Keep Your Skin Healthy and the Environment Happy with These Scrub Soap Bars For Men

Think of the most consequential debates in history: Kennedy vs Nixon, Gore Vidal vs William Buckley, the Socratic dialogues themselves, upon which so much of modern critical thought is based. These pale in comparison to the monumental rift that is body wash vs bar soap. Body wash is more convenient and is often less drying to the skin; bar soap is more environmentally friendly and doesn’t need preservatives. And so the debate rages on. If you prefer a bar or you’re looking to convert, there are loads of bar soaps out there that don’t dry out the skin like some beauty bars do. Traditional bar soaps made by independent producers have become increasingly popular for their natural ingredients and unique scents, as well.

One thing to know about bar soap is that not all of it is actually soap. In order to be considered soap, it must be composed of alkali salts of fatty acids. Glycerin is a natural byproduct of traditional soap, but many manufacturers remove glycerin to use in more expensive products. That’s why a lot of the bar soaps you see at the drugstore are marketed as “beauty bars,” they’re not technically soap, they’re a detergent, and the FDA requires that the products be classified differently.

This is part of the reason why independent soap makers have become so popular; it’s not just the price tag and hip packaging. Many smaller labels use traditional “cold-pressing” methods that result in soap with glycerin. The benefits of glycerin soap are that it actually moisturizes the skin and can help with acne and signs of aging. For what it’s worth, body wash is also a detergent. If you’re looking for traditional bar soap, consider these all-natural exfoliating body scrub bars.