A bar of soap has always been the traditional method of washing your face, in fact evidence suggests that we have been using soap since 2800 B.C. Currently in the world of beauty soap has been quite the controversial topic, some people are strongly for using soap and some people are strongly against it, it's all good and well giving your opinion on the matter, however what happens when we come face to face with the facts, I guess you'll have to keep reading to find out...
.We use soap because water does not mix with grease or oils. Soap is hydrophilic and hydrophobic as soap molecules have two different ends allowing it to mix with both oil and water. Soap helps to bring water and oil together so that the grease and dirt is easily rinsed away from the skin.
Although soap is very effective in removing dirt and grime from deep into your pores it can actually remove useful bacteria which can be detrimental to your immune system.
- Due to soap having a high PH level it has been proven to cause drying effects to the skin, this may be beneficial to those with greasy skin, however it can be bad for those with normal to dry skin.
- Some soaps have fragrances which contain harmful chemicals, companies are not required to list the ingredients on their fragrances so you may have been using a soap and have no idea what types of chemicals you have been putting onto your skin.
- When it comes to anti- bacterial soaps, these should be avoided for use on children as anti- bacterial soaps contain a chemical called triclosan which is an antibacterial agent, it has been suggested that triclosan can cause disruptions with hormonal development, the chemical is currently under investigation for public health risk.
Experts say that we should only use soap when absolutely necessary, even after a long days work or lots of exercise, a simple rinse in the shower with water should be fine. This will ensure that you are not stripping your skin from natural healthy oils and useful bacteria. How often you use soap is up to you, and how often you should use soap is dependent on your skin type, if you are prone to have greasy and oily skin you should use soap more often than someone with normal to dry skin types.
When using soap I would recommend that you buy it unscented as you won't be putting any unnecessary harsh chemicals on your skin all because they nice.
I'm not saying that we ditch soap altogether but I do think that with overuse it will dry and dehydrate the skin, I have learned a lot about soap during the process of making this blog post and I am definitely going to be more conscious when buying it from my local supermarket.
When using soap I would recommend that you buy it unscented as you won't be putting any unnecessary harsh chemicals on your skin all because they nice.
I'm not saying that we ditch soap altogether but I do think that with overuse it will dry and dehydrate the skin, I have learned a lot about soap during the process of making this blog post and I am definitely going to be more conscious when buying it from my local supermarket.