Sensitive Skin and Soap

Soap and sensitive skin do not always work well together. There are going to be certain ingredients that make soap harsher on the skin. Soap making is a refined process, so be sure to know what is in your soap before you buy it.

Natural soaps are usually soaps that people have homemade that may contain synthetic ingredients. Soap making can be made with organic essential oils, but it can also include synthetic fragrances that can be harmful to your skin. When you are at the store buying your natural soap because you have sensitive skin there are a few things to look out for.

First, look at the ingredients of the soap. Soap can be scented because of the essential oils in the product. A lot of times, however, fragrance oils need to be created because they are not available as essential oils.

If you have sensitive skin you want to stay away from fragrance oils. Fragrances made from essential oils can be very expensive, so when performing soap making some people choose to simply use fragrance oils instead. Fragrance oils have a much higher chance of irritating skin, so look for them in the ingredients.

When you are looking at the ingredient list it is important to see what colorants are listed. This will determine how natural the soap actually is. Some colorants will be more natural, and better than skin, than others.

Very natural soaps will be colored by the plant or herb itself. More synthetic colors are listed as Red #2, etc. Soap that is colored by herbal, or mineral, colorants are the most natural colorants available and will be better for sensitive skin.

Lye is a key ingredient with soap making. When you see that listed in the ingredients don't panic. Since there is no residual lye in the bar after it becomes soap it is completely safe.

Natural soap is very good for the skin. Some people find that switching soap brands can do wonders for bad skin conditions, such as psoriasis or eczema. Be sure to find the most natural type of soap to protect your skin best.

Back to blog