Just curious.

[IrishLass]

In the first 5 years or so of my soapy endeavors I used to keep a ton of different soaps of various worn-down sizes everywhere, never using them all up before choosing another, until I just about drove my hubby crazy! His spaces on the counter or in the shower for putting his stuff kept dwindling and dwindling until he was (un)fairly relegated to just a few square inches! lol

Nowadays I'm more considerate. I keep 3 in the shower for me (instead of about 20), and he prefers to have only one at a time for himself. He keeps his on a dish in the built-into-the-wall soap shelf, and I keep mine lined up on their own individual dishes on the ledge of the shower door frame.

By every sink I have 2 different kinds of soap- 1 bar soap in a dish, and one bottle of my liquid soap.... instead of about 10 to 15 bars or so piled up on about 3 soap dishes. lol

Sometimes I'll use a bar up until it's just a teensy-tiny transparent wisp that's barely even there, and at other times I wash with it until it's a smallish, but still opaque sliver, at which point I'll put it in my scrubby drawstring soap saver net thingy that I scub my feet with.


IrishLass

 

[jcandleattic]

I used to not be able to wait when I was new, but now I usually am like @cmzaha and have a regular bar and a salt bar in my shower. And only 1 bar at each sink until they are used up, then I just go pick a different one.

 

[lenarenee]

We have multiple bars in the shower and at the sink. The benefit of using the end pieces is that I can have a sample of everything out for use all the time.

 

[Tabitha.b89]

Ok, so it sounds like most people are “soap polygamists”
That makes me feel better about my desire to use more than one soap at a time.

I have a couple that I have been wanting to stick in the shower to try that just got done curing. Now, we’ll see how my husband feels about it, because I have a feeling that this could get out of hand pretty quickly.
Thank you for all of your input! No shame here!! I love it!

 

[Dawni]

There's three bars of my soap in our one bathroom, another two in the other and one each sink, plus the one in the kitchen.

But that's coz I have several batches already cured and then some. When I was starting I was selfish and only used end pieces or hand molded crumbs off my pot, and only one at a time lol

I have someone else's soap on reserve for when there are none of mine that have cured long enough to use haha

 

[DeeAnna]

At the moment, the shower has DH's smoky-smelling pine tar bar, one neem experimental bar, and the last half of a bar scented with Carolyn's Dragon's Blood. I want to sneak a new end cut into the shower from my most recent batch that's been curing about 6 weeks now. The batch is a basic bath soap scented with Nature's Garden Honeysuckle. I like having several different scents to pick from so I can suit my mood.

 

[DWinMadison]

See my nubs and ends post :/ Our shower looks like The Island of Misfit Soaps. I’m also a “melder.” As one bar gets too thin, I meld it into another one of similar size. “No soap left behind!”

 

[maya]

I have several bars out at every sink, shower, bathtub, etc.

 

[DeeAnna]

...As one bar gets too thin, I meld it into another one of similar size. “No soap left behind!”

Absolutely agree -- glad to hear I'm not the only one. Saving the last slivers of soap was one of my grandma's frugal habits. I learned it from her as a little kid and still use as an adult.

 

[Ravens Craig Apothecary]

Do you guys use up your whole soap bar before picking out a new one from your stash? Or do you switch it up before finishing? It’s killing me! I want to try one of my newly cured bars so badly, but I still have a little bit of my last bar in the shower. I know it’s good if a bar lasts a long time, but it feels like it takes forever when you have something to look forward to.
Is this a newbie soaper problem? It’s just all so exciting!

This is hilarious because I actually just yesterday, removed a bar of soap that has lasted forever. Definitely a good batch, but I was excited to try a new one so I gave it the toss into the reject bin and got out a new bar to try -GUILTY hahaha

 

[Tabitha.b89]

Ravens Craig, isn’t it funny how that happens? I just gave up today and now I have two bars by the sink
Gotta give those new ones a try!

 

[Primrose]

I have a basket of about 30 soaps in the bathroom and I pick whichever takes my fancy. They are all from old batches, experimentals, end pieces etc. I tend to use one for a few days and then feel like something different.

When I'm doing testing I'll often have 4-5 of them in use and may even try out that many all in one session lol

 

[amd]

I have five in the upstairs shower - there's four of us that use the shower, but one of the four is notoriously picky about which soap he uses so mostly he uses store bought body wash. I have four bars that hubby and I rotate using unless there's one that he is particularly liking. His skin holds scent well so I know which bar he's using and then leave that one just for him. My daughter picks her own bar from my stash and will use that one bar until it's all bits and pieces. The basement shower is used by the two older boys, one will only use store bought body wash, the other will only use Dragon Blood scented soap (he's not fussy if it's mine or someone else's). I use endcuts at all the sinks. My sister made me five or six crochet soap bags meant to hold an entire bar, but the soap doesn't dry out properly, so I use the bags to hold the soap slivers and when the bag is full it gets thrown in the shower. It doesn't matter then if the soap doesn't dry out properly because they're just slivers, so I feel that I'm not being wasteful.

And yes, I will be so happy when the two kids that use store bought body wash are out of the house. It drives me crazy that I make soap but we're still spending money on body wash and putting those plastic bottles into the garbage.

