Cleansers

Shower gels and other bottled cleansers might be more convenient but, if you ask me, nothing can replace a good, old bar of soap. There is something very basic and comforting in the ritual of unwrapping the bar, letting loose its fragrance, and lathering up until you are all smothered in creamy goodness.

Soap-making using aromatic oils and plants with healing properties has been practiced around the world for centuries but the French transformed it into art. Master perfumers, they infused the traditional olive oil soap with scents never imagined before in a bar. Today, artisan soap-makers are combining the ancient recipes with the latest in green body care.

So, which soaps are the best? Castile olive oil soaps? With Shea Butter? Goat milk? The answer is yes! All of them! Some days, your skin needs a little extra pampering, other days you feel light like a translucent glycerin bar. Morning showers yearn for the aroma of freshly squeezed citrus; evening baths might be in a mood for a mysterious floral or assertive spice, maybe lovely rosemary. Scents can take us back in time and away where life unfolds in a silent happiness.

Take this list as an invitation to explore the wonderful world of soap and soon enough, you’ll have your own top ten.