How to choose a bath soap for your skin type

Choose a bath soap by your skin type first and by its scent last. If your skin feels dry or tight after a shower, pick a moisturising bar with ingredients such as glycerin, petroleum jelly or oils. If your skin turns oily and sticky by the afternoon, a cleansing bar made for oily skin suits you better. Then check how your skin feels ten minutes after washing: comfortable means the soap is right for you.

Why one soap does not suit everyone

In many Pakistani homes, the whole family shares one bar of soap in the bathroom. That is easy, but skin types are rarely the same across a family. One person gets an oily back in June, another gets dry shins and rough heels in January, and a baby has skin that needs something much milder than either of them.

A soap is a mix of cleansing agents and other ingredients that change how it feels. Some bars leave more softening ingredients on the skin. Others are made to lift more oil. Neither kind is better. They are simply made for different skin.

You do not need a different soap for every room in the house. But it helps to know which type of skin you have, so the bar you use every day works with it.

Step 1: Work out your skin type

Shower as usual, pat dry, and do nothing for about ten minutes. Then notice how your skin feels.

• Tight, rough or flaky, especially on arms, legs and hands: your skin leans dry.
• Shiny or sticky again quickly, especially on the chest, back and face: your skin leans oily.
• Comfortable, neither tight nor greasy: your skin is balanced, and most mild bars will suit you.
• Itchy, red or stinging: your skin may be sensitive. Keep products few and simple, and see the section on patch testing below.

Your skin type can change with the season. Many people in Lahore, Islamabad and the north feel oily in the humid monsoon months and dry in December. It is normal to switch soaps when the weather turns.

Step 2: Match the bar to your skin

If your skin is dry

Look for a moisturising bar. On the ingredient list, you want to see softening and water-holding ingredients near the top, such as glycerin, petroleum jelly, shea butter or plant oils.

Hydro Med Soap is a moisturising bar for dry skin. Its box lists pure petroleum jelly, olive oil, aloe vera and coconut oil. It is made for the face and body, and the box suggests using it twice a day with lukewarm water.

Giga White Plus Soap is a transparent moisturising bar for dry skin from the Giga White range. Its list includes glycerin, almond oil, coconut oil, aloe vera extract and licorice extract. It suits someone whose skin is dry and who also wants a routine for brighter-looking skin.

To learn why glycerin appears on so many moisturising labels, read our page on glycerin.

If your skin is oily

Look for a cleansing bar made for oily skin. It should leave your skin feeling clean but not squeaky. A squeaky feeling usually means the bar is too strong for you, or you are scrubbing too hard.

Acne Ease Soap is an oil control bar made with tea tree oil, for oily and acne-prone skin on the face, back and chest. If sweat and oil on your back bother you in summer, a bar like this in the shower is an easy habit. Read more about tea tree oil and why it is used in oily-skin products.

Giga White Soap is a cleansing bar for oily skin, made with glutathione and glycerine. Its box suggests letting the lather sit for about 2 minutes before rinsing.

If your skin is balanced

You have the most choice. Pick a mild bar whose scent and feel you enjoy, and use it consistently. If your skin starts to feel tight in winter, move to a moisturising bar for those months.

If your skin is sensitive

Choose one simple bar and stay with it. Avoid strong scents if they have bothered you before. Fragrance is usually listed near the end of an ingredient list, so you can check for it. Never test a new soap on your face first.

Step 3: Use it the right way

The way you wash matters as much as the soap you choose.

1. Use lukewarm water. Very hot water feels good in winter but leaves skin feeling drier.
2. Lather in your hands or on a soft cloth. Rubbing the bar hard against your skin is rough on it.
3. Give the lather a moment. Many Cosmevo soap boxes ask you to leave the lather on for 1 to 2 minutes before rinsing. Follow the box.
4. Rinse well. Soap left behind in skin folds, behind the ears or under the arms can feel itchy later.
5. Pat dry. Use a clean, soft towel and press gently. Do not rub.
6. Moisturise if your skin is dry. Apply lotion while skin is still a little damp, within a few minutes of drying.

Face and body: one bar or two?

Some bars are made for both the face and the body, and the box will say so. Hydro Med Soap, Giga White Soap and Giga White Plus Soap all say face and body. Acne Ease Soap says face, back and chest.

Still, the skin on your face is thinner than the skin on your legs or back. If your face feels tight after using a body bar, give your face its own gentle face wash and keep the bar for the body. Our guide on how to choose a face wash for oily skin explains what to look for.

Taking care of the bar itself

A bar that sits in a puddle turns soft and mushy and wears away quickly. Keep your soap on a dish that drains, away from the stream of the shower. Let it dry between uses. In a shared bathroom, it is kinder and cleaner for each person to have their own bar, especially for the face.

Patch test a new soap

Before you switch to a new bar, wash a small area, such as the inside of your forearm, once a day for two or three days. If you notice redness, itching or stinging, stop and go back to what you used before. This matters most for children and for anyone whose skin reacts easily. For a baby, use a soap made for babies and read our baby skin care routine.

When to see a doctor

A soap is for everyday cleansing. It cannot fix a skin problem. Please see a doctor if your skin is cracked and painful, if a rash spreads, if itching keeps you awake, or if anything does not settle after a few weeks of gentle care. Stop using any product that makes your skin burn or swell.

In short

Notice how your skin feels after washing, choose a moisturising bar for dry skin or a cleansing bar for oily skin, and wash gently with lukewarm water. Change your soap with the seasons if you need to, and patch test anything new. For more simple cleansing habits, visit our daily cleansing page.