The 13 Best Bar Soaps for Cleaning Just About Anything

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You may not have thought about bar soap in a while, except when you’re suddenly confronted with it in a hotel room shower or a guest bathroom. It seems retro, like something you used when you were taking baths as a kid, but we say it’s time to re-examine the power of the bar.

Body washes may be exceedingly popular among men, especially those who struggle with dry skin, but the kind of clean you get from a bar soap is second to none. While they are not self-cleaning as Joey Tribbiani once claimed they get the job done with less mess and can last longer than a body wash.

Plus bar soaps come with less waste. Think about it: they’re smaller, you can use them till they’re completely gone, and there is no plastic bottle to throw into the recycling bin when you’re done. Many soap companies are even changing their packaging to make bar soap an even greener option.

Read more: Best Shampoos

Bar soaps are versatile and can be great for you no matter what your skin type. You can find a soap for oily skin, dry skin, sensitive skin, and everything in between. So put your body wash on stand-by and pick up one of the 11 best bar soaps below. Witness glorious results after one wash, then kick that plastic bottle away for good!

Grooming Solutions Exfoliating Bar Soap

Since 1851, Kiehl's has been a trusted source for delivering products that perfect the appearance of our skin. And their bar soap is a part of said transformation. It's responsible for sloughing off dead skin and dirt, while energizing the skin for a new feel. Key ingredients include pumice, jojoba seed powder and pracaxi oil.

Vitamin Cleansing Bar

One of the biggest complaints about bar soap is that they can make your skin feel too dry; not this one. It contains sunflower oil and glycerin to keep your skin hydrated and smooth all over. Plus, the citrus and musk fragrance is one of our favorite men’s scented soaps.

Read more: Best Face Washes

White Beauty Bar

This dermatologist-endorsed bar is one of the best for your face, but here’s a secret: you can use it all over your body, too, especially if you have sensitive skin. It’s contains gentle moisturizing ingredients that hydrate and clean skin without overstripping it.

Read more: Best Anti-Dandruff Shampoos

Charcoal Bar Soap

For guys with oily skin or who sweat a lot, the charcoal in this soap helps soak up excess oil, purges dead skin cells and leaves you feeling fresh without that telltale tight feeling. Also, it delivers a woodsy outdoor scent and contains shea butter, so it’s gentle on even dry skin.

Rum Bar Soap

If "you smell good" was a bar soap, it would be this rum-scented version from Malin+Goetz. The product effectively purifies and balances the skin—leaving behind traces of the most divine fragrance. Not to mention, it hydrates while rinsing free of residue without irritation, drying, or stripping.

Read more: Best Colognes

Bar Soap

Public Goods gets the job done for dirt cheap. Their bar soap is ideal for anyone with sensitive skin, which is vegan-friendly and cruelty-free. Powered by an unique formula of essential oils, it's natural subtle fragrance will have you feeling and smelling more crisp than ever before.

Refresh Bar Soap

Everything in Aesop's product assortment is credited under vegan, thus the luxury brand's refresh bar soap is suitable for all skin types. Enriched with refreshing botanical oils, their offering works into a rich lather, gently massages onto the body and makes your skin feel spanking new.

Morning Mojo Bar Soap

It’s called Morning Mojo, because the peppermint and eucalyptus fragrance in this soap gives you a jolt of clarity in the morning, even before you have your first cup of coffee. It has grit to it, but doesn’t feel rough on your skin, thanks to moisturizing honey and coconut.

The Body Exfoliant Bar Trio

What's better than one? Three. Necessaire has curated a package trio to enjoy physical exfoliant treatment for the skin. Infused with oils rich in Vitamins A-C-E, Omega 6/9 and Niacinamide, their bar soap is designed to diminish the look of KP, remove rough dry patches and tackle ingrown hairs.

Birchwood Breeze

Dr. Squatch will take you on a ride through the wilderness with their natural bar soap. With leading ingredients such as birch bark and pumice powder, this woodsy option has a medium-intensity scrub that's easy on the skin and leaves you feeling smooth and revitalized. Plus, it boasts a fresh scent which is reminiscent of nature's finest creations.

Exfoliating Bar Soap

Exfoliating bar soaps have a little grit in them to effectively wash away dead skin cells, sweat and grime. This will bring forth your skin's natural radiance and have it feeling smooth as butter. In this case, Hawthorne employs oat, wheat and nourishing oils to do the trick, while bearing a subtle scent that's not too overpowering.

Solid Cleanser

Another soap bar that can be used on your face as well as your body, this no-nonsense cleanser from BRAVO SIERRA works into a rich lather. Ingredients like coconut and oat flour are added to hydrate and soften the skin. You can also pick from several scents, although we like the Sandalwood & Fig the best.

Turbo Body Bar Scrubbing Soap

Jack Black raises the bar with their soap that deeply scrubs away dirt, helps combat fatigue and stimulates the senses. To produce a luxurious lather, the brand is formulated with hydrating murumuru and shea butters, as natural lava rock gently polishes, leaving skin soft, supple and restored.

How We Selected

For the past two years, we consulted with Men's Health's Grooming editors and writers on the top bar soaps for men. Experts, including our Grooming Editor Garrett Munce, put a number of bar soaps to the test and evaluated their ingredients, scent, and value. We also considered top-reviewed bar soaps that had high customer ratings on e-commerce websites we trust.

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