Written by: Tannin Lotion Janet
Business Insider, the largest business news site on the web, did an interview with Dr. Erin Gilbert, a dermatologist practicing in New York City. Here is her statement on bar soap:
"But a lot of bar soaps are made to kind of give you this real squeaky clean feeling and so that lye that they have in them, or other components are actually designed to take away oil and they can take away too much oil." BI, September, 2017
That's her expertise speaking, and if you think of how clean you felt after a shower with bar soap, but also how dry your skin was, you'll agree there are advantages to learning more about body wash!
Some soaps are not as drying as others and can be a fantastic choice for those with sensitive or dry skin. One such soaps is the Muddy Boot Botanicals soap which is specifically formulated to help remove grime, grief, and stress from a long day
After doing research for you, we came up with our list of the 10 Things No One Ever Tells You About Body Wash:
1. Bar soaps often have drying ingredients not found in body wash. A good shower gel has moisturizers in it like Jojoba oil, Shea butter, Almond oil, and a host of other natural healthy skin products. Check your ingredients for these essential oils and healthy ways to keep your skin from drying.
2. Body wash is used with either a soft washcloth of your choice or a shower sponge. Bar soaps, used directly on your skin, can be abrasive and irritating. When you use a liquid soap, you have the freedom to apply it to your skin in a more gentle way than a hard bar of soap.
3. Some companies make a shower gel that has antibacterial ingredients to protect you from bacteria and illness. Someone who works with toxic elements that could penetrate their skin and spread germs will benefit from a skin softening, antibacterial body wash!
4. If you're vacationing and want to pack light, there are gentle body wash products that can be used as a shampoo. This makes for less products to pack and can be a breeze in the shower when you want to wash and go so you don't miss the next attraction!
5. A spa can charge a lot of money for a body scrub. A good body wash is perfect for making your own sugar scrub, a favorite of any spa. To make a sugar scrub, combine 3 cups of sugar, ¼ cup of oil like almond oil, olive oil, or Jojoba oil, and a tablespoon of your favorite body gel. Mix gently in a plastic container and use for an invigorating body scrub.
6. The versatility of a good body wash is you can apply it using many methods you can't use a bar of soap with. Whether you use a washcloth, exfoliating glove, loofah sponge, bristled brush to get under those toenails and fingernails after a day of gardening, or just by applying the body wash directly, you have the luxury of choices you don't have with bar soap.
7. Body washes will last longer than bar soap. You control how much wash or gel you use where a bar of soap sheds a lot of itself through water, from sitting in the soap dish and getting 'rinsed' by the water spray, and from becoming waterlogged. You save money and trips to the store!
8. Look for a body wash that does not 'boast' how much lather it makes. Lather just means more soap products to create a sense you're getting cleaner. Low lather soaps clean just as well and do not strip your skin of its natural layers of protective oils and skin cells.
9. If you share your bathroom with the family or roommates, anyone using your bar of soap will leave behind germs or other undesirable elements. Keeping body wash in the shower ensures you're not sharing your family or roommates germs that collect on a bar of soap.
10. Body wash is just that … body wash. It's not the best product for your face. Stick to the facial cleansers made for particular needs of your face such as extra gentle cleansing and minimal chances of drying your skin. Facial skin is more sensitive than the rest of your body and if you want to look younger beyond your years, use products made for your face, not your entire body.
You don't have to ditch all your bars of soap, or defend body wash as the only source of cleanliness, but look into the differences of bar soap versus body wash so you can be sure you're taking care of your skin with the best and most appropriate skin care products!
