"So how do I store my shampoo bar?" ...is a question we get asked often and it shouldn't be something difficult or overwhelming to do. To help you along we have put together some guidelines so that you can store it in the right place and also pick the best soap dish, not just the prettiest one!
Shampoo bars are very glycerin rich, acting as humectants, meaning they are great at absorbing moisture from their surroundings. So in a high moisture content area like a shower it is critical where and on what you store your bar.
what to store your bar on?
To have continued quality and effectiveness from your shampoo bar and make sure that it lasts you the average 45 days (for our 100 gram bar) it is really important that you allow excess water to drain away from the shampoo bar and for it to dry out completely in between washes. By picking a soap dish with a good design, it will definitely prolong the life of your shampoo bar, so that it doesn't become a hot gluggy mess! Here is our guide below to help you pick:
1. Ideal soap dishes:
...can come in a variety of designs, colours and materials so you are spoilt for choice, no matter if you don't have a shower nook/ledge, or use a bath ! These are what we have found would work with our shampoo bars. Please do your homework before you decide to purchase from external website.
1. Pyramid Soap dish: ceramic, an interesting and effective way to keep the soap hovering above the water! 2. Wall mounted slatted dish: (suction pad), stainless steel - you can't go wrong with that! 3. Zig Zag Soap dish: silicone, very effective to keep your bar dry.
4. Bath mounted soap dish: brass. 5.Slatted dish:(concealed screw), matt finish to stainless steel. An equivalent that we provide can be found here. 6. Slat soap dish: timber, this is a great design but wood needs upkeep and because of this we aren't big fans. Wood is a porous material and will keep expanding and shrinking every time it gets wet & dries. So you'll need to make sure it is well oiled before use, and will need to keep oiling them to prevent wood rot, splintering & cracking over time. It's also important to limit shower over spray and ensure the bottom doesn't sit in a pool of water. Unless you're committed to the upkeep don't get it.
2. Ok ...but could be better:
These soap dishes can be ok.. but :
1. there is more surface area coming into contact with the shampoo bar so obviously reduced drainage and also the wooden material needs upkeep 2. or a flat fall can cause pooling.
3. Soap Dishes to steer away from:
1. Soap dish with 1 hole- yes it's a sexy concrete version with a minimal fall, but it's still not good for your shampoo bar! 2. Soap dish with a few holes - timber so there is the upkeep & potential of splitting/cracking, plus it's still not effective as those drainage holes will easily clog, and there is too much surface area touching your bar. 3. Zero holes soap dish- this is the worst soap dish for any shampoo bar or soap, unless you are super vigilant and always scooping out excess water, then again no(!) it's a bad choice.
where to store your shampoo bar?
We've heard some of our clients saying they take their shampoo bar out of the shower everytime they finish for fear of the bar wasting away/not drying out. Definitely no need for that! They are more resilient than what you think, they just need a helping hand. For example storing them directly underneath the shower head where they get shower over spray will definitely not help. We would encourage you to place them on the adjacent wall either by going down the route of: wall mounted soap dishes (with suction pads or concealed screw fixings) or placing your preferred soap dish on a shower nook ledge which is a lot more protected.Or if you have a big enough shower placing your dish on the floor at the opposite corner of the shower head where it doesn't get over spray.
how to store your shampoo bar while travelling
To make your life easier you can store your bar in a soap saver jar or soap tin while you are travelling. But please make sure there is no water in the tin before you close off the lid as it will sit in that pool and go soggy. Also to help it last even longer we would recommend that you allow the bar to dry out a little before placing it back in the tin and closing the lid.
This should hopefully give you some help in deciding where, on what and how to store your shampoo bars. If you still have any questions please let us know. Or if you have another ingenious way to store them we would love to hear from you. Let us know in the comments below. : )