I threw out my shower gel and got myself an Aleppo Soap Bar
How can a soap bar be so attractive!
After going no poo, I’ve been thinking about throwing out my shower gel as well.
Shower gels also have stuff in them that’s bad for you, or so they say.
Someone once told me that using a bar of soap is much better than using shower gel.
Well then, which soap bar is considered to be good for you?
What I found was a soap bar called Aleppo Soap.
Aleppo Soap has been popular for a long time!
Google Trend shows that Aleppo soap has consistently gathered interest throughout the past 10 years.
Based on my googling, soap production is big in Aleppo (Syria) and soap bars made by the soap craftspeople of Aleppo are collectively called Aleppo soap.
Alepo soap has been around for thousands of years and is considered the most famous soap in the world along with the Marseille soap of France.
Characteristics of an Aleppo Soap
The main characteristic of an Aleppo soap is its ingredients.
Aleppo soap is made of olive and laurel oil.
Only olive and laurel oil.
Isn’t that amazing?!
It doesn’t use any artificial detergents, preservatives, coloring or fragrance that are considered bad for you.
We’ve all heard that olive and laurel oil are good for you right?
The story gets even more interesting.
Because the soap includes nothing bad for the body, you can use it to do many things other than wash your body.
You can use it to wash your face, hair, teeth and even use it to shave.
Awesome!
The grade of the soap is usually determined based on the percentage of laurel oil that is included in the soap.
Generally speaking, the soap will be considered higher in grade if it includes more laurel oil.
My first Aleppo Soap
When go to Amazon, you find a few different options. I decided to go with the one with the most reviews.
I debated over whether to go with the Normal (laurel 10%) or the Extra (laurel 40%) and decided on the normal because it was my first purchase.
This is what arrived the next day!
It’s pretty big!
I like how it screams handmade.
This is how it looks on the inside.
I heated it up too much when cutting the soap so it melt a bit.
You only need to warm it up for a few seconds (like 10) in the microwave.
It doesn’t have a sweet scent that girls may like, but it smells natural and its not a bad smell in my opinion.
But honestly, I can understand people having different views on this and I can say that its not going to be for everyone.
I liked it though!
Using the Aleppo Soap
In the shower
It doesn’t foam up super well but its not too bad if you use a cotton towel with it.
Don’t worry, it’s not going to make you all sticky because its made out of oil!
It gives you refreshing finish and leaves your skin with a little moisture.
I like it!
I haven’t washed my hair with it yet because I’m doing no poo, but I’ll give it a try someday!
For face wash
It may be because I’ve only used water to wash my face in the past, but I think my face has gotten brighter one notch.
I’ll be washing my face with this maybe two times a week from now on and see how it turns out.
My face gets dry after washing it with soap so I’m splashing it with this all natural loofa water
For shaving
I used it instead of the shaving foam that I normally use and it got the job done.
The secret I figured out is to not use too much water when foaming up.
Needless to say, I got rid of all my shaving foam.
For cleaning teeth
I had my doubts about this one.
Its not tasty, I can tell you that.
This one maybe to early for me, at least for now.
Its good to know that I have something to use when I’m out of toothpaste!
Summary
Upside of Aleppo Soap
- Made from natural ingredients
- Cheap (compared with “natural” shower gels)
- Removes clutter from the bath room
- No need for shaving cream
- Removes clutter from the sink
- Less things to carry on trips, all you need is your soap bar
Issues with the Aleppo Soap
- It’s not clear who actually makes the soap
- The use of chemical weapons in Aleppo
When you search the web, you find all different kinds of Aleppo soap but it’s not always clear which maker is making what.
With all things, I am suspecting that some Aleppo soaps are better than others and if so, its human nature to want the better ones.
I’m going to have to look into this one.
The second issue is related with the use of chemical weapons in Aleppo and the possible effects on soap production.
Well, that’s it! There were a several issues that crossed my mind but overall, I am liking my soap bar!
This is an interesting area that I never thought I’d get myself into.
I’ll be on the lookout for a better soap bar!