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Getting rid of grime
Dirt is stubborn stuff -- it cruds up your skin and doesn't give up easily. But soap is the No. 1 grime fighter. A good sudsing in the shower and the day's muck is gone.
How does that little cake do it? Soap is basically a combination of fats and cleaning agents. When dissolved in water, soap molecules attach themselves to dirt, lift it off the skin, grab onto it, and escort it down the drain with the water. While the emotional benefits are harder to describe, many would agree that soaping up is delightfully therapeutic.
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Some Soap Selection Pointers
- Some of the cleaning agents used in soap can dry and irritate sensitive skin, not to mention fragrances and other additives present in many products. If you experience redness, flakes, or scales, try another soap. Consider using a gentler cleanser on more fragile facial skin.
- Deodorant soaps definitely aren't meant for the face. Restrict them to below-the-neck use where their odor-preventing properties can be a plus.
- Soaps formulated for acne are particularly tough on the skin, especially when combined with other treatments. Proceed with caution.
- Super-fatted soaps have extra oils that may benefit dry-to-normal skin, but can cause breakouts in oily skin.
- Oatmeal soaps may help lift oils out of oily skin -- not a good choice, though, if your skin is on the dry side.
- Some bars we tend to think of as soaps aren't technically soaps and are often labeled as "beauty bars" or "cleansing bars." They still contain a cleansing agent that may dry or irritate, although some make up for it with added moisturizers.
The Antibacterial Frenzy
- The world's a breeding ground for germs. The good news is that they have a tendency to keep themselves in balance, and washing with plain, old soap and water rinses away many of them.
- Antibacterial soaps are more effective at killing germs because they leave behind traces of germ-fighting ingredients. This may help reduce body odors, but that's never been proven. Nor has any study confirmed that these soaps prevent infection.
- Prolonged use of antibacterial soaps may not be safe. One formerly common ingredient was taken off the market after the discovery that it absorbed into the bloodstream at potentially toxic levels.
- Occasional use of an antibacterial soap is probably fine, but day-in, day-out lathering is best avoided.
The "Squeaky Clean" Fallacy
- Contrary to popular opinion, a squeaky feeling after washing with soap and water doesn't mean you're clean. That feeling is actually caused by little curds that form when soap mixes with hard water and clings to the skin rather than rinsing away.
- Soft water leaves you cleaner; a slippery feeling to your skin doesn't mean you haven't rinsed well. A good test: lick your hand after washing. If it doesn't taste soapy, it isn't; if it does, it is. Try cutting back on the amount of soap you use.
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Emollients
Emollients work by forming a protective layer over the skin, keeping moisture in. They are all oily or oil-like chemicals. Olive oil and other plant oils are very effective emollients. Mineral or silicone oils are also great emollients. Chemicals like petroleum jelly and lanolin are water-repellent and keep moisture in the skin. This softens and relieves dryness of the skin.
Silicone-based oils
Silicone-based products are synthetic emollients. Like other emollients, they help soothe and protect the skin by coating the skin and retaining water.
Oatmeal-based
These products contain ground-up oatmeal. They have a soothing and lubricating effect.
Antiseptics
The antiseptics used in soaps kill or prevent bacteria from growing. However, their effectiveness in soaps has not been thoroughly evaluated.
Surfactants
Getting dirt and oil off your skin would be quite hard without surfactants, which are equally at home in oily or watery substances or both at once. They are the sudsy agents in soap and help get your skin clean. They are also used to ensure that all the various chemicals in the soap stay mixed together. One part of the surfactant likes to be nestled in oil, while the other part prefers water. Therefore, when you wash the surfactant away with water, the water-like half washes off, dragging along the oil-like half, which brings the dirt with it.
Quaternary ammonium compounds
They are incorporated into products for a variety of purposes and in various concentrations. Quaternary ammonium compounds have properties of surfactants, disinfectants, preservatives, and emulsifiers.
