AND HOW SHOULD YOU STORE IT?)
Cold process soap contains natural oils, and like most things made from real ingredients, it has a lifespan.
When stored in a cool, dry place, cold process soap bars can last for a whole year before you need to replace them.
It's not high-maintenance, but it does reward a little attention. Here's how to get the most lifespan out of your bar.
HOW TO STORE COLD PROCESS SOAP TO EXTEND ITS LIFE
Heat, moisture, and light all speed up how quickly the oils in cold process soap bars spoil. Keep that in mind for both, bars you haven't opened yet and ones you're using daily.
Storing bars not yet in use
When buying a bar, look for ones that are wrapped in breathable paper rather than plastic. Plastic traps moisture against the bar, which can make the surface soft or sticky over time. Bars wrapped in breathable paper are already preserving their shelf life before they hit your bathroom.
Keep bars you've bought but haven't yet opened in a cool, dry place. A cupboard or drawer away from heat sources and steam is a good place to store them.
Storing a bar you're actively using
Once you've opened a cold process soap bar, use a soap dish that has drainage. A bar sitting in a puddle of water between uses will soften quickly, go mushy, and wear down far faster than it should. A ceramic soap dish or a slatted soap dish that lets water run off and air circulate makes a real difference.
A sealed shower cubicle that stays warm and steamy long after you've finished is not a good environment for a cold process bar. Without airflow, the bar never fully dries out and just sits in residual humidity, slowly softening. If you can, take the bar out of the cubicle. Giving it a chance to dry helps it last longer.
HOW TO TELL WHEN A BAR HAS GONE OFF
The most obvious sign a cold process soap bar has gone off is its smell. A bar that's gone rancid will smell musty or noticeably different from how it smelled when new.
Another sign are small orange or brown patches that appear on the bar's surface, caused by oils beginning to go rancid. These are known as the dreaded orange spots. A spot here or there may be OK. If they're widespread or the smell has changed too, it's time to let it go. You might also notice a slick or greasy film developing on the surface.
If any of these signs appear, it's time to replace the bar. A fresh bar should smell clean and consistent, feel firm, and have an even surface. That's your baseline for what good looks like.
GET MORE FROM YOUR BAR WITH THE RIGHT SOAP DISH
The single biggest thing you can do to extend the life of a cold process bar is keep it dry between uses. A Skunk ceramic soap dish drains properly and lets air circulate so your bar dries out rather than sitting in water.
That’s a lot of text for learning how to make your soap bar last long and storing it for as long as possible. But it just goes to show that we at Skunk are huge fans of natural soap and how great it is for our skin and we want you to get the most out of every bar!
