Make it pretty

I prefer using liquid hand soap for several reasons. One, there's nothing to get soft and mushy with frequent use. Two, I can dispense just the right amount of soap I need so there's no waste. And three, I don't have to worry about the person before me not rinsing the bar of gunk and stuff that can get stuck on it.

The only problem with liquid soap is the dispenser that they come in. It's such a waste to throw them away when they're empty. Aside from being still perfectly usable (unless it gets broken for some reason), they're usually made of plastic which isn't biodegradable. So I've taken to reusing them.

But first, I try to make them a little prettier. I remove the labels then use scrapbooking plastic and foil stickers to decorate the body all around. Unlike paper stickers, these won't rub off when they get wet, which makes them ideal for the project.

But now, I have a different kind of problem. Unless our stores begin selling liquid soap refills, I'm going to have more dispensers than I know what to do with.

Foamy!

Bath & Body Works has some of the most fabulously delicious scented products ever. Unfortunately, I find them a little too expensive for everyday use. So you can imagine my delight when a college girlfriend came home for a visit last Christmas and one of the items she gave us was a bottle of its liquid hand soap.

Since I follow the FIFO policy even for household products, I only opened the bottle this past week. Another delight: the soap came out foamy! Silly me didn't read the label. Turns out that it was the Gentle Foaming variant. I love it! I've been like a little kid—I have to stop myself from pumping out more than what I need. And I was wondering why the pump was so thick.

I'm fascinated by that pump—it's obviously why the soap is coming out foamy. Much as I love the soap (and the scent—it's Exotic Coconut), I can't wait until the bottle's empty. I want to take it apart to find out how it works. Hey! That's what I did to find out how those child-proof caps work!

Perfect for traveling

Sachets!

I don't know how it is in other countries, but here in the Philippines, almost everything is available in single-serve packets.

These made up my toiletry kit for the weekend retreat. Shampoo, hair conditioner, feminine wash, facial wash, moisturizer, toothpaste and mosquito repellent, all in spill-proof foil or plastic sachets.

I love these things for traveling. They're not bulky, they don't spill (unless you're silly enough to keep them with something sharp and pointed), I can bring only what I will exactly need, and if I don't finish the pack, it's not painful to the pocket to leave them behind.

And I have a confession to make: you know those little bars of soap that hotels place in your bathroom? I always bring home the ones we don't use. (Just the soap, okay!) And it was one of those that I packed with these sachets. So even with my toothbrush, dental floss and hair serum, everything fit in a 2" x 6" x 2" case.

Sensual mint

My love affair with mint and eucalyptus is not limited to shampoo. I especially love it in soap. Unfortunately, I have yet to see any in supermarkets. I am lucky that we have a friend that makes handcrafted soap—Annomi Soapworks—and several of his variants have mint or eucalyptus: Eucalyptus Lavender, Peppermint Scrubby, Minty Lavender and Blue Mint Swirl. Some are smooth, some scrubby. He usually only frequents bazaars, but he lives close enough to us that we can go to his house if I want to buy some.

Like the shampoo, it's the sensation of coolness that I adore. Especially in one particular area. Which area, you'll have to try mint soap yourself because I am not mentioning it here. Let's just say that sensual is definitely the word you'll be using to describe it too.

Keep a cool head

Literally.

I suffer from seborrhea / seborrheic dermatitis, thankfully only on a particular spot on my scalp, near the nape. (For you lucky ones who have no idea what seborrhea is, read the article on MedicineNet.com—just don't laugh!)

Late last year, Unilever launched it's newest shampoo and conditioner in the Philippine market, and it has quickly become my (current) favorite hair product. Clear, the Ice Cool variant (I think of them as flavors, actually, but then that's me). Even if I didn't need its anti-dandruff properties, I'd probably use it anyway because it has mint. Mint! I love the sensation of my head literally feeling cooler, especially from the conditioner because it has to be kept on for several minutes.

Liquid or solid?

Soap, that is.

Only two years ago, I discovered that liquid hand soap is actually more cost-efficient than bar soap because they dispense a limited amount of soap (but not when you have little kids—they just love playing with the pump!). But for the feeling of a good scrub, nothing beats bars (though that's probably just psychological).

So now, I have both kinds in the house. For the kitchen sink, it has to be liquid, and anti-bacterial. I spend so much time there, bars never get enough time to dry out. They get all soft and mushy that so much of it goes to waste. Sometimes, too, little bits and pieces of yicky whatever get stuck on the bar if you don't pay attention. For the bathroom downstairs (which also serves as the guest powder room), the lavatory has both liquid and bar. I really prefer liquid for lavatories, but the one there is old and it has a shallow indentation (with a groove for the run-off)—a built-in soap dish—and it looks funny without a bar of soap in it so I put one. I also tend to use the special, scented kinds there. The upstairs bathroom's lavatory only has the liquid kind. The shower, however, has both again. I usually just use the bar for my daily showers, but when I feel like I need a good exfoliating, then it's the shower gel on a loofah for me.

Quick bathroom facelift

Shower curtains!

They're inexpensive so it's easy to build up a collection, and they're easy to change. I've about six now, rotated between two baths. The patterns and colors to choose from are just wonderful. Grab one every now and then when you're out shopping, especially when they're on sale.

Keep an extra roll handy

I'm sure I'm not the only one who hates running out of toilet paper in the middle of one's daily ritual. We're not always alert when sitting on the throne, so we don't always notice when a roll's almost empty. So an extra roll where one can easily reach it—without having to stand up!—is a must.

I know there are pretty crocheted toilet paper holders out there somewhere—I've seen them in the homes of friends and family. But for the life of me, I haven't had the luck to find any. So my husband jury-rigged us one.

All it takes is two S-hooks and a length of nylon string. The only thing you have to watch out for is that the S-hook can fit inside the toilet paper's cardboard tube. Tie the string to the S-hooks on both ends, put the roll through, and hook the lot on the holder. That's it. It's far from Martha Stewart, but it does the job.