5 Signs that Your Soap is Harming Your Skin

The Quest for Cleanliness

Amid the adventures and joys of childhood, there existed a constant undercurrent: the demand for cleanliness. As a kid, you were beseeched to clean your hands, your room, your face. The push for cleanliness continues into adulthood. Magazines, websites, advertisements—they all extol the virtues of being clean. Clean is healthy. But could you unwittingly be sacrificing your skin’s health on the altar of cleanliness by exposing it to soap damage?

Soap has become synonymous with clean. But the squeaky clean produced by some soaps can be harmful to our skin. How can a simple product like soap damage skin? It primarily comes down to pH. Skin is slightly acidic. Healthy skin maintains a pH of about 5.5. Most soaps, especially soaps that lather excessively, are alkaline. With a pH of between 9 and 10, alkaline soaps jolt skin out of its natural pH.Skin is slow to regain its natural acidity, taking hours to balance out after being scrubbed with an alkaline soap.

You trust that natural is better. Your skin is no exception. The natural acidity of your skin provides a protective barrier—called the acid mantle—which keeps skin moisturized, holds healthy bacteria, and prevents contaminants from invading the top layer of skin and causing infection. An alkaline soap strips away the acid mantle and, with it, all of the skin’s protection.

5 Signs of Soap Damage

Your skin isn’t completely helpless against this onslaught of alkalinity. Skin sends out its own SOS signals when trouble arises. There arefive telltale signs of soap damage.

Tightness: Clean skin should feel refreshed. If skin feels tight or stretched immediately after washing, your soap has extracted too much moisture from your skin. Skin should never feel uncomfortable after washing. Skin that is properly cared for maintains its elasticity without requiring additional moisturizers. If your skin feels tight after washing, it may be time to shake up your cleansing routine.

Fine lines and wrinkles: Washing with soap zaps skin of its natural moisture. Skin that sustains soap damage exhibits fine lines and wrinkles. Part of the natural aging process is the development of fine lines and wrinkles. If you would be willing to purchase a product to reduce fine lines and wrinkles, why use a soap that causes the signs of aging that you want to banish? Cleansing should rejuvenate your face, not age it.

Flaky skin: The words 'supple' and 'flawless' conjure up visions of youthful skin. But, instead of supple and flawless, skin over-dried by soap looks flaky and rough. No one desires skin that looks as if it has been sandpapered. Applying make-up can’t hide the damage from over-drying. Make-up only highlights the course texture of dry skin. In addition to robbing your skin of its natural moisture, soap damage may be decreasing the effectiveness of all of your beauty products. Skin must be both clean and naturally moisturized to be receptive to supplementary skin care products. Dry skin that struggles to regain its natural equilibrium cannot properly absorb and utilize the beauty products that you have so carefully selected. Cleansing is the foundation of your skin care routine. Soap damage puts your skin at a daily disadvantage.

Oiliness: Although it may seem counterintuitive, oiliness can be a sign that your soap is over-drying your skin. When your skin’s natural moisture is stripped away, your skin fights to replace that moisture. If your skin is oily and you use soap specifically to dry it out, your skin may sabotage your efforts by producing even more oil to combat the intentionally inflicted dryness. If you have normal skin, you may find yourself suddenly struggling with oily skin, as your skin reacts to soap damage by producing excess oil. Cleaning your face should leave it looking fresh, not create unmanageable shine.

Breakouts: Your skin has its own unique blend of bacteria. Bacteria has gotten a bad rap, but it is everywhere. Some bacteria are good. Some bacteria are bad. The bad bacteria on your face can lead to infected, clogged pores, which become pimples. However, some bacteria actually help fight acne. When soap breaks down the acid mantle, it destroys the bacteria housed there—the good and the bad bacteria. As you wash your face with soap, you may be displacing the bacteria that could keep your skin acne free. The loss of good bacteria isn’t the only precursor to a breakout. Breakouts also occur when your skin produces excess oil to combat over-drying. The excess oil clogs pores, resulting in a breakout. Your cleanser should help you combat breakouts by keeping skin healthy, instead of encouraging breakouts by breaking down the skin’s natural defenses.

A Healthier Clean

Using soap and water to cleanse skin seems pure and simple. Choose a cleanser that won’t leave your skin tight and over-dried or oily and broken out. Cleansers should work with your skin to maintain its natural, healthy pH. Natural soaps offer gentle cleansing power that won’t damage your skin. A wide variety of natural cleansing products are also available in stores and online. Explore store-bought and homemade options for cleansers. You may aim for squeaky clean when you are doing dishes, but your skin deserves a gentler cleanser that will leave it both clean and healthy.

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