I usually buy the regular Alaffia pepprmint black soap for handwashing, but I splurged on this when it was on sale, and I have to say it is better as a hand wash. The regular black soap is extremely gentle, which I love, but it is so gentle that I sometimes have to lather, rinse, repeat, to get my hands clean. This hand soap formula has more lather and rinses easily and leaves little to no residue. Highly recommend. I think I will be using this formula for now on instead of the regular black soap.