“Luxury is in each detail.” -Hubert de Givenchy
Investing in the quality of our everyday life is a pillar of living well and one that is often overlooked as we are always planning and working for the bigger goals of life. But luxurious living is a quiet contentment that comes from living well and taking pleasure in one’s surroundings. Such small details can make the simple act of daily living and routines an exquisite experience rather than a mediocre one. That is why I write the posts, “The Simple Pleasure of…” on the blog. These are seemingly small things, but when incorporated into daily life, it really makes the everyday a touch more refined and luxurious.
To explore these small luxuries is to explore how to live well every day. These posts are an exploration into cultivating pleasure in all areas of life and why they are worth investing in. It can be easy to get bogged down with all the responsibilities that we must tend to daily, but there are surely moments throughout the day that we can elevate into something more than just another task to be done.
One thing all of us do almost daily if not every day is take a shower to get clean. There’s a myriad of ways to accomplish this simple task and there are just as many cleansers on the market to choose from as well. Back when I first started exploring the world of French Lifestyle books I came across the ubiquitous subject of French Beauty. Most of the French beauty that I read about had to do with practices and routines that the French use, but during this exploration is where I learned about French Soap.
Before my exploration into all things French, I was a girl who would select any kind of soap from Target. It would mostly be Dove or maybe a body wash that I enjoyed the scent of. And while I may occasionally try a new body wash every now and again, my main source for cleanser to this day is still a bar of French soap.
What makes french soap different?
One may think that soap is just soap, the only thing it needs to do is clean. I used to think this too until I started using the French soap. I purchased my first few bars of French soap from Pre De Provence, which you can also do. I liked their selections, and the price point wasn’t something that I found intolerable. Not only did I notice the inviting scents of the soaps upon arrival, but when I took them out of the package, I noticed that they felt different from any soap I had been in contact with before. There is a reason for this, and it is called the moulin triple, or for us English speakers…the triple milled.
French triple milled soap is made from a soap mixture that passes through the stainless-steel rollers of a soap mill a minimum of three times. This is to ensure the bath soaps have consistent color, fragrance and texture. It’s a process that was invented by traditional soap makers in France as far back as the 1700’s.
what is the benefits of a triple-milled soap?
The triple milling helps to remove excess air and moisture from the soap. It also ensures all the natural ingredients and essential oils are thoroughly blended, resulting in a smoother, more pure soap. This process ensures that the soap is a smoother consistency than a regular soap. It has a creamy lather and has a feel of a more luxurious soap versus a traditional one. The soap is denser and will last longer than regular bars as well. Each bar will be consistent in color, scent and texture. The special milling process also creates a bar that has less moisture and more actual soap, therefore the bar will lather well every time and lasts much longer.
You will notice an immediate difference in the experience if you have been using a traditional bar of soap for many years. This one simple act of replacing my everyday soap from one that was just okay to one that was of top quality changed how I felt about my everyday life. It wasn’t just the soap in of itself that changed my life, it was the beginning process of elevating all areas of my life to one of pleasure, quality and luxury. I started to research from there the many ways I could bring in this type of upgrade into my daily routines. Such a simple change that started me on a journey to understanding that the art of daily living was in the details of each moment, no matter how seemingly mundane it was.
While one may make the case that soap is just soap, there is no need to make a fuss over something this inconsequential, I would make the case that our daily life is something worth upgrading and investing in, no matter how small the upgrade may be. My shower routine has now been elevated to one of luxury and it reinforces the thought that it is worth indulging in life’s simple pleasures in all aspects of my life and I hope that you find ways to do the same as well.
Comment below and tell me about what moment or thing you incorporated into your life that elevated the experience from one of lackluster to luxury.
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