| Emollients | Ingredient | Description |
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| Fatty acids | ? | Include stearic acid, lanolin acid, plasmatic acid, and oleic acid. They help soften and soothe skin. | | Fatty alcohols | ? | Include cetyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol, and lauryl alcohol. They help soften and soothe skin. | | Lanolin | ? | Derived from sheep wool, it helps soften and soothe skin, and prevent skin dehydration. It can cause skin irritations. | | Mineral oil | ? | Derived from crude petroleum, it helps prevents skin dehydration. It also helps soften and soothe skin, and is nontoxic. | | Plant oils | ? | Come from plants such as olives, corn, and sunflower. They help soften and soothe skin, and prevent skin dehydration. | | Silicone-Based Oils | Ingredient | Description |
|---|
| Cyclomethicone | ? | Lighter than natural emollients, they help protect and maintain moisture in skin. | | Dimethicones | ? | Help protect and maintain moisture in skin. They are lighter than natural emollients. | | Oatmeal-Based | Ingredient | Description |
|---|
| Colloidal oatmeal | ? | Has a soothing effect on skin. Oil should be added to help smooth skin. | | Antiseptics | Ingredient | Description |
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| Chloroxylenol (PCMX) | ? | An effective antimicrobial, its role in soaps has not been thoroughly evaluated. It can irritate skin and may be toxic if swallowed. | | Triclocarbon | ? | An effective antimicrobial, its role in soaps has not been thoroughly evaluated. | | Triclosan | ? | An effective antimicrobial, its role in soaps has not been thoroughly evaluated. | | Surfactants | Ingredient | Description |
|---|
| Sodium lauryl sulfate | ? | Relatively strong, it should be avoided by people with sensitive skin, or anyone with noticeable irritation. | | Sodium laureth sulfate | ? | A strong, rich, foaming cleanser that is milder and less drying than other cleansers. | | TEA lauryl sulfate | ? | A cleansing agent that should be avoided by people with sensitive skin, or anyone with noticeable irritations. | | Ammonium lauryl sulfate | ? | A gentle hair cleansing agent, it should not be used by people with sensitive skin, or anyone with noticeable irritations. | | Ammonium laureth sulfate | ? | A gentle cleansing agent. | | Cocamide (DEA, MEA) | ? | A very fatty cleaning agent that is often used as an emulsifier and foam builder. | | Cocamidopropyl betaine | ? | A very fatty cleaning agent, it's often used as an emulsifying agent and foam builder. | | Cococamphodiacetate | ? | A very fatty cleaning agent that is often used as an emulsifier and foam builder. | | Sodium cocoglyceryl ether sulfonate | ? | Acts to emulsify mixtures and produce foam. It's a very fatty cleansing agent. | | Quaternary Ammonium Compounds | Ingredient | Description |
|---|
| Guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride | ? | Helps combine all the various chemicals and acts as a preservative. | | Dicetydimonium chloride | ? | Helps combine all the various chemicals and acts as a preservative. | | Behentrimonium chloride | ? | Helps combine all the various chemicals and acts as a preservative. | | Behenalkonium chloride | ? | Helps combine all the various chemicals and acts as a preservative. | | Benzalkonium chloride | ? | Helps combine all the various chemicals and acts as a preservative. | | Quaternium-18 | ? | Helps combine all the various chemicals and acts as a preservative. | | Stearalkonium chloride | ? | Helps combine all the various chemicals and acts as a preservative. | | Cetrimonium chloride | ? | Helps combine all the various chemicals and acts as a preservative. |
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Appropriate Uses
Anti-acne soap
Cleans skin and removes dirt and oil. When used regularly, reduces acne.
Antibacterial soap
Cleans skin, removes dirt and oil, and kills bacteria.
Deodorant soap
Cleans skin, removes dirt and oil, and reduces body odor.
Common Pitfalls
Anti-acne soap
Contains harsh cleansing ingredients that may irritate skin further.
Antibacterial soap
Kills bacteria, but there is not much evidence to prove that it does so more effectively than regular soap.
Deodorant soap
Contains irritating ingredients and should not be used on the face.
The Suds Will Do You Good
- Wet areas to be cleaned with water.
- Using hands, work soap into a lather and massage.
- Using water, rinse clean of residue.
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Keeping Soaps Safe
- Ingredients in soaps can dry out and irritate your skin or cause breakouts.
- Harsh soaps cause skin irritation when used in combination with other acne products.
- Do not use antibacterial soaps if you are allergic to any ingredient in the product, including chloroxylenol (PCMX), cloflucarban, phenol, triclocarban, or triclosan.
- Antibacterial soaps containing greater than 1.5% phenol can cause skin burns, gangrene, and other tissue damage. Phenol-containing soaps should never be used on a baby's skin or diapers.
- Do not use antibacterial soaps on infants under age 6 months.
- Do not ingest any soaps.
- Do not use if you are allergic to beeswax, coconut oil, glycerin, olive oil, petroleum oil, sodium hydroxide, or any other ingredient in the product.
- Do not use deodorant soaps on your face.
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Websites, Organizations & Manufacturers
Sources & Further Reading
Books
- 1. Zimmerman, DR.Complete Guide to Nonprescription Drugs. Gale Research Inc., Detroit, 1993.
- 2. Winter, R.A Consumer's Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients. Random House, Ince. New York 1994.
- 3. Michalun, N and MV Michalun.Skin Care and Cosmetic Ingredients Dictionary. Milday Pub. Co. Albany, NY 1994.
Find more books on health and wellness at  barnesandnoble.com.
Articles
- 1. Food & Drug Administration.Soap. Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Office of Cosmetics Fact Sheet. US FDA, 2/3/95.
- 2. Hopkins, H.All That Lathers Is Not Soap. FDA Consumer. US FDA, February 1979.
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