Breaking the Beauty Myth of “Squeaky Clean” Skin
Has your skin ever felt tight after cleansing? From the moment we’re old enough to hold a bar of soap, we’re taught that squeaky, clean skin is the only way to remove dirt and grime while we bathe. This has been ingrained in most of us for generations. Many people don’t realize that “squeaky clean skin” is not desirable and can damage skin.
Many people also believe that if the skin is still slippery after cleansing, soap or cleanser has been left behind. This isn’t entirely true. You might be surprised to learn that your skin should have a little bit of a slippery feeling after cleansing! Here’s why.
pH-Balance is Key
The skin has a delicate pH balance and a community of bacteria crucial for health. Its microbiome helps clear it of blemishes and breakouts and prevents premature aging. Harsh cleansers can disturb this delicate pH balance and affect the microbiome.
Many commercial face foams and soaps are formulated to leave that “squeaky clean” feeling behind. This leads people to believe they are thoroughly cleansing their skin. Instead, they disturb the pH balance and microbiome with drying ingredients that strip the skin of its natural oils or sebum.
Sebum (oil) is crucial in maintaining skin health and acts as a protective barrier, helping to lock in moisture and defend against pollutants and pathogens.
When your skin is stripped of this protective barrier, it is exposed to everything it encounters. So, even if you have squeaky-clean skin, it is exposed to the elements! This leaves it vulnerable to damage from pollution, wind, sun, dirt, sweat, and more.
Finding a pH-balanced Cleanser
So, how do we find skincare products with the correct pH that aren’t drying or stripping? There are several characteristics to consider. Here’s a simple chemistry lesson – pH measures how concentrated hydrogen ions are. This can tell us how acidic or alkaline a solution is.
The surface of human skin has a natural pH level of about 4.0 to 4.5, making it mildly acidic. This keeps the skin’s microbiota in balance. A more alkaline pH – anything over 7.0 – kills or disrupts that balance. Even water’s pH of 7.0 is too high for the skin.
After rinsing with water, rebalancing pH to a mildly acidic level is essential.
Many everyday skincare products, including cleansers, serums, and moisturizers, have a pH of 5.5 and higher.
This can dry out the skin and make it more prone to premature aging, and these products also often contain hormone-disrupting skin care. Ideally, our skin would always maintain the target pH.
When I dug into the research on what to carry at The Organic Esti, I insisted on using natural ingredients to create products with an ideal pH between 4.6 and 5.4. The ingredients that go into the product determine this value. Not all skincare products are made with mild acidity in mind; however, you also don’t want the skin care products to be too acidic, which is below 4.5.
One of the biggest mistakes people make in their skincare routines is cleansing with a high-pH cleanser. Most cleansers have a too high pH (over 5.5) and contain damaging ingredients that strip the skin of its beneficial oils.
Your skin SHOULD NOT feel “squeaky clean” after cleansing.
Plus, conventional cleansers often contain DEA, MEA, and TEA—ethanolamine compounds used to make products creamy and foamy. These ingredients can react with other chemicals to form carcinogens. Some studies have shown that repeated use of these ingredients can lead to organ toxicity and skin issues. While these ingredients are banned in Europe and Canada, they are still legal in the United States.
Pay attention to how it rinses off to determine if your cleanser is removed from your skin while cleansing.
After cleansing, when you rinse your face, observe the water coming off your skin. If it’s clear, you’re done cleansing. If it’s milky, this suggests the cleanser is still on your skin.
Thanks to advances in science and research, we know more than ever why squeaky, clean skin isn’t the ultimate goal while cleansing.