A soap is a man's best friend

Soaps play such a pivotal role in our lives. No no no, I am not talking about the scheming saas-bahu type tv serials. I allude to our cuboidal/ovoid friends who we come in contact with everyday in the shower (I know I cannot generalize so liberally. After all, I lived in a hostel for 4 years myself. Hehehe.But, we shall ignore the exceptions and consider ' take a bath everyday' to be the absolute truth)...those wonderful concoctions from Lever, P&G, Johnson & Johnson, etc. we use to get rid of all the dust and grime that accumulates on our skin, smell fresh and provide some nutrition to our skin. Hence, I have decided to write a piece on my (close) encounters with various brands of soap.

Dettol - leaves you with an amazingly clean feeling and a hospital smell. Perfect for that 7 pm shower after a victorious game of cricket.

Cinthol Cologne - Dunno if you remember, but Vinod Khanna used to plug for this brand. One used to smell really sexy after a bout with Cinthol Cologne. (Actually, the original Cinthol is pretty good too).

Hamam - This was actually mum's favorite, and she took it upon herself to bodywash us all with this brand. No complaints, just nice.

Le Sancy & Pears - Supposedly 'up market' soaps, I never cared much for these, they held no appeal for me.

Lux - this is perhaps the worst soap I have ever used. 2 baths and the frikkin bar becomes as squishy as the clay on the potter's wheel.

When I first shopped for soaps in the US, I often found myself comparing them to the bars I had used in India. Needless to say, the American versions always paled in comparison. True to the country in which they are made and marketed, American soaps are best described by the word - BLAND! No flavor, no personality. (And as we all know, (thanks in part to Samuel L Jackson) 'Personality goes a long way.' :) )

I discovered Neutrogena many months back and found it to be the saving grace among American soaps.

Moral of the story: Get American soapmakers to pay you big bucks so you can plug their products on your blog!

Happy bathing!