Does Bar Soap Damage Your Skin? Spoiler Alert: Yes It Does

It’s inexpensive, your grandma swears by it, your dermatologist recommends it, and it is one of the worst things you can use on your skin. Yes, bar soap has been used to clean the skin for hundreds of years, but if you are still using this age old cleanser it is time for an upgrade.Bar soap is extremely alkaline which throws off the skin’s natural Ph and leads unbalanced and compromised skin. When the skin’s barrier is impared it loses its natural ability to protect against bacteria and fight infection. Along with leaving the skin compromised it overly strips the skin of essential oils making the look and feel skin dehydrated. To maintain a healthy moisture balance the skin may overproduce sebum leading to excess oil and break out prone skin.In the short term, using bar soap draws moisture out of the skin leaving it tight, dull and irritated. Long term use of bar soap reduces your skin's natural ability to protect against bacteria and infection, prematurely ages the skin and leads to skin issues like excessive redness and millia.Using bar soap as a facial cleanser in your skin care routine reduces the benefits of your other skin care products as well. Your expensive serums and moisturizers work hard to repair the damage caused by stripping bar soap making them far less effective.Your facial cleanser can be the first step in a successful skincare routine. Using a gentle, Ph balanced cleanser such as PCA’s Facial Wash will leave your skin feeling clean, refreshed, and prepared to absorb other corrective products. It’s time to ditch the Dove soap and try a cleansing product that will result in more comfortable, healthy, beautiful skin.