4 ms·

I've found that if I use soap on my face I get breakouts, and shampooing my hair always makes it worse. Pits, feet, and balls absolutely need soap, though.

m463 6y ago
I'm not sure about soap, but many products have SLS, which can cause problems. I'm not certain it's well understood, but it's cheap and "generally accepted as safe" so manufacturers use it liberally. I had trouble with sheets that were freshly washed, they felt irritating to sleep on. it would go away after a day and the sheets would feel soft. I switched to SLS-free laundry detergent and everything was awesome. I also did the same with shampoo and my scalp seemed to be better. toothpaste too. You might want to see if that makes any difference.
- airhead969 6y ago
  Interesting. I use bamboo viscose bedsheets. And I currently use the Costco "Ultra Clean Free & Clear" which contains SLS. However, I used to use Ecos laundry detergent also from Costco which didn't contain it, but they no longer seem to carry it, which came in giant containers. Edit: the latter is available online, but it contains Sodium Coco-Sulfate made from plants.
  - m463 6y ago
    yeah, it's hard to navigate SLS. Manufacturers know people will not buy when it's on the ingredient list and will use alternative names (I've seen like 10 alternate names) I also used ecos, that disappeared from costco. There was a detergent from all (all fresh clean essentials sulfate-free), but that became hard to get. I now use a detergent called puracy.
airhead969 6y ago
I had "acne" until about age 30. You have to use a facial soap on your face. Body soap, hand soap, or any other kind of soap will make you break out. Wash your hair 3x a week and your face after that.
- burntoutfire 6y ago
  Doesn't work if you have an oily complexion... Even if you can stand the unpleasant feeling of your face being covered with grease all the time, you'll be shining like a lamppost, which looks unattractive to other people.
nashalo 6y ago
If you use regular soap on your face it's because the soap water has a high pH whereas your skin has a slightly acidic pH of around 5.5. So the soap disrupts the acidic barrier of your skin which prompts the skin to produce more sebum (acidic) to restore said barrier. [this is a simplification] This happens on all your skin but it's more egregious on the face because the skin is more delicate there. No idea for the shampoo though.
- renw0rp 6y ago
  Are there any negative implications of using baking soda in you arm pits instead of a deodorant? I think it has exactly same effect pH wise as you have described about soap. It seems to be quite effective and more natural way of neutralising under pits odor than regular deodorants though and I haven't personally noticed any side effects.
searchableguy 6y ago
Use a good facewash designed for your skin. I advise having dermatologist look over your skin closely. Do you use a conditioner after shampoo and how frequently do you shampoo? Many shampoos can be too abrasive or contain chemicals which can be irritating for you. You might want to switch to baby version of skin products which irritate you. Sometimes, those will irritate less or not at all. Use liquid soap which can be mixed with water instead of one that has to be applied directly to your skin. There are bunch of tests to figure out these products for you at dermatologist.

m463 6y ago

I'm not sure about soap, but many products have SLS, which can cause problems. I'm not certain it's well understood, but it's cheap and "generally accepted as safe" so manufacturers use it liberally. I had trouble with sheets that were freshly washed, they felt irritating to sleep on. it would go away after a day and the sheets would feel soft. I switched to SLS-free laundry detergent and everything was awesome. I also did the same with shampoo and my scalp seemed to be better. toothpaste too. You might want to see if that makes any difference.

airhead969 6y ago
Interesting. I use bamboo viscose bedsheets. And I currently use the Costco "Ultra Clean Free & Clear" which contains SLS. However, I used to use Ecos laundry detergent also from Costco which didn't contain it, but they no longer seem to carry it, which came in giant containers. Edit: the latter is available online, but it contains Sodium Coco-Sulfate made from plants.
- m463 6y ago
  yeah, it's hard to navigate SLS. Manufacturers know people will not buy when it's on the ingredient list and will use alternative names (I've seen like 10 alternate names) I also used ecos, that disappeared from costco. There was a detergent from all (all fresh clean essentials sulfate-free), but that became hard to get. I now use a detergent called puracy.

airhead969 6y ago

I had "acne" until about age 30. You have to use a facial soap on your face. Body soap, hand soap, or any other kind of soap will make you break out. Wash your hair 3x a week and your face after that.

burntoutfire 6y ago
Doesn't work if you have an oily complexion... Even if you can stand the unpleasant feeling of your face being covered with grease all the time, you'll be shining like a lamppost, which looks unattractive to other people.

nashalo 6y ago

If you use regular soap on your face it's because the soap water has a high pH whereas your skin has a slightly acidic pH of around 5.5. So the soap disrupts the acidic barrier of your skin which prompts the skin to produce more sebum (acidic) to restore said barrier. [this is a simplification] This happens on all your skin but it's more egregious on the face because the skin is more delicate there. No idea for the shampoo though.

renw0rp 6y ago
Are there any negative implications of using baking soda in you arm pits instead of a deodorant? I think it has exactly same effect pH wise as you have described about soap. It seems to be quite effective and more natural way of neutralising under pits odor than regular deodorants though and I haven't personally noticed any side effects.

searchableguy 6y ago

Use a good facewash designed for your skin. I advise having dermatologist look over your skin closely. Do you use a conditioner after shampoo and how frequently do you shampoo? Many shampoos can be too abrasive or contain chemicals which can be irritating for you. You might want to switch to baby version of skin products which irritate you. Sometimes, those will irritate less or not at all. Use liquid soap which can be mixed with water instead of one that has to be applied directly to your skin. There are bunch of tests to figure out these products for you at dermatologist.