A Guide to Better Skin with Men’s Bar Soap

We created this post as a guide for men on which men’s bar soap is best for their skin and sensory needs. Bar soap has a bad rep in the cosmetic industry but we think it’s one of the best ways to keep you clean, smelling fresh and feeling good, so let’s dive in.

How is men’s skin different to women’s?

In both sexes, our body’s largest organ the skin, serves the purpose of protecting us from environmental damage, keeps our organs in place and protects us from disease. The skin is our body’s first defence against environmental attacks and heat regulation (to a certain extent).

However, most men tend to have thicker, oilier skin than their woman counterparts, making them more prone to acne breakouts, skin roughness and younger-looking skin. They do eventually age out and get wrinkles, and when they do, their wrinkles are more pronounced. Men also tend to like different scent blends and textures than women. Their skin also tends to be more sensitive due to constant shaving.

How to best cleanse men’s skin?

Naturally, because of men’s thicker, oilier skin, they need gentle thorough cleansers that break down excess sebum and dirt without irritating the skin. In walks men’s bar soap, naturally antibacterial due to its high pH, and packed with skin-soothing goodness, cleansing without stripping, drying or irritating the skin. Available in various textures, colours, and fragrance blends, it can be as minimalist or frilly as you like.

What are the key skincare needs of men?

Oily / acne-prone

Men generally have oily acne-prone, thicker skin so they’d need something that cleanses, gentley, but thoroughly to break up excess oil. Bars with clays are a great option for oily/acne-prone types. clays draw out dirt and they gently exfoliate the skin breaking down hardend sebum without damaging the skin.

Muddy Waters Ec: Dead Sea mud, Cedarwood & Lavender, Shea butter

Au Naturel – unscented soap – sensitive skin. if you are having a painful breakout it’s best to keep things simple with our unscented, untextured soap.

Thicker skin

If you have thick skin I bet it is a little rough to the touch too, so you need to be exfoliating more regularly. Twice a week grab your sapo and use an exfoliating bar to lift off that dead rough skin.

Sweat

Men have more sweat glands and need to shower at least once to day to remove sweat and the odour it creates. Use a bar with citrus or mint if you are particularly sweaty as citrus and mint essential oils kill the bacteria that cause odour, and leave you smelling fresher for longer.

Elbows, Knees & Toes – Minty: Peppermint, rosemary, and tea tree – Oily acne-prone skin.

Lemon Poppy – Lemon & Lemongrass, brightening, exfoliating

Sensitivity due to regular shaving/waxing

Use a fragrance-free bar. Scent, no matter natural or synthetic can irritate so it is best to use a scent-free bar and then use your cologne on your clothes to avoid any issues.

Au Naturel – Unscented soap – sensitive skin.

What makes a bad bar of men’s soap

• SLS and parabens have all been related to hormone disruption and other long-term health issues, and for me and my man, they are not worth the risk.
• Synthetic colours and fragrances: They offer no therapeutic benefits to the skin or senses and a lot of the time they contain parabens and other potentially dangerous ingredients.
• Petroleum: One of the most environmentally unfriendly ingredients that suffocates the skin. There are much better natural alternatives available that provide the same level of skin protection, offer other benefits, and are not as damaging to the planet.
• Animal testing: It’s cruel and redundant because unless you are creating men’s bar soap for said animals, human physiology is different, and the products are unlikely to behave the same, so just stop it and test on willing participants.
• Anything that dries out our skin, causing tightness and irritation, men’s bar soap should always be hydrating and protective of the skin barrier. No one wants tight, itchy dry skin, especially hard, working men.
• Men’s bar soap should always be free from synthetic colours or fragrances because they don’t contain any health benefits and their ingredients have been linked to serious health problems.
• Small stingy men’s bar soap is the worst, everyone deserves a sold bar of soap that lasts a good time. Our bars are no smaller than 140g and most time way more than that. That’s designed to last at least a month to a month and a half.

What makes good men’s bar soap?

Here are some features that make a bar of soap especially good.

1. Clays – they gently exfoliate the skin, purging it of excess oil and are great for acne-prone skin types, they also add wonderful colour to bars.
2. Shea butter – ultra moisturising without clogging the pores.
3. Castor oil – cleans the pores, is anti-inflammatory and gets rid of bacteria, one of the best oils for oily skin types.
4. Glycerine – hydrating humectant that draws water to the skin, making it softer and smoother, naturally produced in bar soap!
5. Moisturising – bar soap should not strip or dry out the skin, it should moisturise without clogging the pores.
6. Lather – your soap should bubble up in deliciously indulgent clouds that cover your whole body.
7. Naturally scented – If you have sensitive skin you can use men’s bar soap with extracts or infusions, essential oil blends.
8. Good size and long-lasting – nobody wants a sheet-thin bar of soap that disappears in two uses. We want big bars that last and last and last. Our bars come in at 140g and last a hella long time, even if used by multiple people.

Scented or fragrance-free men’s bar soap?

If you have sensitive skin, you might want to avoid anything with scent even essential oils as they may irritate but can try infusions which carry no essential oil but have a mild scent of the botanicals used. If you don’t have any sensitivities, you can explore a range of men’s bar soap with aromatherapy blends that are designed to benefit both the skin and your senses. The beauty of men’s bar soap is that it gives you options that commercial cleansers could never. We carry a range of scented and unscented men’s bar soap that’ll suit most of your skin and sensory needs.

An there you have it a guide to looking after men’s skin naturally.

Happy bath time!

Be good to yourself

Mazel