The less soap, the better?

Is all that scrubbing and scrubbing of our skin actually good for our skin? NRC devoted a whole special to it. One of the conclusions is that soap is not really good for your skin except for hand washing. And that this also applies to natural soap.

Is this really so? We asked the soap experts at Werfzeep. Who have been making traditional organic soaps for years. Founder Evelien van Werfzeep had super sensitive skin and quick eczema. Soap, she really couldn't stand it. When she washed her hands with soap, the skins clung to her skin. Until she used a soap on an internship in Canada that didn't dry out her hands but made them super soft. This turned out to be a 100 percent natural soap. Evelien's interest in making soap was awakened. Her successful company Werfzeep has been around for over 11 years now.

Is soap bad for your skin?

Soap kills disease-causing viruses or bacteria. That's super handy, especially in this Corona time. But soap also degreases the skin (it is often the sulfates in the soap that do this - these make the soap lather). This degreasing disrupts the natural skin function. Basically, your skin is very capable of protecting itself. By washing away skin fat, including harmful viruses or bacteria, you also wash away part of the useful skin bacteria. More than 100 billion of these bacteria live on your skin. They are there for a reason. If you also scrub or exfoliate before or after washing, you will brush even more skin bacteria off your skin. These bacteria live on skin fat, dead skin cells and sweat.

Washing away part of your skin fat also means that the natural protective layer of your skin becomes thinner (which consists largely of fats) and your skin is more sensitive to all kinds of intruders that you prefer to keep out.

In addition to degreasing ingredients, many soaps also contain synthetic perfumes and other ingredients that your skin does not like.

Natural soap better for your skin?

Yes! The difference between a naturally produced soap and a factory-made soap is enormous:

• A natural soap is made from saponified oils. In the process, glycerin is created, a naturally protective fat for the skin. A factory soap is made on the basis of extracted fatty acids. As a result, no protective glycerin is created anymore.
• When oils are saponified, residual fats always remain - also known as 'excess fat'. named. Oils that do not saponify. These end up in the soap and are released during washing. They have a nurturing effect on your skin. These excess fats are not found in factory-produced soap.
• In any case, Werfzeep's natural soaps are made according to a time-consuming cold process. All ingredients are not heated above body temperature. Which means that all active ingredients of the ingredients are preserved. Most factory soaps are boiled. So much soap can be made in an hour. However, the active ingredients of ingredients are 'killed' in this way. assisted.
• Many factory soaps contain synthetic fragrances and/or preservatives. Which can dry out or irritate your skin. A good natural soap does not contain this.

Does a natural soap affect your skin?

According to the soap experts at Werfzeep, a natural soap also disrupts your skin balance to a certain extent. Soap always washes bacteria off your skin. The advantage of this is that it removes excess dirt and harmful bacteria. So the downside is that disruption. However, this disruption is minimal if you use a natural soap with a good portion of excess fat and still contains natural glycerin. Your skin balance is restored in a few minutes. With a 'hard' solid, factory-produced soap that has been boiled and contains synthetic ingredients, the disturbance lasts much longer and is much more severe. This can cause dry skin or other skin complaints

INDISHA's experience with natural soap

We also wash our hands more than usual during this corona period. Which has been going on for a while now. With Werfzeep or dr Bronners Shikakai liquid hand soap. And they all still have super soft hands. Which never felt dry or tight, became flaky or showed eczema. As far as we are concerned, proof that a good natural soap is really better for your skin. But don't exaggerate! Use soap when needed and not much more often. Your skin can do a lot on its own. But occasionally pampering yourself with a wonderfully scented natural soap in the shower can't hurt. Just because it lifts your mood! If necessary, use a pure body oil or body milk afterwards to give your skin extra hydration.

Sources: NRC 13 January 2022| Wim Kohler|"Soap is not good for the skin" ; Yard soap