Ordinary soap vs. Face wash: The best bet against pimples

Should your cleansing defence against pimples be your favourite bar of soap or face wash? Brut asks Dr Anupriya Goel, a skin care expert.

Transcript

00:00Do you use a soap or do you use a face wash?

00:02Let's discuss what's best for your skin.

00:04The use of soaps should actually be replaced more by face washes.

00:30The pH value of these soaps is around 9 to 10, that is, it is alkaline in nature, whereas

00:45that of your skin is about 5.5 on average, so it is a bit acidic.

00:56When you use these soaps on your skin, what happens is that it disrupts the protective

01:03layer of your skin and hence it can lead to breakouts, it can lead to those zits and pimples

01:08on your face, which you don't want.

01:18Face washes usually do not contain SLS, however, a soap has SLS, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, which

01:25is responsible for making the lather, and that makes your skin very dry.

01:29As your skin gets drier, it sends a pimple to the oil glands that produce more oil, and

01:33as oil is more produced, it leads to more pimples on your skin.

01:52These two are the age-old ingredients, which definitely have antibacterial properties.

01:57They aid in the treatment of pimples, for sure.

02:00Also, they help in decreasing the oil production.

02:03As there is decrease in oil production, there is decrease in sebum production by the oil

02:06glands, that also helps in decreasing pimples.