Use it, drain it, dry it How to store your Ethique bars, so you can love them longer You’ve given plastics the cold shoulder, and welcomed our cute little bars into your life. We know you’ll be so happy together. To keep your bar in top form – so you get more showers out if it – you only need to do one thing: keep it dry. When your bar is dry it’ll last longer, stay tidy, and be easier to use. Leave it damp and the mush starts to set in – you’ll end up using far more than you need, leave a lot sticking to your soap dish and struggle to handle the slipperiness. Drying your bar out properly between uses takes only a slight tweak to your bathroom set up – easy. Here’s how. Get the storage rightWe call it the DAD method (I mean, I’m calling it that now, anyway). That’s drainage, airflow, dry air, and there are plenty of ways you can achieve those three things. For a start, it’s a good idea to find a spot in your shower that’s well away from the stream, or take your bars out of the shower altogether. Choose a storage container that will let water drain away and air circulate – here are our top picks. 1. Our in-shower containers Our in-shower containers are super cute, and specially designed to hold one full-sized shampoo and one full size conditioner bars (excluding our mighty Curliosity conditioner and co-wash as it is 110g). I have two – one for shampoo and conditioner, the other for face and cream body cleanser. They’ve got good drainage slats to let the water out and a lid to protect against splashes. 2. Shampoo and Soap Saver BagsStoring your bars in a fabric or string bag gives you a double whammy benefit. Use your body cleanser bar while it’s still in the bag for extra exfoliation and lather, then hang it up to dry – the fabric will keep the bar contained while absorbing and expelling moisture. They also work wonders for storing your hair care bars in the shower, storing your bars while you’re travelling and even keeping all your smaller bar pieces together to stop them from going down the drain. Our Shampoo and Soap Saver Bags are made from sisal, a natural fibre from the agave plant. 3. Storage trays – with labels! Our bars love swimming in water just as much as we do! But to ensure that they last ages, they should be kept thoroughly dry between uses. If you struggle to tell your bars apart, our storage trays may be a better solution for you than our in-shower containers as they are cleverly labelled with ‘shampoo’ and ‘conditioner’. If you’re after storage solutions for your face and body bars, we’ve got you covered too. Need a hand keeping your Ethique shampoo, conditioner, face cleanser or body cleansing bars dry? Our absorbent and self-drying storage trays made from diatomaceous earth help your bars last longer. 4. Use-what-you-already-have Storage trays Back in the day, your nan was all about the bar soap, which means second-hand stores are always stuffed with the cutest dishes. Just make sure you choose ones with big slats or holes. Plenty of other second-hand finds will work too if you’re creative about it – small baking racks, ridged coasters or pāua shells (which come with natural drainage holes). A loofa sponge does a good drainage/airflow job, too. 5. Straight on your shower rackIf you’re lucky enough to have built-in shower storage, you might not need anything extra. Make sure the shelf is far away from the shower flow and has good drainage – a wire rack like this one is ideal. Showers tend to stay quite steamy (especially if you have lots of people using the same shower), so if you notice your bar getting soft, take it out for a good dry a couple of times a week. Travelling with Ethique Shampoo Bars Beauty bars are perfect travel companions – you don’t have to lug around all that extra water, you can take it on the plane in your carry-on, and there’s zero chance of it exploding in your suitcase. All you need is an airtight container to keep things tidy: anything out of your reusable containers cupboard, really. We’ve seen very cute options like old tobacco or candy tins, too. Just make sure your bars are totally dry before you put them in, otherwise you’ll arrive with a container full of mush. If you’re after an easy in-shower storage solution while you’re travelling, take one of our Shampoo and Soap Saver bags so you can hang up your bars to dry between each use. Lots of our customers keep our cute sample bars for trips away, so they’re always dry and ready to travel. For quick drying in between showers, lay your bars on a dry flannel or towel. Speed-drying tipsEven with the best storage, sometimes your bars will get soft – perhaps it’s a humid time of the year, your bathroom fan is busted, or you have lots more people staying and showering. Whatever the reason, giving your bars a good drying out will keep them at their best. Give them some time out of the shower and make like an old-timey pie-baker – leave your bars by an open window to get the air circulating. For desperate cases (or if it’s too wet outside), your hot water cupboard is your best friend. Left in that warm, dry air, your bars will be back to fighting fit in no time. Just be warned – warm and dry isn’t any good for our moisturiser bars and tubes (they’ll just melt!). To harden your moisturisers up, put them in the fridge. Pretty basic right? Keep it drained, keep it dry, watch for mushiness, and you and your Ethique bar will enjoy a long and happy life together. Discover More: How to use a shampoo bar How do you use a solid conditioner bar? How to switch to plastic-free beauty How to save a wet Ethique bar How to store your bars during the Summer