Want to know a secret? I don’t really like to wash my face.
I find the whole separate-cleanser-for-separate-body-part situation to be a little too much. I mean, we make SO MANY decisions every single day (about 35,000 apparently) that I just try to simplify where I can.
But Facial Bars are a little different. They are multipurpose at its best, because they are soap for your face that you can also use on your body. Simplicity! Ease! Efficiency! Also, beauty.
I take a Facial Bar into the shower with me and all of my cleansing needs are covered—head to toe. Honestly, it makes me feel proud of myself and I don’t refrain from giving myself a pep talk: “Look at you, washing your face!”
Read on for a few demystifying facts about our Facial Soap Bars—including why activated charcoal matters and the detoxifying goodness of pink clay. Luckily for us there are only two Facial Bars to choose from, because you have most likely just made 34,999 OTHER decisions over the past 24 hours and I think you deserve a break.
Why Facial Bars?
First, they are concentrated. These waterless formulas are all the good stuff that your skin needs to get a gentle, thorough cleanse, but you add water at home. Because they’re bars, we can package them plastic free in precious (dare I say, giftable) little post-consumer recycled boxes. They are inexpensive for facial cleansers—$12 for a little hunk of organic ingredients! (Compare that to the $50 bottles you find in boutique skin care stores.) Finally, they are multipurpose. These are our best-selling products for a reason!
Tea Tree Charcoal Facial Bar
This is the facial bar to reach for if you have oily or combination skin or simply during the summer months when the heat is causing more buildup on your skin. This is one of the very few facial cleansers that I’ve met that addresses breakouts (thank you tea tree and eucalyptus essential oils) and balances the skin’s natural oils, but does not overly dry the skin.
Here’s what’s in it:
Activated CharcoalA powerful ingredient that carries away dirt and pollution and neutralizes free radicals, for clear skin and clean pores.
Cocoa Butter
A super soft moisturizer that soothes skin, helps lessen scarring from blemishes, and promotes softness.
Gluten Free Oats
These little sweeties draw and hold moisture in the skin while also calming irritation and inflammation. When you rub the soap bar directly on your skin, you get the extra benefit of the exfoliating ground oats inside the soap!
Tea Tree + Eucalyptus Essential Oils
Apart from smelling like a refreshing romp through the wet California woods, these two plants gently help to quell the growth of new blemishes by targeting bacteria.
Why Active Charcoal Is Good For The Skin
Active charcoal is a natural oil-absorber. This is cool, but you also don’t want to overdo it. If you use activated charcoal in face masks, the effect may be too drying, but as a soap with other ingredients like cocoa butter, it purifies without overdrying. Active charcoal is also credited for reducing pore size, making the skin more supple, removing dead skin cells, and toning the skin. (Radiance, baby.)
Pink Clay Facial Bar
This is the soap to reach for when you want to give some love and affection to your dry, sensitive, or mature skin (or if you just want to feel like you’re floating away on a pink cloud). It’s the sensitive floral personality of the two bars, with crushed rose petals worked in for gentle exfoliation and aromatherapy. This is the best face soap bar for moisture!
Here’s what’s in it:
Shea Butter
This is a luxurious and powerful emollient that is gentle on skin and won’t clog pores.
French Pink Clay
Pink clay is a from-the-earth detoxifier that absorbs dirt and pollution, all while gently exfoliating.
Geranium Essential Oil
Geranium essential oil is profoundly skin balancing. It tones and balances the skin, putting a final shine on the face washing experience. The scent is a grassy rose with intoxicating hints of lavender and geranium.
Rose Petals
When you make soap there is a part of the process where the soap gets really hot. We add rose petals at this moment and all of the nutritive properties of the petals are extracted into the soap. Roses calm irritation and reduce redness in the skin . It’s also a powerful antioxidant which is a boon for maturing and sensitive skin.
Why Pink Clay Is Good For The Skin
French pink clay is an aesthetically gorgeous ingredient (pink!) and it's also considered the most gentle of all skincare clays. It’s an ace at pulling out dirt and excess oil. So while you lather up, the pink clay gets to work on the impurities, while at the same time softening the skin and gently exfoliating dead skin cells away. The result is soothed skin that veritably shines.
How To Use Facial Bars
Washing your face with a Facial Bar is fairly straightforward, but we have some tips!
- Cut your bar into halves to make it last longer.
- Lather the bar between two wet palms until it gets sudsy; then rub the suds onto wet facial skin in a circular motion.
- Give your face a little massage, why not, you’re already making this massive effort by washing your face!
- Use Facial Bars all over your body—not just for faces.
- To get a full exfoliating effect, rub the bar directly onto your skin (this is most possible when using it on your body; for faces, lather into hands first).
- Keep soap out of the stream of water in your shower so it lasts a long time.
- If your skin tends to get dried out, follow with a toner and face oil.
Don’t forget your affirmations: “Look at you, washing your face!”
Written By Vera Kachouh
