Over the years, bar soaps have built up a pretty bad reputation for themselves. They’ve been accused of stripping the skin of it’s natural oils and of being unhygienic and full of chemicals. While this is true for some soaps, and some liquid cleansers as well (surprise surprise), the new generation of bar soaps have been engineered with ingredients that nourish and cater to your specific skin type, without any of the damaging chemicals.
Founder of non toxic skin care line Drunk Elephant, Tifanny Masterson says ” People run from bar soaps. But they should be running from sensitizers that prematurely age the skin.” Guess where sensitizers like fragnance irritants are found most? Liquid Cleansers. However, not all liquid cleansers are evil, if the ingredients list is easy to pronounce and not as long as one of the Harry Potter books, you’re good to go.
Dr. Sarah Villafranco, founder of Osmia Organics, breaks it down simply. “Bar soap is made with sodium hydroxide, but when the formulation is done right, the sodium hydroxide disappears and you’re left only with soap molecules and moisturizing glycerin. Cool, huh?”
Pakistan’s very own Dr.Jahangir Azam of Cosmetique even suggests soap bars like Dove Beauty Bar for most skin types, and for good reason. This classic is an Allure Best of Beauty Winner and has been featured in Business Insider and Total Beauty. The Dove Beauty Bar is a soap unlike any other soap. It’s gentle enough to use all over the body (yep, that includes the face) thanks to cleansing agents that are less harsh than traditional soap. The iconic Dove White Beauty Bar version is formulated with ¼ moisturizer to beef up the hydration quotient. Even Hollywood actresses like Emmy Rossum, famous for her role in Shameless, has stuck to the humble bar of soap when it comes to her skin care regime,” I just wash my face with a bar of soap. My makeup artist is going to have a heart attack. I’m a bar of soap girl.”
Apart from reaping benefits for your skin, Soap Bars are also great for the environment because of minimal waste their produce, unlike liquid cleansers that come in one use only plastic bottles that aren’t even pretty. Awaken the Marie Kondo in you and declutter your bathroom sink by replacing all your plastic bottles with a single bar of soap that may work just as well.