Hand soap

I'm not sure what this says about me - in theory, it could be a sign of obsessive compulsive behavior however it's not - but I'm a sucker for some good hand soap. I'm talking aromatic, creamy, little-beads-of-scent, probably expensive hand soap. I think because the hand soap at my house comes from Sam's which we buy in bulk and has no character whatsoever, that this is so.

I know of two places where hand soap is good consistently and is varied. My sister-in-law's house, and our friend Sarah's place. Bathrooms at both locales are stocked with excellent soaps, often multiple varieties sharing the same vanity counter space. Generic crap soap, like the stuff we buy at Target and has a blurb on the bottle saying it "is cheaper when compared to Softsoap", is not seen in these women's homes.

Sarah's house features almost exclusively Bath and Body Works soaps. I recall some mango or cucumber varieties, and the stuff is good enough to warrant three or four dollops, which makes one look forward to extra trips to the restroom. The association of good-smelling, quality hand soap is like a stimulus-response experiment. You tend to go more because of it.

My sister-in-law Gretchen also takes pride in the soaps she puts out for visitors. During a recent visit, there was a lemon-coconut brand, I believe - two scents that you might not think work well together, but they did. I lift my hands to my nose and take a whiff. I think Gretchen has more foamy-type soaps than Sarah on her counter. I don't know where she buys hers, but I bet it's not Sam's.

This does make me pause and reflect about our own soap purchases - maybe spending a little more time and money to improve the hand-washing experience is in order. Going to Bath and Body Works is a bit inconvenient since it's in a mall, but I suppose we could stock up. We tend to get the cheap stuff at places where it's convenient, like Stop and Shop.

But I think the few seconds of hand washing spent with better soaps makes the extra effort worth it. It completes and adds a little fulfillment to the hand washing experience. It does more than the typical afterthought hand wash. Hell, I have formed memories around these soaps, and have actually taken time to think and write about this!

I can see already, though, where this is headed. This will end up being one of those things (like volunteering, turning off the light in the basement, and cleaning my car) that I likely just don't get to, because it's hardly a priority. But I appreciate the effort that some friends and family members put in, here. I suppose the easiest way to experience better soap would be to just visit them more often. And use the bathroom, of course.