Does your skin feel dry or tight when you get out of the shower or bath? That could be your bar soap. Bar soaps have a higher pH, which means it may dehydrate your skin.
I want to tell you some ingredients to look for when you're looking for a soap. First, look for a liquid soap, preferably an oil-based liquid soap, which has a lower pH. It's beneficial to sensitive skin and holding on to moisture in your skin.
Below are some ingredients you should find in a nice moisturizing oil soap.
- Castile soap. Although it has soap in the name, Castile is actually an oil-based soap. Years ago when they originally made it in the Castile region of Spain, they made it with olive oil. Due to the cost of quality olive oil, they make Castile soap with castor oil, coconut oil, hemp oil. It will not rob moisture from your skin. Nor will it strip your natural oil (sebum) from your skin. Castile soap is non-toxic, natural (plant-derived), and biodegradable.
- Castor oil. It has been used since early Egyptian days. Castor oil is very cleansing to your skin. Since it's an oil, it moisturizes your skin. Castor oil is also naturally antioxidant, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory.
- Buckwheat honey. It's naturally antibacterial. Buckwheat honey is also a humectant, which means it retains the moisture in your skin. It's not going to strip your skin.
When you feel that dry, tight feeling and as soon as you towel off from your shower and you're looking kind of ashy, that's because your skin has been stripped of its natural sebum. These ingredients will not strip your skin and protect your sebum.
Castile soap, castor oil, and buckwheat honey are some ingredients you want to look for, especially if you have sensitive skin like my family and me. If you have eczema, psoriasis, or atopic dermatitis, these ingredients will nourish and work with your skin and not against your skin.