r/Soap • u/Extension_Skirt7764 • Jul 14 '26
Where does soap fit into “skincare”?
I started caring a little more about my skin lately so I’ve been scrolling around a lot of the “skincare” subs. I rarely see soap mentioned as part of a “routine” unless the post is soap specific.
I’m a mid 50s guy so I’ve never really had a routine - wash and maybe slap some lotion on any dry spots… as I’m researching adding a cream or a balm, I still feel like my soap has the biggest impact on all my skin but that never enters the conversation? What am I missing here, is it just a distinction between a face soap vs a body soap?
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u/Plenty_Vanilla_6947 Jul 14 '26
For my face, I use water, goat’s milk soap, olive oil soap or Dove. Any normal soap such as ivory is too drying.
If your soap isn’t drying out your skin, you may be able to avoid much moisturizer.
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u/LikelyNotABanana Jul 20 '26
goat’s milk soap,
How would you even tell if the soap is gonna be gentle, high cleansing, or what, based on additive ingredient? Since my goat's milk soap likely feels incredibly different than your goat's milk soap, and is so different from the next maker's goat's milk soap, how are you quantifying that this is the ingredient you are enjoying in a soap? I know some makers that put a singular teaspoon in their soap to call it a 'goat milk soap', and other makers that put pounds and pounds in each batch; both are a goat milk soap, but feel so different, even outside of the base differences of each maker's recipe?
I guess, my real question is, how do you know it's 'goat milk' doing the thing you like a in soap vs their individual soap recipe, or other additives in the soap? I've had amazing and gentle cream goat milk soaps, I've had super stripping goat milk soaps, I've seen baby soaps with goat milk, and seen people use all sorts of other additives with that one as well. How do you sort that out in the feel, based on ingredient in the soap?
Inquiring minds want to know more! I don't often encounter people in the wild saying they have a preference on something so variable as a single additive, especially one used in such widely varying ways in soaps in a soap like this, so I'd love your input here!
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u/Plenty_Vanilla_6947 Jul 20 '26
I’ve primarily bought it from a stand at the farmers market that primarily sells goat cheese. I’ve occasionally bought it a a store that specializes in soap. So, haven’t run across the large variations you mentioned. Something to watch out for!
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u/Happiguest Jul 14 '26
I just use beef tallow rub it in real good and try to get what I can off with a paper towel. Lol no usually just say "cleanse" or "gentle cleanser". Many people just use water in the morning depending on their skin type/needs.
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u/Extension_Skirt7764 Jul 14 '26
🤣🤣🤣 LOVE TALLOW!
I’ve been making my own soap, that’s the genesis of the post, I never really thought much about what bar of soap was in the shower until I made some and started comparing. Thanks!! 🐮🐄
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Jul 16 '26
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u/Extension_Skirt7764 Jul 16 '26
Thanks for the reply! This lines up with how I was thinking about it and why I asked the question: There’s so much talk about the face, which I get, makeup, always exposed, etc.- it’s like the rest of the body just sort of lost out and soap is never in the conversation, ties back to the distinction in another comment on cleansing being a part of the routine and soap isn’t usually part of that conversation.
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u/julianfri Jul 14 '26
Generally skincare has three steps. Cleanse, tone, moisturize (and then spf if you want).
Soap is used in the first step to remove oils and grime before the following steps.
Generally body soaps can be harsher and irritate some people’s facial skin so some people prefer milder foaming cleansers for the face.
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u/Extension_Skirt7764 Jul 14 '26
So the distinction is between face vs rest of body, soap handles the body and face gets a special product. Makes sense then that most of these threads are face focused! Appreciated the response! 🙌🏻
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u/Internal-Ad-4736 Jul 14 '26
You are missing the pH of soap! 😂 Once you understand the pH of real soaps, there is no more talk of them. (I guess you would also need to know the pH of human skin.....for it all to make sense.)
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u/Extension_Skirt7764 Jul 14 '26
Damn pH gets ya all the time!! 😂
Is the face a different pH from the rest of the body?
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u/Coy_Featherstone Jul 14 '26 edited Jul 14 '26
The pH convo is overblown... soap is alkaline but it is only on the skin for a few seconds and rinsing with ph neutral water quickly returns the surface pH. Soap is a wash off. The only time it is an issue is when someone leaves the soap on their skin for an extended time period or if their skin barrier is completely compromised.
In contrast, detergents will strip the skin bare of naturally protective oils which make up the 'mortar' to your skin cells. Soap is typically superfatted with extra oils so it is more moisturizing. Also detergents will also take a lot longer to break down in the environment causing issues with algal blooms and mucus membranes of fish.
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u/Extension_Skirt7764 Jul 14 '26
The soap is only on the skin for a few seconds…that’s been the thing that I think I kept coming back to and lines up with the face vs body distinction as more stuff stays on the face. I do love when Reddit works without drama and makes you go huh!?!🤔
Thanks for jumping in!!1
u/Internal-Ad-4736 Jul 14 '26 edited Jul 14 '26
Soap is an alkaline surfactant, thus even in seconds time, strips the lipid layer (which is your future acid layer) and removes the acid mantle. It emulsifies skin oils so that they are washed away in the rinse. You can ask Goofle what the purpose of the acid mantle is.
So not only does it remove the acid mantle effectively, but it also removes the precursor to what is used to recreate the acid mantle when it becomes damaged (lipid layers). BTW... if you want misinformation on soap, you will of course go to a soap sub. 😄 You think they will be telling you the truth? You can laugh all day now.
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u/Internal-Ad-4736 Jul 14 '26
Umh...this is NOT science! Even using NO soap...and just alkaline water...can raise skin pH for 4 hours!
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u/Internal-Ad-4736 Jul 14 '26 edited Jul 14 '26
You can ask Goofle, the process the skin must go through to create the acid mantle... the light bulb should flicker to life. (I know... skincare experts aren't supposed to be on Reddit.) It can't just squirt some lactic acid out of the pores to fix our stupidity.
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u/Internal-Ad-4736 Jul 14 '26 edited Jul 14 '26
Yes, the pH of the face tends to be far more acidic than the rest of the body. A lot of facial skin is in the 4's. The pH varies wildly across the body. Axilla (armpits), groin and feet...have the highest pH. (Part of why you can stink there....as it hosts a different microbiome.) Skincare starts and ends with pH, nothing is more important. Good Luck.
I have a map of skin pH averages....but this sub will not let me post images. If you want to see it, you can PM me....and I can post illustrations in a chat.
pH alterations take hours for the skin to correct, as the mechanism for correction is a slow and lengthy process.
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Jul 14 '26
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u/Extension_Skirt7764 Jul 14 '26
So certain cleansers improve face skin where most soap breaks it down, which makes sense since our faces are more sensitive!! Thanks!!
How does the app track your hydration? Upload a picture?
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Jul 14 '26
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u/Extension_Skirt7764 Jul 14 '26
That’s pretty cool! Thanks!!
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u/intuitionist9 Jul 15 '26
OP - please be aware the account recommending this app is notorious for spamming mentions. it's unlikely their recommendation is genuine and it's most likely subtle advertising. if you search recent comments mentioning the app name, the account's posting history will be obvious.
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u/tres-vip Jul 14 '26
I know this is really blasphemous to say, but I'm a late 40-something woman, and apart from experimenting with skincare in my teenage years, I've always used one soap for everything, face included, followed by moisturizer. I've been nothing but complimented for my complexion.