When we think of cleansing- face or body, we usually go to gels, foams, gel-to-foams, and other various types of cleansers that come with plastic dispensers, that are not great for the environment, and don’t fully hit our expectations- either extremely drying or leave us feeling sticky and still full of build-up. There is still a great, all too underrated cleansing alternative out there: bar soap. Switching to one of the best bar soaps for your face and body is appealing for a few reasons: they're environmentally-friendly, typically much more affordable, universal for all skincare needs including removing makeup, and ours is gentle enough on even the most sensitive skin or compromised skin barrier.

Skin is your largest organ. Skin is made up of layers, each which performs different functions to protect the body. The outermost layer, often described as the brick wall. It consists of tough skin cells called corneocytes that are bound together by mortar-like lipids. In our previous blog we shared what happens to your skin barrier.

Overexposure to water and harsh cleansers can cause a damaged skin barrier. It can strip away the natural lipid barrier on our skin. Instead of protecting your skin from dirt and impurities, it could damage the skin's first protective layer, which provides most of the protection.

If you have sensitive skin, tattooed skin, virgin skin like children, overly treated or sun damaged skin, it’s critical to get your skin barrier back in check. Research has also shown that pollution and dry air can affect our skin barrier layer. Thus, it is very common for people to experience sensitive and itchy skin when the air quality is poor which is why it’s so critical to use products that are effective but gentle.

While water is necessary to keep our skin functioning normally and hydrated, it can also dry out our skin even more and lead to more potential damage and compromised skin concerns. We recommend washing your face and body once or at maximum twice a day with lukewarm water, and gentle and low pH cleanser like our gentle soap that won’t exacerbate the loss of lipid barrier on your skin.

The final step in your routine in combination with gentle, effective cleansing is always moisturization. The most essential step in your skincare routine- putting back just hydration won’t do as much, as it will quickly evaporate through the damaged skin moisture barrier. It is essential to seal it with your moisturizer; while your skin is losing more water than usual, all you want to do is keep water in your skin for as long as possible. Ingredients such as Ceramide, Niacinamide, Panthenol and Fatty Acids, also found in our Revitalizing Body Moisturizer, are the best way to keep your skin barrier happy and healthy.