I would like to have a go at making my own soap, but using caustic soda scares me a little and you need digital scales for exact ingredients which i need to buy. Its on my to do list!

I dont care whether i use soap or body wash, its all the same to me, and my skin seems to handle anything so i'm lucky in that way. not a lover of flannels, i like a sponge or use my hands.
I prefer citrus smells like orange and lemons and i like the smell of coal tar soap.

Favorite....Dove, it's much milder than everything else.

But what I buy is whatever is cheapest. mostly the difference is the scents, and I prefer scentless...so it doesn't matter.

I use bar soap....which is actually soap.

The liquid stuff is actually detergent...which is fine too (chemistry background here....really shouldn't matter to anyone else....)

I use liquid soap, because it's more practical for my living situation. For a couple of years, I used White Rain 3-In-1 For Men (shampoo, conditioner, and body wash in one product). The problem with it is that it is a slimy goo that literally falls right off the skin. About a week ago, I tried Right Guard Hair And Body Wash, because it was on sale (buy 1, get 1 free). It is a slimy goo, too, but it sticks to the skin so that it can be worked into a lather.