Bath Time Battle: Cold-Processed CBD Soap Versus Body Wash

Showering is everyone’s daily must-do —but how much thought do we really put into what cleanser to use for our bodies? Should we lather up with a shower gel or should we suds up with a bar of soap? 

What’s the difference between a soap and a body wash or shower gel?

Body wash and bath soap share the same overall purpose. One just happens to be in solid form, the other, a liquid form. Despite doing the same job of cleansing the surface of our body’s largest organ, their differences lie in the formula and production process which can have a significant impact on your skin and the environment.  

What should we really lather up with?

If you’re looking for an eco-friendly suds that’s sustainably made to clean your body, a basic bath soap is your shower soulmate. Although bath soaps are just as effective as body wash and shower gels in ridding your skin of any dirt, oil, and bacteria, not all soaps are made the same. Many bar soaps can still contain synthetic ingredients that can be abrasive and drying.

At Tub Therapy, we believe that handmade cold-processed CBD bath soaps are healthier for the skin, better for the environment and can be made incredibly moisturizing with limitless formulas. 

Here, we get to the bottom of why you should switch sides to Team Cold Processed CBD Bath Soaps in the war between the suds. 

What are cold-processed soaps?

A cold-processed soap is made the old fashion way without requiring heat in the process. It is produced by combining oils and sodium hydroxide lye which causes a chemical reaction called saponification. Each ingredient can be carefully sourced to suit your preferences, and the process controlled from beginning to end. 

After the lye and oils are combined, the mixtures are poured into molds which takes a full day to saponify and enter the gel phase. Once removed from the mold, the mixtures are dried for another day before being cut into individual bars. The lye mixture is then neutralized without any outside heat sources which takes up to 6 weeks to fully cure. The lack of heat preserves the oil in perfect condition to create a deeply moisturizing lather. 

What are the benefits of choosing cold-processed, small-batch CBD bath soaps over mass-produced body washes and shower gels? Here are just a few to consider:

1. Cold-processed CBD soaps are wallet-friendly

It may seem like cold-processed CBD bath soaps are more expensive than what you would pay for a bottle of body wash but the cold-process method actually yields a longer-lasting bar so you can count on your soap to last longer even with daily use, giving you more bang for your buck! And just like wine, cold-processed soaps usually get better with age!

2. They are more eco-friendly

Cold-processed bath soaps require minimal packaging, making it an eco-friendlier option. Majority of shower gels and body washes, on the other hand, come in single use plastic bottles. 

Additionally, handmade soaps  are made with a minimal carbon footprint which means they are produced without any negative impact on the environment. Carbon footprint is the main cause of human-induced climate change, urban air pollution, toxic acid rain, coastal and ocean acidification, and even the melting of glaciers and polar ice.

By using pure ingredients that are only found in nature, cold-processed CBD bath soaps require less energy and natural resources which lowers carbon footprints than products made on mass-production assembly lines. By using handmade soaps, you are contributing to a cleaner and greener environment.

3. They’re safer to use on skin!

Many cleansers made without lye and fat are actually detergents. The cleaning action is done by synthetic chemical ingredients known as surfactants which give a bubbly lather. Synthetic detergents such as liquid soap and shower gels are very good at removing dirt and oils, but oftentimes stripping skin of its natural oils and leaving it feeling dry and itchy.

Natural CBD soaps don’t contain any of the scary stuff but are packed with plant-derived base oils, natural emollients and essential oils that are built-in with a multitude of healing and antioxidant properties found in nature to repair the skin without disrupting your skin’s pH balance.

This means, cold-processed CBD soaps are gentler and more non-irritant, making it the perfect choice for those with sensitive skin. And because CBD is 100% plant-based, it is inherent as a skin-aid and cleanser so it’s totally safe to use.

4. Cold-processed soaps offer overall attention to ingredients

The cold process method allows the manufacturer to flexibly add any potent ingredients they want in the soap in creative and interesting ways.

As a result of the cleaner ingredients, more potent ingredients, and a lack of filler, cold processed soaps may be less likely to dry or irritate sensitive skin. This makes handmade, small batch soaps a great choice for all skin types.

5. All-natural quality preserved

Cold process soap making involves curing without the use of external heat which means it preserves the color and scents of the organic ingredients so that the end product isn’t just pure but also aesthetically appealing and naturally fragrant.

Fragrant ingredients used in the process such as natural essential oils and phthalate-free fragrance oils stay intact and bring together a stronger scent with less fragrance needed. 

Lastly, the CBD!

CBD, short for Cannabidiol, is a chemical compound in cannabis that has been known to have some pretty remarkable health and wellness benefits. CBD contains a host of skin benefits that have been proven to repair the skin and prevent it from further damages.  

Lathering up on cold-processed soap - the CBD kind to be very exact - can help alleviate a myriad of skin issues such as wrinkles, acne, dryness, rashes, redness and skin diseases like psoriasis and eczema. And that’s just scratching the surface!

Studies have shown that CBD’s localized effects that come from transdermal absorption are felt immediately at the area of absorption and because heat expedites the process of absorption into the skin through the pores, this means you're more likely to feel CBD’s  immediate and direct effects resulting in an ultra-relaxing hot shower!

Our verdict?

While bar soaps and body washes are different, choosing one over the other is ultimately a personal choice of what works best for you. But if you ask us, CBD soaps made via the cold process method are simply our best choice for the largest organ in our body: our skin! 

We love it so much that we started selling them! We’ve carefully curated the ingredients to create a special formula of CBD cold-processed soaps that are nutrient-rich, skin-nourishing, sustainably produced and cruelty-free so you’ll feel good as new while taking care of the planet.