Five minutes of reading. One bar instead of five bottles. How to make it last, how to use it, what to expect.
What's in INSHA Simple Tallow Soap — and why each thing is there
The OG is a three-ingredient bar. That's deliberate. Nothing in it is filler, and nothing is masking anything.
1. Halal grass-fed beef tallow. The base. Its fatty-acid profile — stearic, oleic, palmitic — is the closest natural match to human sebum. Cleans without stripping.
2. Coconut oil. A small amount. Gives the bar a clean, creamy lather. Without it, a 100% tallow bar lathers very little.
3. Frankincense resin extract. Documented anti-inflammatory and skin-conditioning properties. Adds nothing cosmetic — no perfume, no colour theatre.
That's it. No SLS, no synthetic fragrance, no microplastics, no preservatives, no palm oil, no petroleum derivatives. The lye that started the saponification reacts away fully during cure. No lye remains in the finished bar.
The other variants follow the same logic:
- Simple Olive — adds cold-pressed olive oil for dry and normal skin.
- Simple Turmeric — adds organic turmeric powder for oily and combination skin.
How to use it (the part most people get wrong)
On the body
- Wet the skin.
- Lather the bar straight onto the skin, or work it up between your hands first.
- The lather will be modest and creamy, not the thick foam of a body wash. That's correct.
- Rinse. Pat dry — don't scrub the towel across the skin.
On the face (for non-acne-prone skin)
- Splash the face with lukewarm water.
- Work a small amount of lather between damp hands.
- Apply to the face in light circles for 20–30 seconds.
- Rinse fully. Pat dry.
- Follow with a balm or oil on still-damp skin if you moisturise.
If your skin feels tight after, you over-cleansed — wash for 10 seconds next time, not 30. If it feels comfortable, you're using it correctly.
On hands
The mildest, cheapest hand soap you'll own. Especially good in winter when alcohol gels and over-washing have wrecked the skin.
As a shaving lather
Work the bar in a bowl or directly on a wet face with a brush. The lather is dense and slick — closer to a traditional shaving soap than to a foaming canister. Glides the blade, doesn't dry the skin after.
As a shampoo bar (for some hair types)
A tallow bar works as a shampoo for fine to medium hair that isn't chemically treated. Lather between palms, work into the scalp, rinse fully. Follow with a diluted apple-cider-vinegar rinse (1 tbsp in 250 ml water) for the first two weeks while the scalp adjusts. If your hair feels waxy after a fortnight, this isn't your hair type — go back to your usual shampoo. We won't pretend it works for everyone.
How to make a 100g bar last
This is the single biggest difference between people who love their soap bar and people who get through one in two weeks.
| Habit | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Keep it on a draining soap dish — not a flat surface | Standing water dissolves the bar from underneath. A dish with slats or a soap saver doubles bar life. |
| Take it out of the shower stream | Storing it where the shower hits it directly is the fastest way to lose a bar. |
| Let it fully dry between uses | A bar that dries hard between uses lasts 3–4x longer than one that stays wet. |
| Cut it in half | Use one half, let the other cure further on a shelf. The unused half gets even harder. |
| Don't share it across four people in one shower | Or do — but expect a bar a fortnight, not a bar every two months. |
Stored well, a 100g bar lasts one person 4–8 weeks of daily full-body use. That works out to roughly 30–50 fils per shower on the single-bar price, and less on the 3-pack.
The size and pack guide
| Pack | Best for | Roughly lasts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 bar — 28 AED | Trial, travel, gift | 4–8 weeks per person |
| 3 bars — 84 AED | Most households | 3–6 months per person |
| 6 bars — 168 AED | Family, or buy-once-think-less | 6–12 months per person |
Picking a variant
- The OG — fragrance-free. Suits the whole family, including sensitive skin and children.
- Simple Olive — the most conditioning bar. Best for dry skin, winter, post-sun, or anyone who finds The OG slightly less moisturising than they want.
- Simple Turmeric — for oily and combination skin. The colour is the turmeric, not a dye. Light yellow staining on white washcloths is normal — rinse them promptly.
- Simple Castor / Simple Charcoal — specialty variants. See the PDP for current availability.
What to expect in the first month
| Week | What changes |
|---|---|
| 1 | Skin feels comfortably clean rather than tight after washing |
| 2 | Less reliance on body lotion after the shower |
| 3–4 | Flaking on shins, elbows, forearms reduces |
| 4–6 | Skin starts regulating its own oil — less mid-day oiliness on the face, less dryness on the body |
| 8+ | You stop thinking about your shower routine — the goal |
What it pairs with — and what to drop
Pair with: lukewarm water (hot water strips), a draining soap dish, a balm or oil on damp skin if you moisturise, the INSHA Tallow Glow Balm for the same skin philosophy in a leave-on format.
You can probably drop: the body wash, the separate hand soap, the face wash for non-acne skin, the shaving cream canister, the syndet bar in the guest bathroom. One bar replaces all five. Most people halve their bathroom shelf in a month.
One 100g bar, stored on a dry dish, can replace your body wash, hand wash, face wash, and shaving cream — and still costs less per wash than any of them.
Ready to start?
If you've read this far, you already know which pack makes sense. One bar of The OG is the lowest-risk way to test it; the 3-pack is the standard recommendation once you know.
FAQ
Can I use Simple Tallow Soap on my face?
Yes, if your skin is not actively acne-prone. Use a small amount of lather, wash for no more than 20–30 seconds, rinse fully, and follow with a balm or oil on damp skin. If your face feels tight afterwards, you washed for too long.
Why doesn't my tallow bar lather like a body wash?
Because it's actual soap, not a detergent. Real cold-process soap produces a creamy, modest lather rather than thick foam. Thick foam in commercial washes comes from added foaming agents, not from cleaning power. Low lather is correct.
How long does one 100g bar last?
Stored on a draining dish out of the shower stream, one person using it for daily full-body washing typically gets 4–8 weeks per bar. Wet, flat-stored bars dissolve much faster — the dish is the single biggest factor.
Can I shave with a tallow soap bar?
Yes. Work the bar with a brush or between wet hands to build a dense, slick lather. It glides the blade and doesn't leave the skin tight afterwards. Many people switch off canister foam permanently.
Does it work as a shampoo bar?
For fine to medium hair that isn't chemically treated, often yes. Lather into the scalp, rinse fully, and follow with a diluted apple-cider-vinegar rinse for the first two weeks while the scalp adjusts. If hair feels waxy after a fortnight, this isn't your hair type.
Will Simple Turmeric stain my skin or my washcloths?
It will not stain skin at normal use. It can leave a light yellow tint on white washcloths — this is the actual turmeric, not a dye, and rinses out if you rinse the cloth promptly after use.
Keep reading: Why your body wash dries out your skin · Tallow soap vs Dove, Aleppo, Castile, African Black · Simple Tallow Soap product page
