Why is Soap Bad for Your Skin?
While showering is clearly a practice that is universally endorsed in the modern world, the use of certain soaps and frequency of the practice may be a little iffy. There are actually several good and legitimate reasons to not shower every day of your life, and soap is a main factor. So is soap bad for your skin, or is that one big myth? The truth is a little tricky because the answer is yes and a no. Keep reading to get to the bottom of it!
Soap Pros & Cons
Showering daily has been shown to eliminate useful bacteria, dry out your skin and hair, and on a basic level, wastes water. However, most of the reasons not to shower daily come directly from our use of soap, not from the shower itself. Soap should only be used where it's absolutely needed in order to prevent the elimination of useful bacteria. Plus, sorry to tell you but foaming up your whole body can cause excess dryness and can be unnecessary when the skin is somewhat self-cleaning. (Seriously? Yep!)
While some studies and research can be anti-soap and took things a step further in their aversion to soap than others where they underwent theories on the daily use of soap and explained that even after your sweatiest days, soaping up your body in the shower isn't necessary—that’s not an extreme to have to follow. The consensus was that dirt doesn’t cause disease but repeatedly killing off the good bacteria on our skin may actually harm our immunity.
Not all soaps are created equal though.
Many estheticians urge men and women to stop using bar soap on their faces, however, no one is suggesting that soap is the devil. Instead of calling it quits on the suds, looking at the ingredients in your body wash is a better idea and far more beneficial one in the long scheme of things. One of the biggest culprits of creating lack-luster washes are soaps that contain fragrance.
Why is fragrance bad for you? It’s essentially a cocktail of chemicals and you’d never know it because it makes your soap or body wash smell delicious. The FDA doesn't require companies to disclose the ingredients in their fragrances, so it's highly unlikely you'll know what you’re putting on your skin, therefore it’s best to turn to a natural alternative than smelling like an artificial fruit or dessert.
It’s prudent to also point out that avoiding other harmful chemicals often found in soaps is just another reason to scrap using generic soap. These chemicals are usually parabens, sulfates, and triclosan. What are the effects of these chemicals? Parabens are able to enter the bloodstream mimicking estrogen once on the skin while sulfates — which are used to create a lather — strip the skin of natural oils. Triclosan is one of the biggest issues though. This chemical promotes the emergence and growth of bacteria resistant to antibiotic cleansers for those using special soaps for acne, eczema, or psoriasis.
The pros of using soap are certainly more limited, and ultimately you have to use some form of it to clean yourself for several reasons:
- Removing odors, sweat, and excess oils
- Smelling good and feeling clean
- Avoiding unsightly hygiene issues
Luckily, the solution is simple: switch from a popular brand bar of soap or fragrance heavy body wash for a natural one instead! At Wild Naturals, soap is an enemy that has been barricaded against for years and a healthy, yummy alternative is already in place. Wild Naturals Body Wash contains natural ingredients to cleanse, purify, and nourish your skin without any of the negative effects of soap, chemicals, or fragrance!
Check out the online store today and stop worrying about why soap is bad for your skin and make showering easy and worry-free again!
