Guest Author: John Harper
As I was perusing Facebook around a week ago, I came across a post that was speaking about having dry skin after using cold process soap. It then occurred to me that many people think that soap is a moisturizer, which is totally understandable. With luscious butter and skin-loving ingredients like olive
oil, you would think that it would make your skin feel like a silk shirt, but sadly it doesn’t.
Soap is a cleanser, not a moisturizer. People do think that because their skin feels softer after using Lathr soap that is it moisturized, but that is not the case. Unlike commercial soap, natural cold process soap doesn’t strip your skin of all of the oils, and that is the major reason people have softer skin after using it. However, it would take magic for it to replace the oils lost during a shower. Sadly, Frank doesn’t
moonlight as a wizard on most days. So, the soap doesn’t have a secret potion in it to replace those precious oils, but there are ways to make your skin happy, and that is what we will be covering today.
The first one is something that some of us do, and some of us don’t. Using lotions, body butter, or body oils to replenish those oils. I honestly never used lotion before I started using cold process soap. I thought lotions were for women, but then I saw them being offered in more masculine scents, so I had to check them out, and my life changed. My personal favorite is Lathr’s Black Cherry body oil and
Sandalwood Bourbon lotion. While these products aren’t a perfect replacement for your skin’s natural oils, they will make it much happier. Our skin tends to be dramatic and cries out like a desert wanderer when it’s even a bit dry.
Since using the lotion and body oil (you only need one or the other) mine has decided to stop the desert act. Lathr just released a body butter in three masculine scents -Sandalwood Bourbon, The Humidor, and Arctic Mist. I haven’t tried them yet, but I am excited to check them out.
Skin is the largest organ that you have. It needs nutrients to function at full capacity. Your diet plays into this. A diet high in processed food without nutrients from plants can cause it to dry out faster. A balanced diet is a huge boon to your skin’s health.
I personally follow a Mediterranean diet. I am not a dietitian or doctor, so be sure to consult a healthcare professional before swapping to any new diet to see if it works for you. However, I will tell you that the Mediterranean diet doesn’t even feel like you are restricting yourself, so there are ways to have fun and still eat well to give your skin the stuff it needs. Plus, it encourages you drink red wine.
What’s not to love?
The last thing that can impact your skin is a potential disease. Sadly, there isn’t much advice that I can give you for that other than to check with a dermatologist and see if they have any solutions for you. I would mention that you use natural soap and would prefer a more natural treatment, if possible. Even though cold process soap doesn’t act like a lotion, it is still a vital part in caring for your skin, and I honestly feel cleaner after using natural soap. When paired with lotion and a good diet, my skin has never been better. As a bonus, my fragrances last longer because my skin doesn’t soak them up as quickly. This also means that scents from soaps and lotions will hang around longer as well, so you can smell like a fresh shave with Barbershop or the gentleman’s choice, The Humidor, all day long.
The great thing about skin is that you can begin today and start seeing improvements right away. You don’t need weeks for your it to adjust. Even though dead skin cells fall off with a fresh layer beneath it, we will only get one set of skin, and taking care of it is very important for overall health and wellness.
Luckily, as with all our manly needs, Lathr has you covered for this as well. They don’t sell food, but maybe Frank will include a recipe card on the site at some point. Just don’t eat the soap like the Squatchers. That’s just not very wise, but then again, you swapped to Lathr for a reason, so I don’t need to tell you that.
