MYTH: Soap is a good cleanser

I’m not a fan of soap as a general rule. The ingredients used to make it a hard bar are generally harsh and better kept off your face. You may feel soap really gets your skin clean—and you’re right. But soap gets it too clean. It may make your skin feel squeaky clean, but in reality, you’ve just stripped all the oil and all the water off the surface of your skin. This will give you a taught feeling (which you may associate with clean), but your skin is now stripped!

You don’t have to strip everything off in order to get a good, general cleanse. And when your skin is stripped, it is left vulnerable until the proper pH is restored. It’s as though you’re moving out of your house or apartment, and you not only take all your belongings and furniture, but you also pull up the carpet, take the wallpaper down, and peel the paint from the walls. Soap has a similar effect on your skin.

The best way to clean your skin is with a water-soluble, milky-type cleanser. Almost all companies include a cleansing milk, cream, or wash in their product line that is water-soluble.

For more information, see:

• CLEANSERS 101: What IS a cleanser? What to look for and what NOT to use—updated
• Is it OK to use a washcloth on my face?
• Proper pH and your skin care products