Harsh Soaps and Oily Skin

If your skin is oily and you think that you can change oil production by washing it with a strong soap, think again. Your skin will not stop producing oil just because you washed oil away from the surface. Moreover, many true soaps contain lards or fats that can block pores.

What about people with acne? In an experiment, a group of adolescents and young adults with acne used a gentle “syndet bar," for example Dove Soap Bar and another group used conventional soap. For the group using soap, the number of pimples increased. For the group using a syndet bar, the pimples decreased.

The conclusion to be drawn from this study is that cleansing the face with a harsh soap won’t make pimples go away and may even make things worse. Furthermore, scrubbing with a loofah or a rotating brush device will not tamp down oil production either.

For even better results, wash your face with an AHA cleanser and rotate with a mild aloe based cleanser. ( See KenetMD's Weekly Way--Clear Skin Essentials Kit )