This Simple Shower Tweak Could Change The World

Bar soap might just be one of the most underrated beauty products out there. While nonbelievers label it "ineffective," "messy," or "too slippery," it's about to make a serious comeback—and for good reason.

For starters, the environmental impact of bar soap is meager compared to that of its liquid counterpart, with one investigation finding that its carbon footprint is 25 percent lower on average. Liquid soap's plastic packaging is a large driver of its impact (Americans now cycle through roughly 270 million liquid soap bottles every year), but the contents that lie inside can also cause problems. Liquid soaps tend to weigh more and therefore take more energy to transport, plus it's easier to cycle through it quickly, leading us to go back to the store again and again for a new bottle. While there are certainly brands out there making clean, natural liquid soaps, there are also plenty that are not. Since bar soap is usually made by combining fats, oils, and water, it typically leaves less room for added chemicals than the liquid stuff—which can be packed with surfactants, parabens, and preservatives to maintain shelf life.

Thankfully, in an age of eco-minded beauty consumers (nearly half of female skin care shoppers polled now consider themselves environmentalists), bar soap is getting a much-deserved upgrade. Our 2017 beauty trend forecast reports that eco-friendliness is becoming a priority for formulas and packaging, and many companies are starting to lead with bar options.

Colorado-based Osmia Organics is delivering black clay facial cleansing bars that double as skin saviors for people with acne and dermatitis, and their body soap varieties like lavender shea smell like a dream with natural ingredients like rosemary and clay. Founder Sarah Villafranco, M.D., gushed to a beauty-obsessed audience at a beauty event in NYC last week that she even picks the lavender from her backyard in the mountainside sometimes. Bonus: The resulting soaps lather up on a loofa, just like liquid soap might! Soapwalla is another brand putting forward a beautiful, natural bar. Theirs is made using green clay to exfoliate and stimulate blood flow and gentle essential oils that calm sensitive skin.

And our skin isn't the only thing that can benefit from bar products. Brooklyn-based Meow Meow Tweet's rosemary avocado shampoo bar brings the no-waste, high-yield bar properties to hair care, and Ethique's NZ-bred vegan bars do everything from condition frizzy hair to polish the feet to tan the body.

Pick your poison, throw it in a cute carrier case (another bonus is that bar soaps are way less of a hassle to travel with), and you're ready to go forth and save the world with your next shower. Well, save some plastic at least.