Face is the most prominent part of the body with highest visibility. A person's identity is through his/her face and everybody wants it to look perfect. Women love to have that flawless, young-looking skin so as to create an impression in others eye. Women wish for a beautiful facial skin to woe their partners and make their female counterparts jealous of their beauty. For this reason, they tend to try out every possible cosmetic product available in the market. Many women spend loads of money on expensive cosmetic products to get that flawless facial skin however, observe no improvements even after using those high quality cosmetics. This failure is often found to result due to the use of soap on face for cleansing. Using soap on facial skin ruins all the benefits the skin reaps after using good products and makes it look dull, dry and old. So, is soap bad for face? The answer is yes and let's see how.
Harmful Effects of Soap on Facial Skin
Alters Normal Skin pH
The normal pH of the skin is between 5.0-5.6. This pH range means that skin's normal pH is between the acidic and neutral range. Soaps are usually more alkaline in nature owing to their cleansing properties. This alkaline nature is not good for facial skin and tends to make it dull and dry. Facial skin is naturally hydrated with oils that the skin secrets for itself. Using harsh soaps for washing face removes the protective oils from the skin leaving it extremely dry. Excessive dryness triggers the oil glands of the skin to secrete more oils thereby, making it oily. Women with oily skin may find soaps helpful in providing that dry look, but are unaware of the fact that this dryness will further trigger oil secretion by the glands of the facial skin.
Produces Wrinkles
Using soap for cleansing face reduces acidic nature of the skin and its moisture content. The near to acidic pH of the skin is essential to kill bacteria and prevent them from thriving on it, which is lost due to soap. Dryness and dehydration causes development of fine lines which gradually turn into wrinkles. Wrinkles make your facial skin look mature and once this happens, you can do nothing to get back your lively skin.
Reduces the Natural Moisturizing Factor
The natural moisturizing factor is responsible for keeping the skin nourished and moisturized all the time. Skin proteins are a part of the upper layers of the skin. The surface active agents used in soap production bind to these proteins and hydrate them excessively. This results in swelling of proteins which facilitates penetration of soap ingredients deeper into the skin. Strong chemicals coming in contact with deeper layers of the skin cause irritation and itching. After the water evaporates, the proteins are left drier than before, which reduces the natural moisturizing factor of the skin.
Causes Allergic Reactions
Soaps are made up of strong chemicals and not everybody's facial skin is resistant enough to bear the ill-effects it brings along with it. People with sensitive skin often develop allergic reactions towards some or the other chemical ingredient present in the soap and face undesired consequences. Facial skin is extremely delicate and cannot handle strong chemicals therefore, must be kept away from soap.
May Leave Soap Residue
Using soap for cleansing face can be harmful if one does not wash the face properly after its application. Improper rinsing can leave a layer of soap residue on the skin which can increase its dryness and cause redness along with itchy feeling.
Some people tend to use soap with antibacterial properties for regular use without realizing that there are antibacterial soap dangers associated with it. Therefore, one must take great care before choosing a soap for cleansing. After going through these harmful effects, I am sure, most of you will stop using soap for cleansing your face. Get a nice facial cleanser suitable for your skin type and replace soap with it. Facial cleansers are mild and capable of maintaining pH of the skin. Once you leave the bad habit of using soap and start using a facial cleanser for your face without being lazy, you will surely save your face from those harmful chemicals and have a skin as soft and smooth as silk. Take care!
