Is it necessary to bathe with soap every day for soft skin? Here's what happens if you bathe with just water.

News Topical, Digital Desk : Healthy eating and exercise aren't the only essential components of a healthy lifestyle, but maintaining good hygiene is also crucial. Cleanliness helps maintain a healthy body and eliminates many germs. When it comes to personal hygiene, bathing always comes first. 

Bathing is essential for proper body care and cleanliness. Many people believe that bathing is incomplete without soap or body wash, but recently, Chak De India fame actress Vidya Malavade revealed in an Instagram video that she hasn't bathed with soap in 10 years, yet her skin remains soft and healthy.

She also revealed that instead of soap, she uses traditional methods for bathing. According to the actress, she skips soap and uses plain water, rose water, or even traditional gram flour scrub. Let's tell you today whether soap is really necessary for bathing, or can one do without it. 

Do we really need soap every day?

According to health experts, most people don't need to use soap every day. A 2024 study found no difference in the skin of people who bathed with water and those who used cleansers.

However, not using soap doesn't mean you don't need it. If you sweat a lot , work outdoors, or live in a polluted city, water alone may not be enough. Areas like the armpits, groin, head, and feet often need cleaning to prevent odor, acne, or infection. Soap can help.

Benefits of bathing without soap?

Bathing with soap every day can be harmful to the skin in many ways. Harsh soaps or cleansers can be especially harmful for sensitive or eczema-prone skin. Our skin produces natural oils and lipids, which keep it flexible and hydrated. So, bathing with soap every day removes these oils, leaving it dry, flaky, or itchy. Furthermore, excessive soap use disrupts the balance of the skin microbiome (the bacteria and fungi that live on the skin). 

On the other hand, by bathing with just water, you allow those natural lipids to stay in place, which is why many people say their skin feels softer and less dry.

Are traditional options helpful?

This begs the question: can one be applied to the skin without harming its natural oils? The answer lies in traditional options. Ubtans made from ground pulses, flour, and turmeric are natural exfoliators. They remove sweat and dirt without harming the skin. 

Apart from this, those who do not want to give up soap completely can use organic soap and pH-balanced cleansers as an alternative.

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