Skincare can be confusing. With multiple steps and products, all-in-one skincare can look appealing. But there’s one product as skincare professionals that we just can’t get behind: using bar soap as face soap, even if it’s organic.

There might be a few reasons why you’re using bar soap to cleanse the skin on your face: it’s package-free or because you might already be using it on your body so it feels faster and simpler to use.

But there are scientific reasons behind why bar soap can be harmful for facial skin: it disrupts your skin barrier, creating dry, irritated skin in the long run. Read on as we share what types of facial cleansers to use instead of bar soap!

Face skin vs. body skin

Your skin is the largest organ on your body, and it functions to protect you from the environmental stressors of the world. The skin on our faces is exposed to the elements in a different way from our bodies, making it even more important that we don’t strip it of vital protective covering — our biome. The skin on our hands, feet, and back has extra layers called the stratum lucidum and is more resilient with the use of bar soap. Because the skin is thinner on the face and often the most exposed to the environment compared to the body, it needs more gentle care.

The science of bar soap

Have you ever tried the pepper and soap experiment? The reason why soap works so well to clean grease and food off of your dinner plate is because of its high pH of 9-10 in alkalinity – it breaks the surface tension of water, grease, oil, and sweat, making it easy to remove. That’s why you feel “squeaky clean” after using a high pH soap, like bar soap, when washing your skin. When you use conventional soap, you’re removing everything from your skin, including your microbiome.

But, not all bacteria is bad. Your face’s microbiome is actually full of healthy bacteria, keeping your skin protected and balanced from the environment. A thin protective layer on top of your face called the acid mantle sits at a pH of 4.5 to 6.2. While that squeaky clean feeling after cleansing might feel good at first, you may begin to experience tight, dry skin which can lead to inflammation, irritation, and breakouts and can have long term effects of dysfunction of the skin when using traditional soaps.

To keep your acid mantle intact and the good bacteria on your skin to keep it feeling balanced, we suggest using a pH-balanced cleanser instead of alkaline bar soap.

What’s a pH-balanced cleanser?

Botnia cleansers are formulated not to disrupt your skin’s microbiome. We use mild surfactants (soaps) in our formulations and nourishing botanicals with a pH closer to that of the skin at 5 - 6 which helps to wash away dirt and grime without completely stripping your skin of its protective barrier.

If you oil cleanse, this type of cleanser is typically neutral on the pH scale, ranging from a 4.5 to 5.5 which keeps your skin at the optimum pH levels. The basic idea is that oils dissolve other oils and attract excess sebum, and removes dirt, makeup and sunscreen from the skin without stripping your skin of its precious biome. Contrary to popular belief, oily skin types CAN use oil cleansers, and in fact, may see more balanced skin after using the oil cleansing method because the pH levels of the skin don’t change.

Remember: If you use a conventional cleanser with soap, use a toner to help bring the pH of your skin back to balance.

How to spot unbalanced skin

Skin that’s unbalanced will usually present itself with inflammation, redness, dryness, breakouts, overproducing sebum, or other skin conditions. These are usually signs that your skin’s pH levels are out of balance. 

When skin is too alkaline, it will feel dry, tight, and sensitive. Bacteria can thrive in alkaline environments. On the other hand, when skin is too acidic, it can cause an excess of sebum and is likely to cause congestion and breakouts.

Products to heal unbalanced skin

For tight, dry, sensitive skin - Try cleansing with our Gentle Cleanser or Essential Enzymes paired with Rose Water Toner (both available in travel size too.) If you’re partial to foaming cleansers, our Renewing Face Wash is also a great pH-balanced cleanser with bubbles that help to lift dirt and oil but keep your microbiome intact. Don’t forget to follow up with a toner or hydrosol!

For congested, acne prone or oily skin - Try Balancing Oil Cleanser or one of our foaming face washes paired with a Toner or Rose Geranium Hydrosol. If you’d like to remove makeup and sunscreen, you can try double cleansing with Gentle Cleanser after oil cleansing to remove all the impurities from your skin.

To find a customized regimen for your unique skin, take our skin quiz and our master estheticians will recommend the perfect products just for you.

Skincare is simple - there are three steps to keeping your skin healthy and happy in the long run without the use of bar soap on your face.

1. Cleansing with a pH-balanced cleanser to remove dirt, makeup, sunscreen and impurities but protecting your acid mantle.

2. Toning to rebalance your skin after cleansing, especially if you use soaps versus oil cleansing.

3. Moisturizing as a last step to add an additional layer to protect your skin from the environment.

All the other steps are extra and are like adding supplements to a nutritional diet. Using a pH-balanced cleanser is key to keeping your skin at its healthiest state. Keep the bar soap for your body - your face will be grateful for it!

Xo,
Botnia