Bar soaps look pretty sitting in a dainty, bathroom dish; however once you get them lathered, they shouldn't go on your face. Today's skin scientists have designed more perfect skin care products all according to your skin type. The proper cleanser will cleanse, tone and moisturizer - rarely do bar provide any of these necessary steps. Still, there are a few folks who insist on using the bar soap because they enjoy the dry feeling that occurs afterwards. Bar soap can actually damage your skin in four ways.
Bar soap strips your skin of needed oils. Good oils in your facial skin help it resist wrinkling and stops dryness. Washing with a bar will remove all the good oils as well as the bad oils that cause break outs. When you use a bar soap, your skin will immediately begin producing more oils to replace the ones you've washed away. Get off the oily skin hamster wheel! Use a product that washes away bad oils and leaves the good ones behind.
Mushy, wet bar soaps fills your pores with fat. Check out the label on your favorite bar soap and you'll see "fats" listed there. Whether it's vegetable or animal fat, you don't need that mushed down into your pores. Every wonder where that stuff came through that emerges from a bump? It's a combination of bad oils, dirt and soap fat. Stop using fat on your face; skip the bar soap.
Bars raise high pH. Your skin needs a balanced alkaline or pH level. Washing with a bar will show no mercy to your pH level. It goes high and stays high. Control pH by using a liquid or cream-based cleanser according to your skin type. If you don't know what your skin type is, give yourself a test. Wash the face then wait 30 minutes. If you see dry spots appear, you have dry skin. If you see slick oil on your face, your skin is oily. If you have a mixture, your skin is combination. Women over 40 should use a cleanser for mature skin, regardless of their skin type.
This soap leaves grimy residue on your face. Once the makeup and dirt are cleansed away you'll be left with an unwanted residue - grime! This filmy finish isn't too noticeable after just one use but over time, bar soap leavings will build up on your skin making it look dull. Say no to grime and skip the bar soap!
More from this Contributor:
Tinted moisturizer or foundation makeup?
Steps for removing acrylic nails
Beauty Guru: Summer beauty tricks I swear by
