How long is the shelf life of handmade soap? Can handmade soap still be used after it expires?

Handmade soap is a kind of handmade soap that many people have used. Most people use handmade soap to wash their face and take a bath. As a skin care product, we need to know how long is the shelf life of handmade soap? Can I still use expired handmade soap?

What is the shelf life of handmade soap?

The shelf life is generally three years. Normally, the normal service life of a bar of handmade soap is 3 months. Since handmade soap is made of pure natural plant essence without adding any chemical agents, preservatives and other substances, its shelf life will be much shorter than that of facial cleanser. The specific situation varies from person to person. If placed in a cool and ventilated place, its storage time is about 1-2 years. Generally speaking, long storage time has no obvious effect on the washing effect and it can continue to be used. If you don't need to use the handmade soap for a while, you can store it in the refrigerator to prevent it from deteriorating. However, do not store it for too long. A bar of handmade soap can be used for a maximum of one year. However, yellow and black spots will appear on the surface of soap that has exceeded its shelf life, and the detergency of rancid soap will decrease with the degree of rancidity.

Can I still use expired handmade soap?

Expired soap can also be used, but expired soap may not be as effective as before. If you are worried, you can also buy other soap to wash your clothes. This way the clothes will be cleaner. When washing with expired soap, you should also check whether there is foam. If there is, you can continue to use it. For some handmade soaps with pure plant formulas, even if the product is marked as about to expire or has expired, it can be used as long as it is well preserved. For example, some handmade soaps with pure plant formulas in New Zealand and Australia do not cause any harm to the skin because the raw materials used are relatively natural. An artificially synthesized detergent appeared in the Song Dynasty. It was made by crushing and grinding natural soapberry (also known as soapberry, hanging knife, soapberry, commonly known as soapberry), adding spices and other ingredients, and making it into orange-sized balls. It was specially used for washing the face and bathing, commonly known as "soap balls".

Can I wash clothes with expired handmade soap?

It is recommended not to use expired soap to wash clothes. Soap detergents are alkaline detergents with strong alkalinity, which can easily make your hands dry after washing. They are also difficult to dissolve, so you need to wet the clothes before applying them, which is inconvenient. If they are not rinsed thoroughly, they can easily make the clothes hard and old. Expired products have unknown ingredients and may irritate your skin if they remain on the clothes. You should be more careful when washing close-fitting clothing such as underwear. If you use alkaline products such as soap and do not wash them thoroughly, the residual chemicals will cause greater irritation to the skin. When washing washable clothes, it is recommended to use neutral detergents, which are mild and non-irritating, easy to rinse and not prone to residue, and can better protect clothes and health.

Handmade soap is expired but not opened yet

Unopened soap cannot be used after it expires. Under normal storage conditions, the shelf life of soap is three years. Soap that has exceeded its shelf life is at risk of becoming rancid, commonly known as "spoilage", which can easily cause discomfort to the body after use. Therefore, soap should not be used after it expires. Soap is the general term for metal salts of fatty acids. The general formula is RCOOM, where RCOO is a fatty acid radical and M is a metal ion. The carbon number of fatty acids in daily soaps is generally 10-18. The metals are mainly alkaline metals such as sodium or potassium. Special-purpose soaps are also made from ammonia and certain organic bases such as ethanolamine and triethanolamine. In a broad sense, any fatty acid salt obtained by saponification or neutralization reaction of oils, waxes, rosin or fatty acids with alkalis can be called soap.