The skin on your face is thinner and more exposed than the skin on your body, so the bar you wash it with matters. A good natural face soap cleans without leaving your face feeling tight. Here is how to choose one, ingredient by ingredient.
Start with the ingredient list
A natural soap should tell you exactly what is in it. Ingredients are listed from most to least, so the first few lines tell you what the bar is mostly made of. In a true cold-process soap you will see plant oils and butters near the top, then water and sodium hydroxide (lye).
That last one surprises people. Every real soap is made with lye: it is the ingredient that turns oils into soap. During curing, the lye reacts completely with the oils, and none is left in the finished bar. That is why our bars cure for 4 to 6 weeks before they are sold.
Many commercial “beauty bars” are synthetic detergent bars rather than true soap. That is not a bad thing in itself, but it is a different product, so read the label if a simple, oil-based soap is what you are after.
Oils and butters: the cleansing base
The oils in a bar decide how it feels on your skin. A few you will see on our labels:
- Olive oil makes a mild, gentle bar, a classic choice for faces.
- Coconut oil gives cleansing power and big bubbles. Balanced with other oils, it cleans without stripping.
- Shea butter and cocoa butter make a harder, creamier bar that feels conditioning.
- Castor oil helps create a thick, stable lather, even in hard tap water. We use it in most of our bars.
If your face tends to feel tight after washing, look for a bar where olive oil and butters sit high on the list.
Charcoal and clay
Activated charcoal is a fine, porous black powder. In soap it gives a deep-cleaning feel, which is why people with oily or combination skin often like a charcoal face bar. It also colors the lather gray, so a charcoal bar “rinses dark”. That is normal and washes away.
Clays such as kaolin (a soft white clay) and red clay add a silky slip and a light, gentle exfoliation. Kaolin is mild; red clay gives a little more polish.
Essential oils, fragrance oils or unscented
Scent is personal, but on your face it is worth paying attention to.
- Essential oils are scents taken from plants: tea tree, lemongrass, peppermint, lavender. Many people love their fresh, clean smell. Peppermint gives a cool, tingly feeling.
- Fragrance oils make scents that essential oils can’t, like cherry or chocolate. They are a lovely choice for body bars.
- Sensitive or reactive skin? Try a mild bar first, such as one made with oatmeal and honey, and patch test anything scented.
Match the bar to your skin
| If your skin is… | Look for | From our shop |
|---|---|---|
| Oily or combination | Activated charcoal, tea tree, a rich lather | Pure Detoxifier face soap |
| Sensitive | A mild, gentle bar: oatmeal, honey, shea butter | Honey Oat |
| Dry | Butters and moisturizing milks high on the list | Lavender Cloud (goat milk) |
| Normal | Any balanced bar whose scent you enjoy | The full soap line |
After you wash, follow with a moisturizer. A few drops of a light facial oil works well too. Our Infused Rosehip Face Serum blends rosehip and jojoba oils to refresh the face without a heavy, oily feeling.
How to try a new face soap
- Patch test. Wash a small area, such as along your jaw, once a day for a few days before using the bar on your whole face.
- Lather in your hands, not on your face. Rubbing a bar directly on your skin can be rough. Work up a lather, then massage gently.
- Rinse with lukewarm water. Hot water can leave skin feeling dry.
- Give it a week or two. Skin often needs a little time to adjust to a new cleanser.
- Stop if it stings or irritates. And if you have a skin condition, ask your dermatologist which ingredients to avoid.
Make your bar last
Handmade soap has no hardeners added, so it lasts longest when it can dry out between washes. Keep the bar on a dish that drains, out of the shower spray. Our wooden soap dish keeps bars dry between uses. Store spare bars out of direct sunlight, in a cool, well-ventilated place.
Still deciding? Send us a question. We are happy to help you choose. Or browse our handcrafted natural soap and read every ingredient list before you buy.
