The task of reporting on my bar soap (and liquid soap) experiences continues to be somewhat daunting. To really test a given soap, it’s necessary to try it several times, continuously and exclusively, over the course of at least 3 days. With only one wash, even the most drying soaps don’t necessarily cause the cracking, dryness, even peeling or hangnails that surface with continuous use. See this SolveEczema post about washing hands without drying them for why.
So, I am going to use this post as my master list, editing it as I go rather than adding new posts on this topic.
I have done my best to determine that each of these products is a true soap, but as I recommend on the site, always, always check first. These are my subjective experiences and opinions. This earlier blog post on dry skin, eczema, and soap, may be helpful for evaluating products.
PLEASE NOTE THAT EACH OF THESE RECOMMENDATIONS IS FOR JUST THE SPECIFIC SOAP LISTED, OF THAT SPECIFIC “FLAVOR.” A RECOMMENDATION FOR ONE PRODUCT IN A LINE OF SOAPS DOES NOT IMPLY A RECOMMENDATION FOR OTHER SOAPS IN THE SAME LINE. SOMETIMES THE OTHER SOAPS IN THE SAME LINE HAVE PROBLEMATIC INGREDIENTS, FOR EXAMPLE. Also, not all of these soaps are necessarily okay for bathing infants because of other ingredients—I wanted to give grownups in the household some options, too.
Always read ingredient labels for individual needs and sensitivities, and because manufacturers can change ingredients. If you order online, check when you buy AND when you receive the item. (This is usually more of a problem with liquid soaps than bar soaps.)
As of June 2020, I seriously edited down the list. I have by now tried so many bar soap products, I am only going to list the ones I really, really like, or for one reason or other, think should be mentioned for problems (like dryness). Fortunately, bar soaps is a category where there are literally hundreds of possibilities. Unfortunately, it is also a category with a lot of less-than-stellar options.
Because I tried so many soaps, I am going to sort the feedback on these soaps into broad categories only: bar soaps I really like, and liquid soap products I really like. As of July 2022, liquid soap products have their own page.
Please note that “moisturizing” soaps backfire, causing the skin to feel soft or moisturized at first but increasing the permeability of the skin and causing it to lose water over time. (Refer to “Lumsdaine’s Law” in previous blog posts and to how to wash hands frequently without drying out skin .) Too many soap makers make the mistake of adding oil to their products. I no longer recommend using bar soaps with added oils or glycerine. I no longer recommend glycerine soaps at all. After trying many products, I also suggest caution with liquid soap products with added rosemary oil, usually as a preservative, they are often too oily/drying.
Aging bar soap, by putting a bar away on a shelf for 6 months to a year, could turn a drying soap into a great one. I have recently tried a bar of Tact, for example, that I put away for over a year, and it went from being unacceptably drying to absolutely luxurious and gentle to the skin.
If a bar soap feels oily when you pick it up, or your hands don’t feel clean after you wash, such a soap will probably never get better from aging. If a soap feels neutral when you pick it up, but your hands feel dryer after using it, that’s a soap that may be completely different if aged. Some soaps are completely different after six months, others take a year or two. One of my very favorite bar soaps I won’t use until I’ve aged it three years. (I’m not mentioning it below, because I don’t think the maker would like to be known for having to age their soap bars three years before using!)
COMMISSION DISCLOSURE: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Links that don’t go to Amazon, don’t earn a commission.
I feel I should be very clear that typical earnings are less than $10/month. Although it always helps, it’s not what most people imagine, and does not even cover web expenses. The reality is that I’ve never even been able to use easy mainstream advertising tools that would have earned much better commissions, because they would advertise things that don’t meet the SolveEczema criteria and could even be dangerous to site users. So, please use the links, it helps, but no, they are not a major source of income.
BAR SOAPS I LIKE BEST. Good cleansers while still relatively non-drying.
