Paper or Plastic, Soap or Body Wash?

Paper or plastic, boxers or briefs, soap or body wash? There seems to be endless choices these days including the choice between traditional bar soap and body wash. When body wash products first appeared on the market several years ago, I admit that I was skeptical. I had concerns about the lathering capability, the number of washes per container, and the pricing. Although some of my concerns have been resolved, I have been rather slow to jump on the body wash bandwagon althogether. Maybe it's a generational thing, but I am still partial good old bar soap at this point, despite the advantages of body wash.

I discovered the advantages of body wash when I decided to purchase my first body wash product, Creamy Suave Coconut Butter & Shea to take on vacation for the convenience factor. Besides the intoxicatingly lush fragrance, I found that this body wash to be rich and thick to the touch, and it left my skin feeling soft and smooth, and the overall showering experience was quite refreshing. Although I did not feel that this product lathered quite as good as bar soap, and I had to use more than one application during the shower for additional lther, I did enjoy the skin moisturizing feature. One of the additional advantages of body wash is the fact that users are not left with a bunch of small end pieces that wind up in the garbage can. Suave body wash also comes in additional fragrances including Creamy Milk & Honey, Creamy Apricot & Orange Blossom Exfoliating, Sweet Pea and Violet, Ocean Breeze, Tropical Coconut, Lavender Vanilla, Mango Madarin, Cucumber Melon, and Wild Cherry Blossom.

I have also tried Caress Tahitian Renewal Silkening Body Wash. I had a similar experience to the Suave product, although I found the fragrance to be a bit more exotic. I felt that it did not lather quite as good as Suave, but it also left my skin feeling smooth and refreshed. This product also comes in a variety of sultry, alluring, flavors such as Whipped Souffle White Peach Cream, Whipped Souffle Blakcberry Cream, Cashmere Luxury, Velvet Bliss, Glowing Touch Evenly Gorgeous, and Daily Silk.

When it comes to traditional bar soap, my product of choice is Irish Spring. Not only do I love the light, naturally fragrant scent, but the deoderant protection and lathering capability exceeds that of any of the body washes I have tried. This product may not leave you skin feel quite as smooth and silky, but its longer lasting scent leaves you feeling fresh and clean. Irish Spring is available in Original, Aloe, Moisture Blast, Icy Blast, Clean Scrub,and Micro clean varieties.

My second choice for bar soap is Dial anti-bacterial. While I do not find that it lathers quite as well as Irish Spring, it does help prevent and heal minor skin irritations such as subaceous cysts and similar skin conditions. Dial also leaves your skin feeling fresh and clean with a lighter, natural, scent. Dial anti-bacterial soap comes in the following varieties, Gold, Spring Water, Tropical Escape, Mountain Fresh, and Aloe.

Whether one chooses bar soap or body wash is primarily a matter of personal choice. Bar soap is probably a bit more pracitcal for soaking in the tub, while body wash is great for showers. I aslo have found that body wash is much more covenient for vacationing, since it stores easily in luggage or carry-on bags and you are not left with those annoying end pieces.

Call me old fashioned, but overall, I still prefer traditional bar soap, due to the lathering capabilities and the fresh, clean, natural scent, as opposed to the more pampered, silky, spa style experience and exotic fragrances. I also feel that bar soap is a bit more economical in the long run, since I can purchase a multiple bar package for about the same price as a large container of body wash, with limited uses. At any rate, traditional or trendy, the choice is yours.