Soap free body wash is a must have in your shower if you have sensitive skin.
Some soap cleansers can leave your skin dry and irritated, because they peel away your skin’s natural protection – namely, its oils.
Why Use a Soap Free Body Wash?
Non-soap cleansers are less likely to strip the good oils from your skin, because generally non-soap body washes are pH balanced, and therefore less likely to cause irritation.
There are so many products on the market and it’s hard to know where to find the best soap free body wash.
Today we’re going to help you decide.
We’re also going to explain why it can be better to use a body wash that’s soap free.
Is Soap Free also Chemical Free?
Soap generally contains aggressive chemicals, and although soap free doesn’t always mean chemical free, non-soap bars and soap free body wash are created using synthetic chemicals, rather than those which research suggests could be more harmful.
Best Soap Free Body Wash ingredients
The best soap free body cleansing wash may contain natural ingredients in the mix too – things like Green Tea, Aloe Vera, Cucumber and Chamomile, Lavender and Ylang-Ylang oils.
Why use a soap free body wash?
Healthy, vibrant, refreshed skin begins first thing every morning. It starts when you open your eyes, stumble out of bed and step into the shower to face the day ahead.
For me there’s nothing better than refreshing my skin with a body cleanser which doesn’t contain ingredients that will make my skin feel tight, or make me itch or make my skin feel irritated.
I love a soap free body wash for this very reason.
What is soap?
“Soaps have been around for thousands of years, traded by the Phoenicians as early as 600 B.C., and popular with the ancient Romans and Celts.[1] Chemically speaking, soaps are the salts of fatty acids, made by treating vegetable and animal fats with lye, also known as sodium or potassium hydroxide.[2] This process is called saponification. The resulting soap molecules have a head that’s attracted to polar molecules, like water, and a tail that’s attracted to non-polar molecules, like oils. What makes soap work is that it emulsifies oil and water. Normally, oil and water won’t mix, but with the help of soap the oil is broken into small soap-wrapped droplets that can be rinsed away with water.”
By Joshua Townley – Ego Skin Expert – Soap Free Cleanser
Is Body Wash as Good as Soap?
“Both (soap) bar cleansers and body wash will cleanse. However, certain bars may be harsher than body wash and can remove essential lipids and proteins, or alter the skin’s pH level, which can cause skin irritation.” For people with normal to dry skin, or people looking for milder product formulas, Dr. Lefkowicz says body wash is best. “For people with oily skin types, living somewhere hot and humid, or people just looking for a very deep wash—like after a workout—she recommends using a bar as a quick and easy way to get clean.” Dr Lefkowicz interviewed in Real Simple
How a soap-free cleanser works
“But soaps aren’t the only molecules that can perform this trick. In fact, they’re a small group within a much larger class of chemicals known as surfactants. The word ‘surfactant’ is short for ‘surface active agent’, which means a material that has both a polar and non-polar unit, and acts on the surface of two mediums. [2] Usually this means water and some type of oil, but it could also be water and air, or any other liquid/liquid or liquid/gas interface.[2] “
By Joshua Townley
[1} Myers D, editor. An Overview of Surfactant Science and Technology. In: Surfactant Science and Technology, 3rd Edition. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd; 2006. page 1–28.
[2] Gecol H. The Basic Theory. In: Farn RJ, editor. Chemistry and Technology of Surfactants. Oxford ; Ames, Iowa: Wiley-Blackwell; 2006. page 24–45.
Why is soap free good for sensitive skin?
Soap free body wash is becoming more popular among those of us who are health-conscious skin care purchasers, and as mentioned previously, it’s a very good soap for sensitive skin.
Soap itself can be drying and irritating to our skin. Ingredients in a soap wash tend to be stronger than those in soap free body wash and can remove too much oil from the skin.
This means that moisture can be stripped away and dryness follows which can not only irritate sensitive skin, but can also aggravate any pre-existing skin conditions.
If you really want to use a soap based skin wash then you should probably follow up with a moisturizer.
At the mention of the term “soap free body wash”, some people tend to picture a product that doesn’t lather. Well, soap free body wash products also lather and they feel great on your skin too.
How to find the best soap free body wash
The fact that a body wash lathers doesn’t mean that it contains soap. But to identify the best soap free body wash you need to check out the small print.
The best soap free body wash will most likely contain an ensemble of natural ingredients in the mix. Also look out for ‘sulfate free’ labels.
However, there are likely to be additions of some non-natural products which will make the product lather easily. These may not necessarily be harmful but do make sure you look at the list of ingredients listed on the product, especially if you have allergies to anything, or are anti anything chemical.
Make sure it says pH balanaced.
Benefits of using a soap free body wash
There are tons of benefits you get by just using a soap free body wash. The best soap free body wash should probably include all the following benefits.
- Soothes and cools the skin: With our busy lives it’s all too easy to grab the nearest product in the supermarket, hoping it will be soothing and cooling for our skin. The best soap free body washes should make your skin feel soft and also cool your skin. They should not strip your skin of moisture.
