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Please recommend a good non-drying soap

Hi all,

I've been trying various soaps in the shower and bath lately, liking the much cleaner feeling than I get with shower gel.

However, I find that the soaps I've tried, namely: Pears, Dr Bronner's, Body Shop, a few varieties of this:

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=26949

... are a bit drying.

Could someone please enlighten me on some really nice bath soaps (i.e. not beauty bars)?

Waterbear, I've a feeling you'll provide a very detailed and comprehensive answer! :smile:

I think I've read somewhere that you prefer tallow-based "superfatted" soaps. Can you tell me what to look for on the ingredients list?

I'm a bit confused, as Pears is glycerine soap, yet I find it drying. You've said in another thread that due to the way glycerine soaps are made, they can be drying! I thought glycerine would be a good thing!

Likewise, I've read that Coconut Oil and Olive oil can be drying also. Yet some soap makers include this ingredient for moisturising properties! Arrgghhh....

I reckon a sticky Soap Wiki would be a fabulous resource, listing all the common ingredients/methods/etc and which would be the least drying etc.

Would be most useful when out shopping for soap! :biggrin:

What do you gents think?
 
i'm in the same boat as you pretty much.. gave up trying the myriad of men's "grooming" products (ie. face "cleanser", fancy moisturizers, toners, etc.) and am definitely happier for it.. not just that my skin is starting to look better.. but also that i'm not spending arseloads of money.. however, i'm now on the search for a soap that isn't too drying as well... i keep having to go back to good ol' dove, even though it's not a real soap, but really a "combar" of sorts as it does have sodium tallowate, but also detergents.. from my experience, i've found that soaps that have glycerin and olive oils ARE drying.. it is odd that they are supposed to be moisturizing elements, but not true in all cases..

i don't know what kind of skin you have (mine's combination up the ying yang)..

anyways, ya.. i'm also interested in hearing what some other people on here suggest..
 
I recommend Savon de Marseille from French Soaps.

try Mama Bear Bath CP Bath soaps

really nice...

or Ogallala bay rum bath soaps...very nice as well.
I don't know how much glycerin she uses but too much glycerin can actually dry your skin. I know that happens to me.
I like the Mitchell's Wool Fat bath soap.

I was terribly disappointed with their bath soap. It dried the heck out of me, which is in direct contrast to the shaving soap.
 
Go to the lotion aisle in any store, look for Cetaphil products. Buy the the regular bath soap and try it out. It works great for sensitive skin people and non drying skin.
 
Trader Joe's has a nice Shea Butter Bar and Oatmeal Bar. If you have really sensitive skin California Baby.
 
Provence Sante bath bars are the least drying to me as far as soaps are concerned.

MWF bath bars are very drying to my skin.

I know you said you preferred a soap vs shower gel,(I felt the same way but couldn't find a soap that didn't cause my skin to dry out and itch) I would suggest checking out the every man jack shower gel that's available at Target.

I tried a lot of shower gels and bar soaps and this was the best I had found.
 
Yardley oatmeal and almond bar soap at CVS or Walgreens exfoliates and moisturizes, and it is very inexpensive at $1.50 per bar. I like their lavender scent as well.

I have been using the almond scent in the shower for a month now, and my dry elbows have been less dry.

I found the ingredients for the Yardley soap bars at http://shop1.mailordercentral.com/yardleylondon/faq.asp, which are the following:

Bar Soap: Sweet Summer Aloe & Cucumber, Flowering English Lavender, Natural Oatmeal & Almond, Early Morning Rose

Ingredients: Sodium tallowate, sodium cocoate, water, oat flower (Oatmeal & Almond only), fragrance, titanium dioxide, glycerin, sodium chloride, coconut acid, petrolatum, tetrasodium etidronate, pentasodium pentetate, tetrasodium EDTA, aloe vera gel (Aloe & Cucumber only), chromium hydroxide green (Aloe & Cucumber only), yellow 5 (Aloe & Cucumber, Oatmeal & Almond, Early Morning Rose only), red 33 (Oatmeal & Almond, Early Morning Rose only), iron oxides (English Lavender only).
 
I had some dry skin on my arms so I picked up a big bar of Kiss My Face olive and green tea soap.Dry skin is gone and my skin feels healthy but not greasy.I wouldn't recommend it for extremely dry skin but for normal winter dry skin it works fine.Great scent too and available in quite a verity of other scents.
 
I have tried a bunch of shower soaps, gels, lotions, whatever, and I have settled on good old Kirk's Castile soap. Cleans well, does not dry out my skin (I tend do have oily skin) and it has a pleasant, clean scent that does not last long.

It's also cheap, so it hits on all of my requirements.
 
Yardley oatmeal and almond bar soap at CVS or Walgreens exfoliates and moisturizes, and it is very inexpensive at $1.50 per bar. I like their lavender scent as well.

I have been using the almond scent in the shower for a month now, and my dry elbows have been less dry.

I found the ingredients for the Yardley soap bars at http://shop1.mailordercentral.com/yardleylondon/faq.asp, which are the following:

Bar Soap: Sweet Summer Aloe & Cucumber, Flowering English Lavender, Natural Oatmeal & Almond, Early Morning Rose

Ingredients: Sodium tallowate, sodium cocoate, water, oat flower (Oatmeal & Almond only), fragrance, titanium dioxide, glycerin, sodium chloride, coconut acid, petrolatum, tetrasodium etidronate, pentasodium pentetate, tetrasodium EDTA, aloe vera gel (Aloe & Cucumber only), chromium hydroxide green (Aloe & Cucumber only), yellow 5 (Aloe & Cucumber, Oatmeal & Almond, Early Morning Rose only), red 33 (Oatmeal & Almond, Early Morning Rose only), iron oxides (English Lavender only).

My vote goes for Yardley's The Baby Soap. Cheap, non-drying and effectively scent-free (the bar has a typical 'baby' scent, but it disappears after rinsing)
 
I have REALLY dry skin and despite my wife's urging, I rarely bother with lotions post bath.

Posters will often suggest fairly mild soaps (like Castile soaps) but my skin is too dry even for that.

Dermatologist suggest Dove (a beauty bar) or Basis (a very mild soap). I have found that Trader Joe's Tea Tree soap is very good as is a Tea Tree soap from Australia (the name escapes me, but it can be found in a green box at many health food stores). Generally, the more a soap has the tea tree smell the better it seems to work.

KMF also sells an olive oil soap that is very gentle. It clearly removes the least amount of natural body oils but smells a bit like a salad and is perhaps a bit too mild for individuals of the male gender (translation: I don't know if it cleans you enough).

Mike
 
claus porto soaps, pick your scent.
The brise marine smells so fresh. :w00t:

+1000

When you use Claus Porto soaps there is no need to use lotions or other moisturisers on your body.

I gave up my search for soaps when I found this company, good luck with yours!
 
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