Why I Make Some Soaps Round

If you've looked through my soaps, you might have noticed that some are round while others are traditional bars.

The truth is, I didn't set out to make round soaps.

I set out to make a better dish soap.

When I started developing my Solid Dish Soap, I had a very specific shape in mind. I wanted a three-inch puck with straight sides—large enough to last a long time and sized to fit neatly inside a ramekin beside the kitchen sink.

Finding the right mold turned out to be harder than I expected.

Most of the molds I found were tapered or weren't the size I was looking for. After quite a bit of searching, I finally found one that matched exactly what I had in mind.

That one mold ended up opening the door to a few other ideas.

Once I had it, I realized it was the perfect solution for soaps that didn't fit the traditional loaf-and-cut process.

My Dirty Hands Soap was one of them. Made with pumice, it's designed for anyone whose hands have actually been put to work—whether that's gardening, woodworking, working on equipment, or tackling messy jobs around the house. Instead of worrying about cutting a loaf filled with pumice, I could pour each soap directly into its own mold from the start.

Then came my Himalayan Salt Soap. Salt soaps are known for their dense, creamy lather, but they're also known for being fussy to cut. Wait too long and they can crumble. By making each one as an individual puck, I could skip that challenge altogether.

What I realized along the way is that each of these soaps had its own reason for being round.

The Solid Dish Soap was designed to fit neatly into a ramekin, pair with a dish brush, and provide a long-lasting puck for everyday dishes.

The Dirty Hands Soap needed a practical way to become an individual bar without cutting through pumice.

The Salt Soap benefited from being poured into individual molds instead of racing the clock to cut a loaf at exactly the right moment.

That doesn't mean every soap I make should be round.

Traditional bars still have a place. They're perfect for swirls, textured tops, and all the little details that just aren't possible in a round mold.

I'm still figuring out where round soaps fit in my collection, and I'm okay with that.

For me, the shape isn't about making everything look different.

It's about choosing the right shape for the job.

Some soaps are meant to be bars.

Some are meant to be pucks.

And each one has a purpose.

~ Heidi ~