- Cleans deeply: The best soap free body washes should clean your skin well. Given the combination of natural ingredients, you should notice the benefits of less harsh ingredients immediately but also feel clean and fresh.
- Protects your skin: The absence of the more harmful chemicals found in some soap products, and the use of more natural ingredients, are two things that make soap free body washes more protective for your skin.
- It’s gentle on sensitive skin: If you have highly sensitive skin, chances are that you’ll find a soapy body wash irritating. However, a soap free body wash lacks the alkaline solutions found in soap, so they shouldn’t irritate sensitives skins.
- Moisturize: Soap free body washes generally contain moisturizers in small quantities. Moisturizers help to keep your skin glowing and help prevent skin dryness.
What you should know before buying a soap free body wash
As I mentioned earlier, because a product is labeled soap free doesn’t mean it won’t lather.
In this part of the article, I’d like to point out some of the important things you need to consider before you buy a soap free body wash.
Your Skin
Do you know your skin? This is arguably the first factor you need to consider.
If you have a sensitive skin, there is a great likelihood that a body wash you buy will cause irritation. This is because of the presence of chemicals in some of the products available on the market.
Also the best body wash for dry skin may not be the best body wash for oily skin.
All Natural
Most of the body washes that are acclaimed all natural sometimes contain a few chemicals which are harmless.
However, there are purely all natural products but these don’t come cheap.
For individuals with sensitive skin, an all-natural product is a good choice since it’s devoid of those irritating chemicals.
Size
One cannot accurately say that this is the size of product that will last for a definite period. This is because the duration of a body wash depends solely on the usage rate.
If you’d like to use your body wash a little bit longer, you should look for the ones that are available in more than one size.
Scented/Unscented
Scented body wash products are known to interfere with one’s perfume but that doesn’t mean you can’t use them. You can use a scented body wash at night before you go to sleep.
On the other hand, a non-scented body wash will not interfere with your perfume and you can use it at any time.
Look out for chemicals
To ensure that your skin is always protected, look out for chemicals like sulfate (ALS, SLES, ALES, and SLS), DEA which are known to cause skin reactions on people with sensitive skin.
In Conclusion
Staying fresh, cool, and moisturized is a matter of choosing the right products.
Not every soap free body wash deserves to touch your skin, learn to choose widely.
Don’t forget to look out for chemicals and additives in the product ingredients and check out those that are okay for you to use.
I found this site helpful for a list of chemicals and ingredients which can be harmful in skin care.
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Please feel free to share with us any soap free products that you love.
Best Soap for Dry Skin – My Top Picks
Awesome write up.
Thanks for sharing your great Ideas!
Hello, all the products are good.
We are the manufacturer of Herbal Products in India.
HI! Really an informative blog. I also want to add some lines to your post.
Ayurvedic Herbal body washes have been used from ancient times and they do more than just cleaning your skin. They are made with ingredients that have anti-bacterial and nourishing properties which help in keeping your skin healthy and blemish-free. Sadly, today’s generation is gravitating towards chemical-laden body washes which smells great but are loaded with harsh chemicals, artificial fragrances and colours. Natural body washes moisturize and clean at the same time, without having any confusing labels that may harm your skin.
So, I suggest you use a good Ayurvedic and herbal body wash. Click on the link on my name to follow the best ayurvedic body wash.
Hi My husband is bedridden I have been using waterless wash even though I use it with water but at times it does not remove the urine odor, do you have something I can use even if it is with water so help get rid of the urine and fecal odor I really can use some help I do not like the soap cause it is hard to remove from the skin. Thank you
The regular soaps bubble like crazy because of the harsh chemical reactions. A natural pH balanced body wash is great for people with sensitive skin. I really love natural and gentle products.
When you use a soap-free body wash, should you also moisturize after you shower, or is the moisturizer in the wash enough?
I think it’s up to you … if your skin is very dry then you might need a moisturizer as well. It all depends how your skin reacts to different products.
Yes! I usually just moisturize after drying up. No harm to it especially after a relaxing hot bath at night.
Great blog so far. I never use any kind of soap or face wash before. But recently started using activated charcoal soap. The effects of it is really good and I am feeling comfortable using this activated charcoal soap.
Hi Johanna. That’s great soap for sensitive skin. I haven’t used it. I use Antibacterial Soaps. I’m very sweaty after work so why I use Antibacterial Soaps. But my mom has a sensitive skin, your post would be very helpful for my mom. Thank you a lot for your great sharing. I love this post.
Thanks Issie. I’ve not considered antibacterial soaps before.
I never use any sort of soap on my face, and haven’t done for over 40 years. But for the rest, I really should look at what the soap we use contains. Thanks for the run down of these alternatives Jo.
Hi Jill, I’m the same. I think I stopped using soap on my face in my twenties, but up until now I haven’t paid much attention to what I put on my body. But, I’m beginning to be hyper aware now that I know more about what’s what, and all the harmful chemicals.