Shower Gels

Shower gels are still a mystery to most Americans. My first few times in Europe, I always spent a lot of time looking around the shower trying to figure out where the bar of soap was. In many European countries, the use of shower gels is much more common than standard bars of soap.

What Are Shower Gels?

Shower gel is basically just fancy liquid soap. Using liquid soap has a lot of advantages though, as I learned in Europe. I still continue to use them back at home, eschewing the trusty old white bars of soap that got me through my childhood.

Two great advantages of shower gels are that they never slip out of your hand, and they're never reduced to tiny little slivers that you have to peel out of the soap tray. Typically, you squeeze a bit of shower gel into your hand or a washing sponge, lather it up, and wash away. I find that shower gel generally lathers a lot better than soap, and also leave behind fewer residues.

Another advantage of shower gel is that it often contains special creature comforts like soothing perfumes or scrubbing beads. There's a bit more creative freedom when producing liquid soaps, so the range of colors, smells and viscosities is surprisingly wide. When buying yourself a new shower gel, just be sure to pick up a sponge or shower squishy to help with the washing process.