Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

My wife has had trouble with acne her whole life and is always looking for something to help her skin. After reading the reviews she was up for trying this out. At first she was really impressed with how well it cleaned. She used it once a day in the morning and her acne decreased initially, with breakouts taking less time to clear. She was a little concerned at how dry her skin was but since it helped she kept using it. After about 3 weeks she started having more trouble with breakouts and stopped using the soap. Overdrying her skin caused it to increase oil production to compensate (so she tells me) and that lead to increased skin problems. She's back to her old regimen of commercial products and managing to keep her skin looking good. She says she recommends this product but it's not for everyone, and if you use the soap be aware of how much it dries out skin. I have a science background and was curious about how this soap affected her skin. Another reviewer determined the pH of this soap to be 10 (above 7 is alkaline, below 7 is acidic with 7 being neutral). I did some reading and learned a lot more about skin than I thought I would. The average skin pH of a healthy adult is roughly in the range of 4.5 to 6.0, and this is because of a thin layer called the acid mantle. The acid mantle is a mixture of oil produced by the skin and sweat. The acid mantle protects the skin from the elements as well as bacteria and viruses. If the acid mantle is stripped off or neutralized (i.e. loses its acidity) then the skin is more susceptible to damage and infection. Bacteria favor a higher pH, so the lower pH of the acid mantle kills them. Remove the acid mantle and bacteria can grow, which may lead to breakouts. Washing with a very alkaline soap like this will strip away the acid mantle. That's why many of the reviewers comment on how drying the soap is, because the acid mantle is made up in part of natural oils produced by the skin. Most bar soaps have a pH of 9 which is why they're not recommended for facial use (cleansers have a lower pH). This soap is a really strong bar soap. I'm not saying you shouldn't buy this soap. I'm just sharing what I found out when I started reading about skin and soap. I hope you found the information useful. Please add anything I missed or correct any mistakes I made in the comments to this review.