Soap bars -going back in time

Lakeland will often make an item from the past if you contact them with a description. As this is a hot topic they may look favourably on your soap recycling item. It can’t hurt to try.

china dish

I have a little chins dish and wrap an elastic band around it a couple of times ,the soap sits on the band and air circulates around it ..keeps it firm and dry .I think it was my OH's granny that started me doing it

DH is still using Knight's Castile soap, we have bought it since we married in 1967. In the last few years it was only available in Wilko and then one of those bargain stores. We have not been able to buy any this year so I am assuming it has ceased production, luckily I have a number of packs stored in a cupboard.

I wonder what vegetable oil they use. I hope it isn’t palm oil! It’s a minefield this being environmentally responsible lark!

The main thing about the original soaps: Aleppo, Marseille and Castile, is that they are pure vegetable oil soaps with no tallow or chemicals (parabens) etc.
They can all be bought through Amazon. In the UK, there is Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap.
They are good for babies and people with skin problems. They can be used for washing delicate clothing and can even be used to clean your teeth or wash (short) hair.
Some say that the Aleppo and Marseille soap recipes were originally brought to France and Spain by the crusaders.
Castile soap in England caused controversy in the 17th Century, due to its connections to catholicism. It then almost died out.
I suppose Knight's Castile Soap is a vegetable soap too.

I always use soap-bars for hand-washing, but shower-gel in the shower.
I find nowadays that there isn't a lot of choice of soap. About 4, if you're lucky, in any supermarket. We used to have loads to choose from - Shield, Palmolive, Camay, Ponds, Lifebouy, Knights Castile, Pears, Wrights ... They're just not around any more. Did they all go bust? And supermarkets had their own - I loved Sainsbury's Sandlewood. Gone!
My absolute favourite (for years) soap was Yardley's Lavender. You can still get it online, but it doesn't smell the same as it used to. It used to give the whole bathroom the wonderful scent of lavender. Not now. I wrote to Yardley's to complain - no reply!

I bought some olive oil soap and tea tree oil soap today for about £1.25 each, will definitely use in bathrooms and kitchen. Have ordered some soap dishes off ebay which hopefully will last. Sorted!

Yes I do remember Knights Castile but only when reminded.
I used to like Cuticura, does anyone else member that?
I have never stopped using bar soap, Simple and Imperial Leather. Must confess though to using expensive shower
Gel even in plastic bottles, when it is bought for me, I never look a gift horse in the mouth.

I've used Cidal natural antibacterial soap for many years. First discovered it when I worked abroad in a mostly very ward climate and found it very pleasant to use. It's long lasting, with citricidal, a natural grapefruit extract and it's reasonably priced.

A book I was reading last night mentioned Knight's Castile soap. Anyone else remember that?

I've recently gone back to washing powder, nannygreencar, for the same reason. Even though we're in a soft water area, the clean washing had an odd smell. I changed to liquid originally because the powder was leaving white dots on the clothes, but I've found that if I put it straight into the machine instead of in the dispenser, this doesn't happen.

To get back to the subject, soap on a rope might help minimise the mess in the shower. DMIL used to make her own hangers for soap.

Thank you all for the different types of soaps you can buy. Must admit this is something I had not thought of changing from using body wash/shower gel in a plastic container, but am definitely going to try this. Have stopped using liquid wash for my washing though and now use wash powder in a cardboard box. Have been told that wash liquid clogs everything up in the washing machine and living in a very hard water area, this is the reason it smells!!!

I started to use soap in the shower a couple of months ago, but I hadn't thought about using it for hand washing at the sinks as well, instead of using soap dispensers. Obvious, really. Thanks for that OP!

I had a Saturday job in Boots in the 70s and the soap section was huge! I started buying soap again a few years ago, to put in the Christmas shoeboxes that are sent to Africa and Eastern European countries. The choice had dwindled to just a few varieties, so I started looking out for nice soaps elsewhere. Body Shop often have 3 for the price of 2 offers and do interesting scents such as Moringa and Shea Butter.

I'm glad so many GNers like soaps as I have given them as Christmas presents to all the "young at heart" people who come to a Luncheon Club I help run. There are usually offers on L'Occitane ones if you buy in bulk, but I will start looking out for soap in TKMaxx, thanks for the tip. DH travels for work and often brings back small hotel soaps which fit on our guest handbasins.

My great aunts had a great and very simple thing for using up the tiny bits of soap left over at the end of a bar. It was pink plastic and opened like a clam shell. The sides were mesh, so you could fill it with any bits of soap, clip it shut, then use it like a bar of soap. It was brilliant, as you got a mixture of all the different soap scents, and it was so economical! I've looked everywhere for something like it and drawn a complete blank. The closest approximation was: I used one of those mesh drawstring bags you used to put Persil tablets in. It worked, but looked a right sight! Does anyone else remember such a thing, or has anyone seen one for sale anywhere?

Highly perfumed soaps, given to me as gifts, I place in my underwear drawers. The smell lasts for years.

Gibbs Dentifrice, DanniRae? Yes I remember that!

Devogilla, did you mean that soap clogs the pipes or liquid hand wash?
You said you went back to soap after the plumber said they make a mess of the pipes.

Not at all Saggi - I have Palmolive antibacterial liquid soap in my kitchen - the one with limes on the front - and I love the fragrance. It definitely reminds of a happy memory but, so far, I can't remember what!
On a slightly different subject - does anyone remember the tins of toothpaste that you rubbed a wet toothbrush across the surface? We all shared it! Can you imagine doing that now? Mind you we all shared towels then! What a different world we live in now

I always liked to use Astral cream in preference to Nivea. Astral made a gentle soap. It was a beautiful curved soap.

* love the smell*

Oh Mawbroom.... it brought back the memories did Camay! Of course imperial Leather still exists as my hubby won't use anything else. When I was growing up in 50/60's it was only Wrights coal tar soap in our house ( six of us kids)....it was even used to wash our hair! No harm done...we've all still got plenty of hair and no bald heads in sight so it can't have been too bad. Strange thing is if I say I still live the smell of it ...would you all think me crazy?!

I have a DD, a DiL and two DGC who get itchy and break out in excema with any liquid soap. They’ve gone back to solid bars. Simple and Wrights Coal Tar both sooth rather than irritate.

Peaseblossom is that liquid soap in a plastic container?

Lancslass Sanctuary salt scrub (with oils) is lovely and you don’t need to moisturise afterwards, but as it’s exfoliating you can only use it once a week or so.

It does come in a glass jar though.