Re-thinking Soap: Your Skin's Natural Protection and Dry Skin Woes

The episode discusses the implications of using soap, its impact on skin health, and misconceptions about skin cleansing. I reveal how the use of soap can disrupt the natural skin protection layer, known as stratum corneum. Overuse of soap can damage the skin's microbiome, leading to problems like dry skin, eczema, and psoriasis. Natural alternatives to soap use, such as water, herbal clay, linen washcloths, and other organic products, are recommended for optimum skin health. The episode also advises against long, hot showers, as it can harm the stratum corneum, leading to dry and under-nourished skin. The discussion ends with the suggestion to let the skin do its natural job and care for itself, rather than impeding its processes with unnecessary products.

00:08 Introduction to the Topic

00:22 Understanding the Importance of Skin Care

00:35 The Role of Soap in Skin Care

00:45 Understanding the Skin's Structure

01:50 The Importance of the Skin's Microbiome

02:49 The Negative Impact of Soap on Skin

03:54 The Origin of the Episode

04:40 Different Biomes in the Body

05:03 Alternatives to Using Soap

06:25 Natural Cleansers and Their Benefits

07:28 Tips for Women's Facial Cleansing

08:22 Other Natural Cleansing Methods

09:20 The Benefits of Linen Washcloths

12:38 The Impact of Soap on Bad Bacteria

13:10 The Importance of Short Showers

14:35 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Soap

Erik 1: Welcome to Monday minutes.

Today's going to be a little different. We're going to talk about if you should or should not use soap in the shower.

Erik is this really. That important. Oh, yeah, it is. And it can get rid of a lot of those problems that you're always having to deal with specially in the winter with dry skin.

It's actually a pretty cool topic and I find it really interesting. So let's get going. You have been sold. You've been sold to believe you need soap. You don't need soap until you actually needed for something really important.

It is the most important thing. Well, what is it?

It's actually dead. Skin cells and fats oils. Really I'm not even kidding. Wait a minute, dead cells and fat. Are really important for my skin. Oh yeah. It's the barrier that protects all the underlying layers from all kinds of issues.

Protects you from the outside elements like bacteria and toxins and all kinds of nasties.

It's what helps give you good quality skin, healthy skin, by the way. That microbiome is symbiotic. There's negative and positive things on that skin and a little bit inside of it. And they work together. To help you stay. Let's call it. Healthy.

If that microbiome. Changes and it gets damaged. That's called dysbiotic. Well, what can cause it to be dysbiotic first thing, number one thing. Soap. So dries out your skin. When you lose moisture, you lose strength.

And your skin cracks and there's openings now, right into that dermis that you don't want.

Then soap will actually force those dead skin cells. That protect your epidermis and.

In the first layer. From influences that could harm. So. Your microbiome utilizes these dead cells. Because of the soap in order to protect itself. And then you go and do a scrub and get rid of them. Uh, opening up and making your skin susceptible.

I actually need soap. Or is the soap, the problem for giving me dry skin. So, this is why we have this episode.

That corneum is actually so important. You wouldn't think it's just this little thin layer. But it actually does so many more things for you.

It helps that microbiome protect itself and then protect you. So we don't want to get rid of it.

Hmm.

So you say, well, should I not use any soap at all? Or what do I do? Well, let's get into it.

I say you who use soap on your armpits and your nether regions only for the most part. And now we're not talking about Midsummer, we've been sweating and you're just nasty. I'm talking about when you haven't had. Really all that much activity. There's really nothing on your body. All that much. It's just maybe got some dust on there and whatever from your clothes or something. But you don't really need to get super clean.

This would probably be, let's say, 90% of your life. So, what do you use? Well, Water.

It's that simple. Water. Is amazing to clean you. It'll wash almost everything off your body. That's bad for you. Do you want to wash all the oils off your skin? I mean, do you.

But essentially water has a lot of cleansing ability. That with your hands. Because your hands have skin texture that is abrasive. So with water, And your hands, you can pretty much clean off. Almost everything.

If you're going to use cleansers, then they need to be. A hundred percent natural. None of this garbage with names on it that you've heard of. And you see if you see a commercial. On TV. I don't buy it. That's that's a really good indicator. That's a really good way to know whether or not you should use it. But it should be fully natural, organic.