 

[Tabitha.b89]

I have five in the upstairs shower - there's four of us that use the shower, but one of the four is notoriously picky about which soap he uses so mostly he uses store bought body wash. I have four bars that hubby and I rotate using unless there's one that he is particularly liking. His skin holds scent well so I know which bar he's using and then leave that one just for him. My daughter picks her own bar from my stash and will use that one bar until it's all bits and pieces. The basement shower is used by the two older boys, one will only use store bought body wash, the other will only use Dragon Blood scented soap (he's not fussy if it's mine or someone else's). I use endcuts at all the sinks. My sister made me five or six crochet soap bags meant to hold an entire bar, but the soap doesn't dry out properly, so I use the bags to hold the soap slivers and when the bag is full it gets thrown in the shower. It doesn't matter then if the soap doesn't dry out properly because they're just slivers, so I feel that I'm not being wasteful.

And yes, I will be so happy when the two kids that use store bought body wash are out of the house. It drives me crazy that I make soap but we're still spending money on body wash and putting those plastic bottles into the garbage.

That’s how I feel too! My husband loaded up on some of the men’s H2O body and face wash when it was on clearance last year(before I started making soap) so now I’m just waiting for him to run out so he will start using mine too. Lol he does use the bar I have in the shower sometimes though. I was a body wash lover before this too. I’m totally converted to homemade bars now! It does feel nice knowing I’m no longer throwing out (recycling) plastic bottles every time I run out.

We don’t have kids to use my soap, but I do want to try out a dog soap recipe some time!

Those crochet bags are awesome for soap slivers! I never have ends to use though, because of the way I cut my bars. That may change soon though, with my new cutter. More wiggle room!

I have a basket of about 30 soaps in the bathroom and I pick whichever takes my fancy. They are all from old batches, experimentals, end pieces etc. I tend to use one for a few days and then feel like something different.

When I'm doing testing I'll often have 4-5 of them in use and may even try out that many all in one session lol

I like your style! Gotta have a good selection to choose from! I see myself going your way.

 

[DWinMadison]

My wife says she loves my soap. She brags about “our” soap to people, and is always asking me for bars to gift to friends. But for whatever reason, she uses store-bought soap. I’ve offered to make a different formula if she’d like, but she always say, “No, I love your soap like it is,” (as if there’s only 1 way I can make it). /insert_eye_roll Admittedly, she a “city girl” and isn’t much for handmade anything (She’s actually “scared” of the Instant Pot). Well, this morning I looked in the shower and realized she had a bar of my soap on her shelf. Good things happen on Sunday.

 

[Tabitha.b89]

My wife says she loves my soap. She brags about “our” soap to people, and is always asking me for bars to gift to friends. But for whatever reason, she uses store-bought soap. I’ve offered to make a different formula if she’d like, but she always say, “No, I love your soap like it is,” (as if there’s only 1 way I can make it). /insert_eye_roll Admittedly, she a “city girl” and isn’t much for handmade anything (She’s actually “scared” of the Instant Pot). Well, this morning I looked in the shower and realized she had a bar of my soap on her shelf. Good things happen on Sunday.

Haha! Well, I suppose she can love your soap but also like fancy body wash or something. I would definitely take it as a great compliment that she gifts your soap to friends!
I’ve never been one for store bought “soap” bars, but I do love me some fancy body wash. I haven’t bought any since I started making soap though. I haven’t even had an urge! I can’t say that making soap is any cheaper, but it is better than using a bunch of plastic bottles, like we were talking about up there. There’s just something about using a product that you made yourself, though. It’s a good feeling.

 

[Dawni]

Absolutely agree -- glad to hear I'm not the only one. Saving the last slivers of soap was one of my grandma's frugal habits. I learned it from her as a little kid and still use as an adult.

I was taught by my grandma the same thing. She even "wipes" her container with her loofah for all those small bits that get stuck, and the soapy water underneath also goes in the loofah. I do the same.

I can’t say that making soap is any cheaper, but it is better than using a bunch of plastic bottles, like we were talking about up there. There’s just something about using a product that you made yourself, though. It’s a good feeling.

I agree on all points!

 

[MGM]

Admittedly, she a “city girl” and isn’t much for handmade anything (She’s actually “scared” of the Instant Pot). Well, this morning I looked in the shower and realized she had a bar of my soap on her shelf. Good things happen on Sunday.

LOL my wife is scared of the InstantPot, too. She alternately calls it the "hissing shop vac" and the "R2D2 on the counter". She does use my soap tho

 

[Tabitha.b89]

LOL my wife is scared of the InstantPot, too. She alternately calls it the "hissing shop vac" and the "R2D2 on the counter". She does use my soap tho

I seriously laughed out loud!!

 

[jcandleattic]

LOL my wife is scared of the InstantPot, too. She alternately calls it the "hissing shop vac" and the "R2D2 on the counter". She does use my soap tho

I believe my husband is afraid of the InstaPot as well. I got it for him for Christmas 2 years ago and he has yet to use it, but the kids do, so it at least does get used!

I'm lucky, everyone in my house is on board with my soap. And they all put in requests for their favorite scents, and they have even learned to know that when they request it, if it's not already in stock and ready they will have to wait at least a couple months for it. (and that's only IF/When I make it!! LOL)