3 Reasons to Use Aloe Bar Soap

If you like sampling bar soap (who doesn’t?) this post is for you. Soap is a rather menial commodity, but that doesn’t mean it has to be boring. We’ve long ago learned that you can combine bar soap with just about anything for fantastic fragrances, colorful marbling, or textures that range from butter-smooth to pebbly.

With all of the heavenly soap combinations on the market, it’s inevitable that we run into our favorite succulent: aloe vera.

Aloe vera has a lot of diverse uses in skincare. It’s a fantastic ingredient in facial cleansers, facial serums, and hair growth serums.

So, why not bar soap? Long time soap-maker Jan Berry writes, “With a little bit of preparation, fresh aloe can be used to replace part (or all) of the water amount in almost any cold process soap recipe.” (She provides an awesome diy soap recipe, by the way.)

Whether you buy aloe bar soap or make your own at home, three reasons make aloe vera one of the best ingredients for bar soap.

1. Moisturizing Benefits

Did you know that bar soap can be drying? Just like shampoos, soaps can strip away your skin oils and dehydrate your skin. Bar soap also tends to have a higher pH than liquid body washes. The high pH can be tough on your skin, which is naturally acidic (meaning it has a low pH.) When you slather bar soap over your skin, you might actually be increasing your skin pH, which can change the texture and dehydrate it further.

Using aloe bar soap can help minimize dehydrating effects, and actually moisturize your skin instead. That’s because aloe vera contains mucopolysaccharides, which help the skin retain moisture. The primary mucopolysaccharide in aloe vera is acemannan, but aloe vera also contains hyaluronic acid—a common hydrating ingredient in facial skincare products.

2. Soft Cleansing

Did you know that aloe vera gel actually works as a mild cleanser? (It’s not surprising – aloe vera seems to do practically anything.)

Aloe vera gel contains compounds called saponins. The word even sounds like soap. Saponins are foamy antimicrobials, meaning that aloe vera has a built-in cleansing agent! Saponins aren’t the only antimicrobials in aloe either. Aloe vera also contains salicylic acid and several other natural antiseptics.

Now, the concentration of antimicrobials isn’t high enough to use straight aloe vera for soap. And aloe vera isn’t a surfactant—meaning it won’t wash away oils or dirt very well. Sorry! Aloe vera by itself isn’t going to leave you with clean skin. But you can expect aloe bar soap to have better antimicrobial action than regular bar soap.

3. Skin Nourishment

Aloe vera is rich in vitamins that your skin needs for optimal health. Specifically, it contains vitamins A, C, and E—all of which are important for skincare!

Vitamin A

Vitamin A, also known as retinol, has an abundance of benefits for your skin. As a mild exfoliant, vitamin A helps speed up the process of shedding dead skin cells and producing new cells. In scientific terms, it increases “follicular epithelial turnover.”

“Topical retinoids [Vitamin A and its derived compounds] induce clinical improvements in photoaged skin, including a reduction in fine wrinkling, increased smoothness, and diminished hyperpigmentation.” - Linus Pauling Institute

As a bonus, its exfoliating and stimulating properties make it an effective acne treatment.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is well-known as an antioxidant, protecting your cells from the damage caused by free radicals. In other words, it can help maintain more youthful, brighter skin. Yay, less wrinkles! It works even better when combined with other antioxidants like vitamin E (which just happens to be in aloe vera too…)

“Clinical studies have shown that combining vitamin C with other topical ingredients, namely ferulic acid and vitamin E, can diminish redness and help protect the skin from long-term damage caused by harmful sun rays.” – Harvard Medical School

Vitamin E

Of course, we can’t forget vitamin E! Like vitamin C, E is well-known as an antioxidant, and is a popular ingredient in anti-aging creams. The skin absorbs vitamin E very quickly and efficiently, although it is quickly destroyed by UV light as it performs its function as an antioxidant.

Because it is rather unstable, vitamin E works better when complemented by—you guessed it—vitamin C.

“Products containing both vitamin C and vitamin E have shown greater efficacy in photoprotection than either antioxidant alone.” - Linus Pauling Institute

If you’ve ever seen vitamin E in moisturizers, it’s because vitamin E also helps prevent moisture loss. Finally, vitamin E can reduce swelling and redness, because it’s a natural anti-inflammatory. Talk about an all-around skincare remedy!

With moisturizing, cleansing, and nourishing benefits, it’s a no-brainer to add aloe vera to bar soap! Next time you lather up, your skin will thank you for choosing aloe.