Everyone has different skin types and personal preferences, and using the wrong bar of soap can leave your skin feeling itchy, red, and irritated. Some soaps smell pleasant, but have no cleansing power or moisturizing benefits. Other soaps nourish and moisturize skin, but cost a lot and dissolve rather quickly. Since bar soap is a hygiene product designed for daily use, it’s essential to use one suitable for your skin type and personal needs.
Bar Soap Buying Guide
Nourishing Ingredients
Cheap, popular bar soaps may smell nice and fresh, but they’re full of artificial fragrances, ingredients, and preservatives which strip skin of its natural oils. The best bar soaps are formulated with less ingredients and the few they do contain are nourishing for your skin. Depending on the soap, it may include vitamins, oils, shea butter, oatmeal, or essential oils to moisturize, exfoliate, soothe, and leave skin smelling pleasant. Some of these ingredients may also help alleviate certain skin conditions such as dryness, acne, eczema, or psoriasis.
Cleansing Properties
Obviously, the purpose of using soap on your body is to cleanse your skin. It doesn’t make sense to use a soap which fails to remove grime, dead skin, and impurities from your skin. You want something which leaves you feeling clean and fresh. The best bar soaps should gently and effectively cleanse without stripping off the natural oils which keep your skin moisturized.
Longevity
In most cases, quality bar soaps last longer than your average cheap supermarket brand. For example, triple-milled bar soaps have incredible longevity because they go through a more intensive manufacturing process which results in fewer impurities. Although they are often more costly, premium soap bars can last you up to several months or longer.
Women’s Bar Soaps
Due to their gentle nature, these particular bar soaps are formulated to leave a woman’s skin smooth and soft. These soaps typically contain nourishing, nutrient-rich ingredients such as shea butter, rose oil, and lemongrass while imparting a soft, pleasant fragrance upon the skin. Women’s bar soaps are often suitable for all skin types ranging from normal to sensitive, and may even provide relief for common skin ailments such as acne and dryness.
Men’s Bar Soaps
Unlike feminine scents found in women’s soaps, bar soaps for men are usually refreshing or masculine scents such as citrus or pine. These soaps are often multifunctional and ideal for showering, shaving, and sometimes even shampooing. They may have antiseptic properties, which are important for shaving purposes and possibly help with conditions such as dandruff. Men’s bar soaps are also crafted to exfoliate the skin while nourishing and conditioning with ingredients such as shea butter and essential oils.
Dry Skin Bar Soap
Bar soaps for dry skin contain more moisturizing properties than ordinary bar soaps. These soaps gently cleanse dry skin while infusing it with nourishing ingredients such as vitamin E and shea butter for intense moisturization. In addition, these ingredients may also help heal and restore dry skin. Soaps for dry skin are also gentle enough to preserve the skin’s moisture barrier without stripping it of essential natural oils.
Acne Bar Soap
Acne bar soaps are gentle on the skin to prevent irritation and avoid worsening existing blemishes. These soaps typically cleanse away acne-causing bacteria and treating acne blemishes with antiseptic or antibacterial ingredients such as tea tree oil. They also remove excess oils to prevent new acne from forming while soothing and moisturizing the skin. Some acne bar soaps also help minimize the appearance of large pores as well as improving your skin tone.