WE SPEND SO MUCH MONEY ON SKINCARE. BUT HAVE WE FORGOTTEN WHAT SOAP IS ACTUALLY FOR?

The lockdown made me look at an everyday bar of soap differently. It reminded me that before we expect our bathing products to make us look better, we should expect them to do their most important job: clean us.

The world stopped, and suddenly, soap mattered.

When the COVID-19 lockdown began, the world became a very different place. Ordinary things we'd never given much thought to suddenly became incredibly important, and something as simple as washing our hands became a matter of public health. Governments and health organisations across the world were telling us the same thing: wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water, do it regularly, and don't rush through it. A simple bar of soap, something most of us had sitting next to a bathroom sink, had suddenly become an essential part of our collective response to a global crisis.

And for good reason. Soap helps remove dirt, grease, and germs from our hands, while washing with soap and water can also disrupt the outer envelope of viruses such as SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19. It was remarkable to think that something we'd been using for generations was playing such an important role in protecting public health. That period made me think about something I'd never really considered before: how had an everyday product become so important, and why had I spent so little time thinking about it?

Somewhere along the way, we made soap about everything except soap.

Think about how bathing products are marketed today. Fairer skin, glowing skin, clearer skin, younger-looking skin, fewer blemishes, and fragrances that promise to make you irresistible to everyone within a five-kilometre radius. Okay, perhaps not the last one, although judging by some advertisements, I'm not entirely convinced. We've turned the humble bathing bar into a product that promises to transform our appearance and improve our confidence, and somewhere in all that messaging, I think we've lost sight of the basics.

Soap is primarily a cleansing product. Its job is to help remove dirt, excess oils, sweat, and other unwanted material that accumulate on our bodies. Of course, there's nothing wrong with wanting a bathing product that smells pleasant, feels good on your skin, or contains ingredients chosen for their particular properties. I enjoy exploring those things myself. But shouldn't cleansing come first? Before asking whether a soap promises brighter skin or fewer blemishes, shouldn't we ask whether it's a well-formulated product that does the job it was made to do? These were the questions that started to matter to me when I began looking at bathing products differently during lockdown.

Bathing isn't just a beauty ritual. It's basic self-care.

I think we've become so accustomed to our daily routines that we rarely stop to think about them. We wake up, brush our teeth, shower, get dressed, and get on with the day. It's automatic. Yet, when we talk about bathing products, the conversation often shifts almost immediately to beauty, as though the primary purpose of washing ourselves is to change how we look rather than simply to keep ourselves clean.

I find that a little strange. We spend considerable time and money on skincare, haircare, and products promising to fix things we may never have considered problems in the first place, but we don't always give the same thought to the product we use to bathe every day. I'm not suggesting that beauty or skincare benefits don't matter, or that a bathing product can't offer more than cleansing. I simply think we've become so accustomed to marketing promises that we've forgotten to ask a more fundamental question: does this product actually suit me, and does it do what I need it to do?

The most important thing your soap can do is help you stay clean.

This was the thought that stayed with me as I began exploring traditional soapmaking. I'd spent years choosing bathing products without giving much thought to what suited me. I'd experienced dryness and itching with some products, and certain fragrances bothered me, but I'd simply accepted those experiences as part of using body wash. Discovering cold process soap made me curious about the alternatives and encouraged me to ask questions I hadn't previously thought to ask.

I began learning about the oils, butters, and other ingredients used to formulate soap. I wanted to understand how the process worked, why soapmakers chose particular ingredients, and how different formulations could produce different bars. What appealed to me about making my own soap was the opportunity to understand the formulation and make deliberate choices about what went into the finished product. That doesn't mean every handmade soap is automatically better than every commercial bathing product; commercial soaps and body washes can be effective cleansers, too. What mattered to me was that I'd discovered an alternative worth exploring, and I could take a more active interest in something I used every day.

Why this realisation led me to cold process soapmaking.

Cold process soapmaking appealed to me because it offered a way to understand a formulation from the beginning. I could learn about the oils and butters used to make soap, the role of sodium hydroxide in saponification, and how the choice of ingredients influences the finished bar. I could explore different formulations, experiment with ingredients, and understand why a soapmaker might choose one combination over another. There was a certain satisfaction in knowing that this everyday product was something I could learn to make myself.

It also made me appreciate how much thought goes into a well-formulated bar of soap. What looks like a simple object sitting next to your bathroom sink is the result of ingredient selection, careful measurements, chemistry, and patience. Cold process soap needs an appropriate curing period before it's ready to use, which means the process cannot simply be rushed. As I learnt more, I began exploring different oils, butters, clays, and food-derived ingredients that could be incorporated into soap formulations. The creative possibilities fascinated me, but so did the responsibility that comes with making something people use on their bodies.

Health isn't built on grand gestures alone.

The lockdown also reminded me that looking after ourselves isn't always about making dramatic lifestyle changes. We often think about health in terms of fitness routines, better diets, and medical appointments, but our everyday habits matter, too. Maintaining personal hygiene, washing our hands properly, eating well, and getting enough sleep are all part of taking care of ourselves. None of these habits guarantees that we'll never fall ill, but they help create a foundation for looking after our health.

When I think about the things I want to do in life, I keep coming back to this idea. We all have things we're working towards: careers we're trying to build, businesses we're trying to grow, creative projects we want to bring into the world, and families we want to care for. Our health is one of the things that helps us pursue those ambitions, even if we don't always think about it that way. Looking after ourselves doesn't guarantee that we'll achieve our goals, but it gives us a foundation from which to keep trying. Sometimes, that care begins with the ordinary habits we barely notice.

This is what I want WhySoCurious to stand for.

When I think about why I started exploring cold process soapmaking, I come back to the same realisation: we use bathing products so regularly that it's easy to stop thinking about them. We buy what's available, get accustomed to the experience, work around the things we don't like, and sometimes never ask whether there's another way. For me, discovering cold process soap opened up that possibility. It encouraged me to pay attention to ingredients, learn about traditional soapmaking, and become more thoughtful about a product I used every day. Eventually, that curiosity became part of the story behind WhySoCurious.

Today, when we formulate our soaps, I want that original curiosity to remain at the heart of what we do. I enjoy exploring ingredients such as avocado, rice milk, coconut milk, adzuki beans, and different clays, understanding their roles in a formulation, and discovering how they contribute to the finished bar. I love the process of turning a formulation into something tangible, and I love that there's always something new to learn. But beneath all of that, I believe in the value of an everyday product that serves a genuine purpose. A bar of soap doesn't need to promise to change your life. It needs to be thoughtfully formulated, do its job, and earn its place in your daily routine.

The lockdown reminded me of the importance of something we'd largely taken for granted, and discovering cold process soap gave me a new appreciation for the craft behind it. I don't think we need to stop enjoying the other things a bathing product can offer, whether that's a fragrance we love or a formulation that feels good on our skin. We just need to remember what matters at the foundation of it all. For me, that is where the conversation about soap should begin, and it's a principle I want to carry with me as I continue building WhySoCurious.

— The story behind WhySoCurious