BAR SOAPSget a bad rap because a lot of them strip your skin of moisture and leave your skin feeling dry, but natural soaps are the exception. Natural soaps are entirely made from a moisturizing blend of oils, fats and other moisturizing ingredients that nourish and hydrate the skin. These ingredients come from nature and are turned into soap without the use of any synthetic compounds or artificial fragrances, which can be detrimental to your health and the environment.
The best natural soaps are primarily plant-based and made from a base of natural oils and butters like cocoa butter, shea butter, coconut oil, almond oil or avocado oil. Natural soaps may not lather up as much as your average body wash, but that doesn't mean it's not working. The addition of essential oils not only adds a refreshing scent to natural soaps but it also lends antibacterial properties to your bar of soap, which helps eliminate harmful bacteria and give you that fresh-out-of-the-shower clean feeling.
Traditional body wash typically contains harsh synthetic ingredients that may irritate sensitive skin, but it's often hard to tell which ingredient is causing the reaction because the list of ingredients is long and filled with chemical-sounding names you've never heard of before. With natural soaps, you know exactly what you're getting. Most natural soaps contain just a few ingredients, all of which are found in nature. This makes natural soaps a great choice to take with you on your next camping or backpacking adventure since it's naturally biodegradable.
You don't have to book a backpacking trip to enjoy the benefits of natural soaps. If you're ready to make the switch from body wash to something more earth-friendly, here are the best natural soaps to pick up now.
This natural soap puts the sad sliver of Irish Spring sitting in your shower right now to shame. Made with organic, fair trade and handcrafted shea butter, it delivers a surprising amount of hydration for a bar soap. Crushed juniper berries sourced from the mountains of the Pacific Northwest give this moisturizing bar a slightly gritty texture and helps buff away dead skin cells.
African black soap is a traditional soap that comes from West Africa that's known for its ability to clear common skin conditions including breakouts, fungal acne, and even eczema. While some skin types may find it drying, if you have oily or acne-prone skin, it may be the miracle you've been hoping for. If you experience body acne in the warmer months, keep this soap in your shower at all times.
If you're a morning person, you'll love the cooling and energizing effect of this all-natural soap from Ursa Major. If you're not a morning person, this soap is just the thing you need to wake you up and get your morning started. The secret is the blend of peppermint, eucalyptus and rosemary, which will invigorate your senses as the cooling suds gently cleanse and hydrate.
The black color of this soap comes from activated charcoal, which has been proven to reach deep into your pores to remove impurities. This powerful ingredient is balanced out by a gentle plant oils and butters including coconut oil, shea butter, and cocoa butter to leave your feeling incredibly clean and soft.
The scent of this all natural soap will transform you daily shower into a spa-like experience. The intoxicating smell of mint-julep, cream, and lavender has a calming effect, which is why we love it for an evening shower. The whipped texture of this formula lathers up so well that some guys even like to shave with it.
Ingredients
Shea butter, mint-julep, lavender.
Size
5.25 oz.
Recommended for
Sensitive skin
Most Moisturizing Natural Soap
Pre de Provence Artisanal French Moisturizing Soap Bar
Most Moisturizing Natural Soap
Pre de Provence Artisanal French Moisturizing Soap Bar
This classic bar soap has a base of shea butter, honey, almond, which is not only deeply moisturizing but also gives it a wam, sweet aroma. Each bar is traditionally crafted in the French Provence using old-world methods, which produces a completely uniform and smooth soap, which means it lasts longer n your shower or on your bathroom counter than other natural soaps.
What makes this natural soap special is that it has the same pH as human skin, which means it won't irritate those with sensitive skin. Made from creamy goat milk and soft shea butter, it gently cleanses and moisturizes without disrupting your skin's microbiome, leaving your skin feeling soft and supple.
Let this natural soap transport you to a tropical island with every swipe. The coconut oil base helps your skin retain its natural moisture rather than stripping it away like a lot of other body washes.
With a name like Miracle Bar, it has to be good, and in our opinion, this soap lives up to the hype. Charcoal plunges deep into the pores to remove any excess dirt and oil while olive oil and shea butter provides your skin barrier with the fatty acids, nutrients, and hydration it needs to defend its newly cleansed pores and keep them functioning properly.
For some people with extremely sensitive skin, even soaps with natural fragrances from plant-based essential oils can give them a reaction. In that case, Dr. Bronner'sUnscentedPure Castile Bar Soap is your best bet. The ingredients are so clean and simple that anyone can use it, including babies.
If you're concerned about your health—or the health of the planet, for that matter—natural soaps are a great option. Some studies and research suggest that synthetic ingredients like parabens and phthalates can interfere with normal hormone function. If you're concerned about toxic ingredients in your personal care products or if you want to be on the safe side, making the switch to natural soap is a fairly easy way to make sure that what you're putting on your body every day is safe.
Is Natural Soap Actually Better?
Natural soap cleanses and moisturizes your body just as well as other soaps, so one could say they are equally as effective. The only different is that natural soaps are made from natural ingredients and don't contain any hormone-disrupting chemicals, which for some people, makes them better than other soaps. Soap is a personal preference, so the best one for you is the one you look forward to using everyday.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Which Soap Is The Purest?
Natural soaps have a smaller ingredient list compared to other synthetic soaps, with many natural soaps containing fewer than ten ingredients. If measuring purity by the number of ingredients, Dr. Bronner's and Toms of Maine are the most pure natural soaps. In terms of ingredient quality, all natural soaps would be considered pure since they're all made from ingredients that are found naturally in nature.
Cristina Montemayor is a freelance writer and journalist living in Austin, Texas, covering beauty, grooming, style, and culture. Her work has appeared in Very Good Light, BRIDES, Elite Daily, among others.