What is a Turkish sponge soap?
Soap and sponge in one piece, made for a soft daily wash. Here is what a Turkish sponge soap is, where the idea comes from, and how to use it so it lasts.
If you have seen a bar of soap with a sponge wrapped inside it and wondered how it works, you are not alone. Turkish sponge soap is popular across the Gulf, but it is still new to many people. It is a simple idea: the soap and the sponge are made as one piece, so you only need one thing in the shower.
Soap and sponge in one
A sponge soap is made by fusing soap with a soft sponge. When you wet it and squeeze, water moves through the sponge and picks up soap on the way, which turns into a thick, creamy lather. You do not need a separate shower pouf, and you do not need to rub a bar directly on your skin.
Because the sponge is soft, there is no scratchy texture. That makes it a soap for every day, including for skin that does not like scrubbing.
It is practical too. One piece goes into a gym bag or travel kit, there is no bottle to leak, and children often find a soft sponge easier to hold than a slippery bar.
Where the idea comes from
Türkiye has a long bathing culture built around the hammam. A traditional hammam visit includes warm steam, a scrub with a textured mitt called a kese, and a wash with a cloud of soap foam. That foam is the part many people remember most.
Soap making in Türkiye has a long history too, from olive oil soaps to scented bars sold in markets across the country. Sponge soap is a modern take on that tradition, made for a quick shower rather than a long bath.
Sponge soap brings a little of that soft, foamy wash to an ordinary shower at home. It is not a hammam, but it gives a similar feeling of rich lather on the skin. Brawish sponge soaps are made in Türkiye and shipped from Dubai.
How it is different from a loofah soap
- A sponge soap is soft and made for daily washing. A loofah soap has natural loofah fibres for a firmer scrub, two or three times a week.
- A Brawish sponge soap is 230 g. A loofah soap is 125 g.
- Our sponge soaps are made without SLES, sulfates or parabens. They use a mild cleansing agent called sodium lauroyl sarcosinate.
How to use a sponge soap
- Wet it fully under warm water.
- Squeeze it a few times until a thick lather forms. The first use may take a little longer.
- Wash in gentle circles from shoulders to feet. There is no need to press hard.
- Rinse your body, then rinse the sponge and squeeze out as much water as you can.
- Leave it to dry on a draining dish or a hook, away from the shower stream.
When the lather gets weak even after a good squeeze, most of the soap has been used up and it is time for a new one.
Choosing a scent
Brawish sponge soaps come in seven scents: rice dust, aloe vera, Turkish rose, lavender, pomegranate, honey and milk, and donkey milk. Choose the one you enjoy most. Lavender is a common pick for evening showers, rose and pomegranate for a warmer floral or fruity scent, and rice dust or aloe vera if you prefer something light and fresh.
If your skin is sensitive to fragrance, try any new soap on a small area first, and stop if it stings or itches.
