How to save a wet Ethique bar

Keep it away from water

Have you ever gone to work and come home to find that your bar has shrunk? You can point the finger at the water in your shower. Nothing will make your bar disintegrate faster than water. Avoid storing your bar in a place that is constantly in contact with water flow.

There are many reasons why your bar may not be drying properly, but but the main culprit is poor air flow. The more time your bar spends completely dry, the longer it will last.

This is especially important if multiple people are using the same shampoo bar.  If one person is using it right after another, the bar will always be wet and will never fully dry without good airflow.

Using a shower dome?

We call them bar killers. Shower domes prevent moisture from leaving your shower, so your bar stays wet. If you have one, take your bars out of the shower with you.

Store appropriately

The key here is good air circulation, so although that soap dish may look cute, if it doesn’t have any holes to help with the airflow or super absorbent powers to soak up all the extra water, it won’t be the greatest for your bar. You want holes: the more, the merrier!

For more tips on how to store, check out our “How to store” blog..

Too late, the damage is done? If your bar has in fact seen better days, the good news is you can usually save it! Here are some of our tips on how to save a wet bar:  

Whilst our bars can often be mistaken for soaps, they are far from it. However, there are some things that your typical soap bar and our bars have in common - one of those being that they love a good drink of water! Which can sometimes result in our bars resembling a child’s slime creation. And just like soap, our bars perform better and last longer when they have a chance to thoroughly dry, inside and out.  

Let them breathe

If your bar is soft to the touch, it may just need a breath of fresh air. Pop them onto your windowsill and open a window. Let them have some time off out of the shower, preferably during the day. But, take extra care to make sure they aren’t in glaring sunlight as that will make the mush worse. 

Let the bar hang out in the hot water cylinder cupboard

The hot water cupboard is not just where the wet phones hang out but it’s a great spot for wet bars also! The dry, warm environment is a great place for bars to gradually dry out and it’s best to leave your bar on a soap dish in there for a few days to thoroughly dry out. Some people call these cupboards their “airing cupboard” and we can see why. 

Give the bar a wee buzz in the microwave

If your bar is beyond repair (aka, something a time-out period can’t fix), you can give it a buzz in the microwave to melt it down and remold it. During the microwaving process, the moisture will evaporate from the bar.

Before popping the bar into the microwave, ensure that you leave the bar out to dry out as much as it can.

Shampoo Bars / Bliss Bar: Chop up the bar and place the mushy bits into a mixing bowl. Heat the bar gently in the microwave for 10 second intervals until it forms a thick porridge like texture, making sure you do not overheat the mixture. Glop it into a silicone cupcake mold or silicone ice tray (a silicone mold will make the removal of the set bar a lot easier). When set, unmold and use as normal. Best to let it set for 24 hours in a cool, dry area.

Conditioner Bars: Chop up the bar and place the mushy bits into a mixing bowl. Buzz the bar in the microwave in 10 second intervals until it forms a liquid, making sure you do not overheat the mixture. Then pour into a silicone cupcake mold or ice tray. When set, unmold and use as normal. It is best to set your bars at room temperature, not in the fridge or freezer.