Why shouldn't I use shampoo bars on dry skin?

Our Lemon Vanilla  Shampoo bars have a new look.

We received a very good question today about our shampoo bars.  In our shampoo bar listings, we mention that shampoo bars can also be used as body soaps, unless you have dry skin.  "But aren't these shampoo bars moisturizing?" Yes, they are moisturizing, but Aquarian Bath shampoo bars are specially formulated to leave just the right amount of conditioning (unsaponified oils) for the hair. The skin, especially dry skin, needs more conditioning free oils compared to the hair. A regular body soap would leave too much residue in the hair, because the body soaps have a higher concentration of free (unsaponified) oils. Also bars that we formulate for dry skin have a high percentage of Extra Virgin Olive Oil compared to regular body soaps we formulate for normal or normal to oily skin types. Extra Virgin Olive oil is very moisturizing in a soap, and the skin is better at absorbing excess oils compared to the hair. If we used olive oil in such a high concentration in a shampoo bar in the way that we do for dry skin soaps, there would be way too much oil residue in left in the hair, and the bars would also have too low of a lather for shampooing. 

Neem Olive Oil soaps are hand-stamped with a hand-carved Om stamp.

One of our popular soaps for dry skin is our neem-olive oil soap, which includes only these ingredients.  Neem oil is a special ingredient that helps balance problem skin, and it combines well with olive oil for dry problem skin types.  We also use neem in shampoo bar formulas.

My Favorite Soaps for Sensitive Skin

Often times people at Fairs or Craft shows ask me what soap I suggest for people with sensitive or dry skin. I always suggest my Castile soap, which is made with 100% extra virgin olive oil in the oil phase, or my Oat Milk Soap. Both of these soaps are unscented and especially gentle.

I have been using my oat milk soap with my baby since she was born. And it has worked just marvelously, and her bar is not even half way used. Of course I am very careful not to get the soap near her eyes, though I do wash her hair with it also. She is just 4 months now here in this picture.

You can find both of these soaps in my AquarianBath shop on Etsy.