SOAP OPERA
Say yes to soap and inject some personality into your bathroom with colourful cakes and eye-catching dishes. Choose a vintage china or silver dish for an embossed oval, opt for a ridged wooden stand to display a simple slab, or play it bright with a terrazzo-look footed tray (pictured) for liquorice allsorts-style blocks of soap. With increasing environmental awareness there’s another good reason to consider switching from the liquid soaps, body washes and gels that have shunted soaps to the bottom shelves at supermarkets. They have a much larger carbon footprint, and not just because of the plastic bottles with their easy-pour contents. Soap lasts longer, is generally cheaper and requires less packaging, plus its manufacturing and ingredients are simpler. So, no wonder it’s been quietly going through a renaissance, with artisan and vegan makers adding to the ranges available. For those who find soap drying on the skin, seek out bars with lower pH levels and be aware that liquid washes that boast moisturising properties may merely offer superficial slickness. A good post-wash body oil or hand cream is your best bet to boost hydration levels. Goats milk soap can be soothing on those with tricky skin conditions. Soaps are primarily a blend of a strong alkali and fats (animal traditionally but often plant-based oils now, sometimes including palm oil). Liquid washes are a more complex chemical concoction, with emulsifiers and stabilisers. One of the main causes of complaint about soap, is it isn’t the prettiest sight in a shared bathroom. You could consider buying a lidded soap container. Solid beauty bar companies including Ethique and Ahhh make their own. If you’re sticking with liquid, do the planet a favour and buy clean varieties in refillable bottles or seek out Eco-Store’s Refilleries for on-tap top-ups.