Soaps and Cleansers

Soap is simply any skin cleanser made from the salts of animal or vegetable fats. Cleaning with soap and water removes most environmental and natural skin surface substances, such as dirt, cosmetics, oils, bacteria, sweat and dead skin cells.

For dry sensitive skin, these are suitable:

• Super fatted soaps, which contain extra amount of oils and fats to reduce the tendency of the soap to dry out your skin,
  
  
• "Soapless" soaps, which contain synthetic soaps made from petroleum derivatives
  
  
• Lipid cleansers, which include emulsions of cetyl alcohol, emulsifying ointment, aqueous creams or bath oils. These leave a film to moisturize the skin.
  
  

Soaps to avoid are strong medicated soaps, abrasive soaps as well as herbal soaps, especially on the face.

Mild soaps or cleanswers can still be drying to your skin. You can minimize a soap's tendency to be drying by being gentle with cleaning and taking care not to scrub excessively.

Often water alone is adequate for skin cleansing.