Five Under $50: Hand Soaps That Don’t Stink!

Hand soap is one of those things that you don’t usually think about until you need to. Which is fine. Except for when it backfires. I’m sure everyone has experienced buying a really nice looking, expensive-ish soap and having it smell less than desirable…or reek as strongly as perfume…or be heavily mentholated (this happened to me). Or you’ve bought a really basic looking, inoffensive-seeming cheap or normal priced soap that ends up smelling like your elementary school bathroom soap. Or you’ve found a soap that you like just fine, but it’s ugly. Personally, I don’t have built-in soap dispensers in my house and I prefer to put the actual soap container out on the counter as opposed to a glass or ceramic vessel. So to me, the branding and appearance of the packaging matters because I’m always looking at it.

Below are five soaps under $50 that will last you a long time, smell great, and not hit you in the face with jasmine or pumpkin spice every time you raise your fork-wielding hand to your mouth. (We’ve all experienced that, right — that “I can’t get this off my hands, help me!” soap?).

Enjoy, and happy smelling!

1.) MOR Honey Nectar Hand and Body Wash, $16 available at Nordstrom (image via Nordstrom); 2.) CO Bigelow Handwash in Clementine, $12 (image via Bath and Body Works); 3.) Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Liquid Hand Soap in "flavors" such as Basil, Geranium, Honeysuckle and Lavender. About $5 at various drugstore and Amazon.com (image via Mrs. Meyer's) ; 4.) Williams-Sonoma Hand Soap in Pink Grapefruit, $40 for lotion and soap set (image via Williams-Sonoma); 5.) Nest Liquid Soap, available a tNeiman Marcus for $22 each in "flavors" like Bamboo and Wasabi Pear (image via Neiman Marcus)

Another soap tip I like a lot is that when your container is halfway done, you can often fill it back up a bit with water. More than half and it tends to splatter when you pump it, but these soaps are often so concentrated that you can absolutely dilute them without decreasing suds or scent.  And finally, in the kitchen you’re likely to need an anti-bacterial soap. It’s always prudent to have a REAL dish soap here — Dawn, Pamolive, etc… — but if you want a scented anti-bacterial for your hands, too, I love Bath and Body Works’ Kitchen Lemon, White Citrus, and Pink Grapefruit for their clean and fresh kitchen scents (and their excellent price point…often 4 for $10).

What’s your go-to hand soap?

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