As girls, we are horrified at the thought of using regular soap on our faces. Many of us have even switched to body washes cos we feel like it is more hygienic. But when we look at guys, who use the same soap on their body, face and sometimes even their hair and have acne-free glowing skin and wavy hair, it kinda makes us wonder doesn’t it? But why wouldn’t they? There are so many brands that claim to make the best soaps in India, so anyone would be tempted to use them.
Personally, I feel like since guys are accustomed to one kind of product from birth, their skin kinda adjusts to their habits. And if it doesn’t, that’s probably why you see guys with acne (rarely, I might add). Also, the skin on men’s faces is a lot more firm than ours, especially cos of their constant hair growth and shaving cycle. So they can even rub bricks on their faces.
But we (girls, I mean) make the switch from our baby soaps to lavender scented ones and that’s where our skin preferences begin. Our skin being as delicate as it is, finds it extremely hard to maintain its pH balance. If our skin is too oily, we need a product that controls the oil (technical term: sebum) production on our face. But if said product dries our skin excessively, our facial skin will react by producing more oil which is not what we want.
Similarly, if you have normal or dry skin, your facial skin will become more dry. This is exactly why you should not use soap. Soap will dry out your skin completely. And if you have oily skin, your face will become more oily and if you have dry skin, your face will become drier. Soap is made in general for the body. And also if your skin is extremely sensitive and prone to acne, any residual dirt on the soap will transfer to your face and cause more acne or skin irregularities. So, soap on the face is a big NO NO.
Why should you not use soap on your face?
We have put together a list, cos lists are fun.
- Soap is made of components that are too harsh on the skin and these components cannot differentiate between good lipids and sebum/dirt. So it ends up removing everything off the surface.
- It throws the natural moisture barrier of skin off balance.
- Soap has high alkaline content that disturbs the pH balance as well.
This is just the tip of the iceberg, there is so much more to why you shouldn’t use soap on your face. But the usual norm is, if the soap stings your eyes, it can’t be good for your face. So if you must use soaps, baby soap may be a smart option.
