Teach Soap

I've been browsing some blogs and sites that claim to be based on science and I keep seeing over and over again that the pH of handmade soap, which is most often around 9-10, is too alkaline for our acidic skin pH of ~4-5. They say that repeated use breaks down the acid mantel of our skin and can cause damage. How do we answer this? It seems that science backs up these claims yet I know how wonderful handmade soap makes my skin feel. But that's not something I can measure in a lab. So why does my skin look and feel so healthy and smooth if my acid mantel is apparently being disturbed repeatedly?

How do we answer this with science and not just heart-felt, good-intentioned claims?

EDIT: I read some more and found several people claiming that soap being too alkaline for our acidic skin is a non issue because the acid mantel repairs itself quickly and repeatedly after being disturbed. In addition, they are saying that water, which has a pH of 7, disturbs our acid mantel because it is higher than our skin's pH. That's true. And we arent going to boycott bathing, are we? So what do you make of this argument?

Just for clarity's sake: The pH scale ranges from 0 - 14. A pH of 7 is neutral.
The lower the pH number the more acidic, the higher the number the more alkaline it is. And the difference between 9 and 10 isn't just one unit. A pH of 10 is ten times more than a pH of 9.

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Soapmaiden (Natalie)

I've honestly never seen anything that said that repeated use of soap would break down the acid mantel of our skin. Isn't water at about a ph of 7 usually? Wouldn't that too, be bad for our skin if we went by what these websites were saying?
Well maybe repeated use of handmade soap would be bad for our skin if we never rinsed it off. But, I could say that about almost anything.

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Genny

As a Licensed Esthetician, I can tell you that healthy skin returns to its natural balance quickly. Handmade soap does not damage the acid mantle.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

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Soapmaiden (Natalie)

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Soapmaiden (Natalie)

I don't think you can consider one thing in isolation (like the pH). Artesanal soap contains glycerin, which is an excellent humectant, and a variety of unsaponifiable fatty acids, which help re-fat dry skin. I'm guessing that once the soap is rinsed off, the skin's pH will return to its normal range quite quickly.
I used a lot of my own soap on my skin this morning 4 hours ago, and now, I just tested my skin pH and it is 5.

Good skin care products do not have to be the same as the pH of the skin. If they were, then treatments like glycolic peels or Retin-A wouldn't work, but they do. Handmade soap is not breaking any pH rule. Milk has proteins and sugars. In soap, that would not change the pH, but might change the superfat since milk has natural fats.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

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Soapmaiden (Natalie)

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Soapmaiden (Natalie)

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

[quote="soapmaiden
Maybe if we were talking about a syndet bar that has no glycerin, claims about mantle disturbance would fit?[/quote]

Actually, aren't syndet bars closer to our skin's ph than soap?

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Genny

Yes. Syndet bars can and do have lower pH.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

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Soapmaiden (Natalie)