Skin is the body's natural first defence against all elements. The pH levels vary over the surface of the skin, but an average healthy pH level of skin on the rest of the body is between 4-6.5. Skin's mild acidity is derived from the acid mantle layer that lies on the surface of the skin which:

• Helps maintain the barrier function of skin
• Protects against the invasion of microorganisms
• Protects against alkaline substances

Loss of skin's acidity leaves the skin prone to damage and infection. Washing with harsh soaps or detergents can cause loss of the acidic mantle and it could take up to 14 hours for the skin pH to go back to its normal level.

What using Soaps and Detergents on a daily basis does to skin:

You know how your face can feel very tight and a bit dry just after you wash it?, Part of that is because the more alkaline level of soap is temporarily disrupting the natural pH level of your skin. Now imagine that that is what some soaps do to the skin in the most intimate parts of your body.

Think of your skin cells as tiles on a roof that are kept together by an 'acid mantle' which helps hold the tiles together as well as protects them from harm. Elevating the pH level, which soap does, disrupts the protective acid mantle on skin and begins pulling the tiles apart which results in moisture escaping and dehydration of the skin leading to that dry tight feeling.