–Sappo Hill Natural Fragrance-Free (vegan, good value)
–Windrift Hill Moisturizing Goats Milk Soap (www.windrifthill.com, greatest scents ever, they also make unscented and reasonably good shampoo bars)
–Dr. Bronner’s All-One Hemp Unscented Baby-Mild Pure-Castile Soap (only the baby-mild bar soap, plus let it age a month or two before using)
–Pure Soap Flake Company bar soap (might benefit from a little aging, but a very pure, simple soap – www.puresoapflakes.com)
–Luxo Banho Creme Soap Strong perfume-y scent (some love, some hate it). I haven’t tried since they switched to the blue/white packaging
–Luxo Banho Olive
–One With Nature’s Dead Sea Salt Soap (triple milled, the current product has more oils added than I remember, so I don’t know if it’s the same)
–Savon Extra Pur Orange bar soap (www.lcdpmarseille.com – this brand is a real luxury, very expensive, wonderful stuff, and best aged, but I have not used in a long time, check ingredients)
–Tea Tree Therapy Vegetable Base Soap
-Ma Bella Goat Milk Soap (www.mabellaproducts.com, I tried for the first time after the bar was sitting out/aged a few months.)
See Master List of Liquid Soaps for liquid soap suggestions
Lastly, I have purchased and used all of the above products myself, although I haven’t used all of them recently. Product makers change ingredients—check before buying to be sure they are consistent with SolveEczema.org strategies.
I do not endorse nor have I accepted any payment to mention or represent products. I list product ideas for convenience, since people ask for it — and if I don’t, I am swamped with requests for specific product recommendations.
COMMISSION DISCLOSURE: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Links that don’t go to Amazon, don’t earn a commission.
Hi, I read your solveeczema website a hundred times in the past couple weeks, and am implementing a switch to pure soap. I hope I don’t scare you away with my questions, but I don’t know who else to ask (that would have any idea what I am talking about).
I would love to know your thoughts on Dr.Bronner’s liquid castille soap: baby, unscented- for use as a dish soap. Fragrances and essential oils are a big trigger for me, so a lot of products are ruled out.
Have you found a fragrance free dishsoap that foams or have any tips on dish washing with soap?
Also, do you have any experience with Savon de Marsielle’s olive oil bar soap (no fragrance)for body washing? Do you have any tips on hair conditioning and hair washing (getting the soap out)?
On bedding: any suggestions for non- chemical/ detergent pillows?
On clothing- cottons made without chemicals? I have been steadily developing eczema over the years anywhere clothing touches, and am wondering, now that my clothes are washed in soap and the eczema is still there, whether it is the fabric itself or the rubbing or the sweat.. any ideas?
Thank you so much. I am 24 and have had eczema since I was 10. I believe that detergents are a big trigger for me… I am trying to get this under control. I would appreciate any help you could offer and am so grateful to you for giving me the idea to switch to soap. I agree that a scientific approach needs to be taken to rule out the causes. I am wondering now.. if it isn’t soley detergent, what else could it be?
I look forward to hearing from you,
Amy
I noticed you haven’t reviewed the Cal-Ben bar soap. I’m very curious if you’ve tried it and what you thought? Thanks for this great resource!
Hi,
Although I think some of Cal-Ben’s products are the best I’ve tried in some products categories, the bar soap is not one of them. I mention that on my web site. I have heard from moms who used their bar soap when they take the steps on my site, but I personally find the bar soap drying. I want to offer people who come to my site a way to have normal, healthy skin. I don’t want them to have to think they have to compromise in order to get rid of the eczema.
I started that master list with one idea of what was out there, and in the process of trying out hundreds of bars of soap, I realized some things that made me think differently about what is out there and what causes dry skin. I also frankly came across so many more bar soaps that I wouldn’t recommend, I needed to just focus on writing up the ones I did (and maybe discussing a few of the most common ones that I don’t recommend).
That said, we have used the Cal-Ben liquid dish soap and the shampoo for skin — frankly, they are less drying than the bar. The bar soap category is the one type of soap product where there actually are quite a few good options. Again, I don’t want people to think they have to settle.
HIf tree nuts aren’t a concern, probably my very favorite soap is that Luxo Banho creme, it’s incredible. For everyday use, I think the best value is Sappo Hill unscented. I keep trying soaps, and I haven’t found anything I like better.
Regards,
A.J.