Bar Soaps

Are Bar Soaps Harmful For Your Facial Skin?

I have to admit I have been using bar soap on my face for years! I always liked the tightness feeling on my skin after I wash my face with a bar soap. I thought that this ment that my skin was clean... but I was dead wrong.

I thought that bar soap was helping me control and fight my acne outbreaks, but it turns out, it was causing them! Why?

pH Balance Of The Skin

Our skin has a pH value between 4.5 and 5.5, what this mean is that it is slightly acidic. Why is this important? Well, bacteria love moderate alkaline conditions (pH of over 7), so our skin is fighting is fighting bacteria naturally by maintaining slight acidity.

Now, most oils and fats used for soap production have a pH value of 7; other substances fats and oils are mixed with have even higher pH value (some greater than 13). What this means is that by washing our skin with soap, we are actually creating a slightly alcaline conditions bacteria love. So the soap is actually allowing bacteria to thrive on our skin!

But that`s just one part of the problem. Have you ever noticed that thin film bar soap usually leave on the skin? This is also a problem because it can prevent the skin from breathing properly. So, this creates a perfect storm for bacteria and continued soap use may only make things eve worse.

There have been numerous studies confirming this. One of those is a study conducted by the Indian Journal of Dermatology. They set out to test alkaline bar soaps compared to pH neutral soaps. What they found was more severe breakouts in people who used regular, alkaline soaps.

As you can see, using a common bar soap, especially for your facial skin, is not such a good idea. This is why I tell people to buy a good face wash if they can. You can read more about face washes on our home page - Skincare Tips For Men