Cleansing bars are starting to make a huge comeback in the beauty community nowadays. In fact, there are a lot of benefits to using cleansing bars to wash your face daily. It’s a big staple for your skincare routine and it is a great minimalistic product for you to definitely try out and use.
In the past, most people didn’t really prefer face bars because they tend to be a little bit on the drying side. Nowadays, there has been a major improvement in the facial cleansing bars as many beauty companies have taken note of the previous versions and tailor-made newly formulated cleansing bars specifically for your face.
What are Cleansing Bars?
These cleansing bars are not like the normal soap bars you see people use for their body. Normal soap bars that you use on your body are often too strong for your face. In fact, because it is strong, it is very likely that it can strip off the outer layer of your natural face oils or the good microbiome that is on your skin. Body soap also has a pH of 5.5 which might mess with the skin barrier on your face. This will lead to your face to become drier and might even lead to irritation.
Cleansing bars are specially designed and formulated to work well on your face. It is strong enough to get rid of all the impurities and dirt on your face while being gentle enough to not cause any dryness or irritation. A lot of the face cleansing bars are formulated differently for different skin types. Not only does it contain the ingredients to help clean your face, many cleansing bars also contain additional active ingredients to boost the benefits for your skin.
When looking to buy a cleansing bar, you should look at the active ingredients to see what is in the formula and whether it will help your particular skin type. For example, some bars might include ingredients such as ceramides and hyaluronic acid to help hydrate your skin. Others might include salicylic acid or tea tree oil to help with your acne. Each cleansing bar is formulated differently and therefore it is important to understand what the key ingredients do for your skin.
Cleanser VS Cleansing Bars
Although cleansing bars are pretty good in helping you gently clean your skin, it can also be a bit limited in ingredients due to the fact that the ingredients have to be packed into a bar. There are some ingredients that are difficult to put into a cleansing bar. This is because some ingredients cannot be stabilised into a bar, those ingredients may only work well when it is in a liquid form and can’t be added into a bar formula.
Another reason is that some ingredients requires to be contained and isolated from the environment. Once it is opened, a cleansing bar is exposed to the environment. Much like body bars, you will be getting it wet and dry daily to wash your face. It is not like liquid cleansers that are in a bottle and pumped out when you need to use. This means that the ingredients need to be properly formulated to be able to withstand the environment to ensure your skin is properly cleaned and protected.
This is why you need to consider why you are considering a specific cleanser before you start buying a cleansing bar or a liquid cleanser. What are your specific goals when it comes to using a cleanser? Are you aiming to just cleaning your face or do you aim to do something more? Different ingredients have different benefits to your skin and therefore you should do your research before purchasing. It really depends on your needs, sometimes a face cleansing bar might not offer you the benefits that you are looking for and therefore a liquid cleanser might be the one you need.
If you are not sure, you should always contact a dermatologist to help you figure out what product you should get to help maximise the benefits to your skin.
Cetaphil Gentle Cleansing Bar
The Cetaphil cleansing bar is one of the most popular cleansing bars out there. It’s pretty cheap and great for those who aren’t looking for much other than cleaning your face. It gets the job done and cleans your face without causing any irritation. This cleansing bar is dermatologist recommended and is non-comedogenic. It’s basically the basic and no frills version of a cleansing bar.
For those who have dry skin, I’ll admit it might be a little drying. I would not say it completely drys out your skin, but it might be a bit drying for those who already have dry skin. The cleansing bar has a very light weight formula and easily foams onto your skin and can be rinsed off quickly and efficiently.
If you try this out, I would recommend trying using a little less soap and a bit more water. When I first tried it out, I might have used a little too much soap and it left my face feeling a little bit tight after usage. During winter, you might consider using a little less as your face is already drier. All in all, it cleaned my face well and was able to get rid of all the residue on my face.
Drunk Elephant Juju and Pekee Bar Soap
I actually really like both of these bars. The Juju Bar gently cleans your skin and removes the dead skin cells. It uses thermal mud and bamboo powder to create a lather that helps remove the oil and impurities off your skin. The Pekee Bar is also a gentle cleansing bar, but it helps moisturise and balance your face. It includes honey, blueberry extract and marula oil.
If I have to pick one of them, I would prefer the Pekee Bar. It is able to remove all the impurities and excess oil on your face without being too strong. It doesn’t strip everything, and I feel like my skin doesn’t get dry even though I use it regularly.
Both of the bars are formulated in the ideal pH levels to help cleanse your skin without stripping it too much and damaging your skin’s protective barrier. It works for most skin types and because it is mild, those with sensitive skin should be able to use it as well.
I find that it is perfect to use at night, it is a very good cleanser and it leaves my face feeling smooth and refreshed. I would definitely use this as the first step in my night time skincare routine to clean my face before applying serums and creams.
CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser Bar
This is another no frills and basic cleanser bar I would recommend. It is dermatologist tested and includes hyaluronic acid to help your skin retain your moisture. Anybody with dry or sensitive skin should be able to use it as it is known to be gentle, hydrating and approved for those with eczema.
The CeraVe Cleanser Bar is slightly heavier than the other cleanser bars out there. When applied on your face, it takes slightly more soft scrubbing to wash off all the soap residue. After washing off, I don’t get any tight face feeling and I do feel like my moisture has not been stripped away.
This bar is a great affordable face cleanser for those of you who are looking for something that has a little moisture included. It cleans your face well while also helps your face retain a little bit of moisture.
Shizen Gokochi Facial Cleansing Bar Soap
I first saw this face soap being sold in Japan and had to try it because I love anything that is green tea related. I absolutely love it because this bar smells amazingly green tea and it also contains the benefits of green tea for your face.
It’s a bit more expensive on amazon than buying it in Japan, but the price is still not too bad for a cleansing bar. In Japan, this is considered to be one of the bestseller cleansing face bar. It is able to help remove the dead skin and excess oil on your face. In addition, it is blended with green tea to help hydrate and also has a slight antioxidant and antibacterial effect.
The soap box usually comes with a whipping net, this means that it can help make your soap foamy to put onto your face. This is optional, but it does make it an enjoyable experience if you have a little bit of free time.
This page contains Affiliate Links, which means as an Amazon Associate I may earn commissions through links you make purchases through.