5 Reasons to Stop Using Soap to Save Your Skin
It may seem like a strange idea but using soap to get clean isn't the best option for you and your skin. Not only can it really make your skin dry, but it can actually cause you to produce more oil — which can mean more zits. There are five crucial reasons that using soap is bad for you and we put them together for you to educate yourself on the bad effect of soap, and they are:
- It can make your skin weak.
Using a harsh bar soap with a high pH can literally eat away the outer, protective layer of skin, which is loaded with hydrating proteins and fatty acids. Destroying this barrier leaves the skin sullen, easily inflamed, and hyper-reactive. Make sure to choose a cleanser with a neutral pH to help keep your skin balanced.
- It's super drying.
Soap strips away our natural oils leading to rough, flaky, and itchy skin and in some cases, this can trigger full-blown eczema. Instead, search for a creamy cleanser that infuses moisture into the skin with ingredients such as ceramides or glycerin, or natural ingredients that hydrate and nourish skin, like coconut oil, manuka honey, or rich with vitamins.
- It can make you break out.
Yes, standard bar soaps can actually cause acne and inflame your face by overly drying the skin, causing oil glands to try to auto-hydrate and produce more oil or sebum. This can lead to pore clogging and turn on the acne cascade, both on our face and bodies.
- It can give you wrinkles.
Yikes, we know this one made you read it twice! By removing important plumping fats and ceramides from the skin, drying soaps can accentuate wrinkles and pores, plus strip away the natural components in our skin that are supposed to defend against aging. Cleanse with a product containing hyaluronic acid to fill in and soften unwanted lines.
- It makes it easier for germs to breed.
One of the skin's most important jobs is to create a barrier against bacteria, viruses, and fungi that are on every surface we touch. Think athlete's foot, warts, etc. Sadly, soaps can compromise the built-in immunity and protection we get from good ole Mother Nature, making it easy for those yucky germs to get in. Look for body washes that have antibacterial ingredients, such as aloe vera, shea butter, and manuka honey!
What to Use Instead of Soap
Remember not all soaps are bars, and not all bars are soaps. When scoping out a new cleanser, look for key phrases such as "non-soap" or "neutral pH." And avoid any product with the word "soap" in it. Now, that might make you jump to the conclusion of a body wash from Dove or Aveeno. The other taboo words to look out for in body washes or cleansers are as follows:
- Parabens
- Mineral Oil
- Fragrance
- Sulfates
- SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate)
- Sodium Chloride
Why should you avoid these types of ingredients? Each of these can have the same negative effects as soap, with some being known carcinogens. So, before you run to Target or your local drugstore for a body wash to replace soap in the shower, we recommend you take a look at why natural skin care products should be your endgame.
For starters, natural ingredients are meant to help amp up your skin’s health, not like preservatives and chemicals that are added to dilute the beneficial ingredients for mass production profits. With natural body care items, you’re getting the most out of the bottle and your skin will certainly show you the results to prove its case.
Without soap, your skin can thrive the way it naturally should and be glowing, healthy, and nourished! Shop the Wild Naturals online store for all of your soap-free body wash needs and more!