Look up those ingredients really quick? Make sure they do not have any antibacterial agents at all whatsoever.

If it's antibacterial, it doesn't decide whether it's good bacteria or bad bacteria. Is it good bugs, bad bugs. It just kills everything. Indiscriminately, which is terrible and destroys the biome. On your skin. Your whole body's skin.

Here's a little quick disclaimer, on women's facial cleansing. You know, you guys have. If you use makeup, you have. You know, these makeups That have many ingredients that are extremely difficult to get off the face . That's why they last so long. But with that said, if you're not going to use natural makeup, that's more easy to come off the face . Uh, make sure you're trying to use natural things to clean your skin like witch, Hazel. Or different toners or oils actually works.

But never use any of that synthetic garbage that they try and sell you specially when it's really expensive. One of the other things you can use to clean your body. And there are lots of people around the world that do this. Matter of fact, they do a lot of this in India. You don't buy soap. They get what's called an herbal clay. But you can use clay as a whole. Make it up in a big jar or a tub or whatever you want to do and you make this paste and then you use that on your body, in the shower. No, it sounds weird, but it definitely cleanses you and it takes off all kinds of impurities, but be careful in the winter.

Erik 1: My favorite way to clean your skin in the shower. Uh, excluding the private parts and the armpits. Would be everywhere else you use. Linen. Of course, it needs to be organic. Flax linen. But linen washcloths, you can either buy them or make them. Super easy either way. Use one per shower. And then wash with it. You don't need to super scrub your skin.

Super easy to use.

They never wear out. You pay for them one time you're done. You can make them whatever size you want. If you make them yourself, if you buy them while you're going to get whatever they do. And that linen can also remove makeup as well.

Very easy thing to do. I know what doesn't seem very much like this is important. But. Everybody wants nice skin. Cause they want people to look at them. And think, wow, they're pretty. Are there. They're nice looking or bull you look so young or when you just look into the mirror, You're happy with the way you look. Well, what if that can be done by ditching the soap? That's tearing apart your skin.

Then, if you're going to use soap, make sure it's awesomely good for you. And then now you'll be able to feel better about your skin, less dry skin, less issues, less.

Wrinkles.

And less to think about actually. spend money on all kinds of things you don't need to buy for your skin, let your skin do what your skin is supposed to do. Step out of your way. Let the skin do what it's got to do with the processes that it does and the microbiome on the skin.

It will take care of you. You don't need to add anything else to it. Matter of fact,

You're probably impeding your skin's natural glow.

Rinse yourself down. Only soap the main areas. That's it quickly. And get out.

Also. I will say. When you soap up.

Your. Hair that soap runs over your body. That is cleansing believer, not it changes how the water structure works. And it makes it more. Cleansing.

Soapy water. We'll do more to your skin than straight water. So you want to limit how much time that soap is on your body or running over your body. Also on top of that. You might be asking, what about the bad bugs? Shouldn't I do something about those. Well, guess what? The more soap you use, the more that you kill the good stuff and the bad stuff proliferates. It grows. So you should never wash your legs.

Believe it or not. It's actually a true thing.

Now you don't want to stay in the shower for too long. You want to get in. I get your business done and leave. If you're sitting in hot water, a lot that water will get rid of the oils on your skin. It will mulcify them right off your skin. And then that.

Corneum will expand because it's getting too wet.

And then when it dries it cracks. And that's why you feel it after you get out of the shower.

You know how, when you wash dishes or you spend a lot of time in water with your hands. They get all wrinkly and weird. Yes. That is very similar to what I just said.

That corneum expands. And then when it dries, it collapses and it cracks.

And then of course you have to slap on all this lotion because you feel dry. Well, you won't need to do that. If you just get in, get your business done and get out. I know what feels good under the hot water.

Believe me. I know we all love it. It's amazing. Maybe even a cool shower in the summer. You're a notice you never have dry skin. In the summer, if you take a cold shower, that's because the hot water. Destroys the corneum. That stratum corneum. That's protecting your skin is what's keeping the moisture in. You don't want to destroy it.

All right.

Thanks for listening today. I had fun. I hope you did too.