It is never a good idea to abandon your shampoo bar sitting in a puddle of water where it could melt and go to waste. You need to store your shampoo bar in an appropriate place.
How should you store your shampoo bars?
- Store your shampoo bars in shower containers with holes at their bottom. Do this to help drain away any excess water from melting your shampoo bar as you store it. Your shampoo bars will remain solid, dry, and also keep their shape. Better still, they will stay longer than liquid shampoo once you keep them properly in shower containers.
- Store your shampoo bars in air-tight containers, especially if you are traveling. Shampoo bars are perfect travel companions. Simply ensure that these shampoo bars are completely dry before you store them inside air-tight containers. Or else, you might arrive at your destination with a container full of mush.
For drying in between showers, lay your shampoo bars on a dry flannel or towel.
- Feel free to store your shampoo bars in beeswax wraps when traveling. Beeswax wraps are usually sold as a kind of food wrapping, although they are perfect for wrapping in your shampoo bars. The advantage of using beeswax wraps is that they easily fit your shampoo bars' size, and the warmth of your hands can form a seal without leaving a mess.
Most beeswax wraps are 100% biodegradable and can last for as long as one year. They also come in various patterns and sizes for you to choose from. You can also make your own beeswax wraps if you have the skill.
- You may store your shampoo bars inside a waterproof toilet bag. You can get a home-made toilet bag or buy one from a store. These toilet bags are suitable for storing shampoo bars during travel. Be careful to carry a toilet bag, which you will only use for storing shampoo bars only without other items inside it. Opt for a waterproof toilet bag so that you’ll be guaranteed a leak-free transport experience even when your shampoo bar is not completely dry.
- Store your shampoo bars on your shower rack. If you have a shower rack built in your bathroom, that will do good for storing your precious shampoo bars. The shower rack should be stationed far away from your shower flow and that it has good drainage. Sometimes, showers tend to remain quite steamy, especially if you share your shower with many people.
If you notice your shampoo bars becoming soft, set them in a cool, dry place for a few days.
- Store your shampoo bars in fabric or string bags. Storing your shampoo bars in fabric or string bags gives you a double whammy advantage. Shampoo bags are available in lots of patterns. If you are crafty, you can crochet or knit your shampoo bags. These bags are inexpensive to buy.
In case the shampoo bars are too small to fit in a shower container, put them in a thin mesh or a cotton soap saver bag, which you can get from a specialty shop or online. Place the shampoo bar pieces inside the bag and pull the drawstring tight so that they can’t fall out. If you don’t have a cotton or mesh bag, you can store your shampoo bags in a clean stocking.
- Cut the shampoo bar into quarters so that you can change between dry pieces. Place your shampoo bar on a cutting board and use a sharp knife to slice the piece in half. You may chop the two pieces in half again so that you have four parts of the same size. Store three of the pieces on a shelf or on a cabinet so that they stay dry.
After using one piece of shampoo bar, leave it to dry entirely, and meanwhile, use another piece if you need to rewash your hair. This helps a lot if you don't want to travel with a full-sized shampoo bar or if it can't fit in your travel case.
- Use a soap dish to store your shampoo bars. A good soap dish should have minimal surface contact with the shampoo bars. This is crucial because it lets air circulate around the soap to dry it. The more contact the shampoo bars have with your soap dish, the more they will absorb water and become a slimy mushy mess.
The soap dish you use should have holes or rivets for the liquid to drain away from the shampoo bars. Even if this may seem obvious, there are several soap dishes, which don’t offer this. This is essential since you need to eliminate water from contacting your shampoo bars as soon as possible.
A good soap dish should be well-elevated so that your shampoo bars don't sit directly on the draining holes. If the soap is directly sitting on top of the soap dish's holes, it will plug the holes and stop the dish from effectively draining. The shampoo bars should be raised away from the soap dish holes to enable optimal drainage.
It is not recommended that you heavily rely on wooden soap dishes because they tend to suck up the water that falls on them and then appear to be significant for a while. Some wooden soap dishes leave a brown stain on your shampoo bars, which can be rather unpleasant. You can use ceramic, metallic, or plastic soap dishes for storing your shampoo bars.
- Use soap rests in case you have a lousy soap dish. A soap rest can turn a lousy soap dish into a good one in a cost-effective manner. Simply place the soap rest in your soap dish or travel soap holder and gain from dry shampoo bars.
Happy shampooing. Storing your shampoo bars in safe places will help extend their durability and lifespan. It is always good to keep your shampoo bars in dry areas without water, which melts the bars quickly.