Soie — Hand Beauty

Moisturizing Hand Soap: The Idea Behind Washing Without Drying

Washing keeps the hands clean and, at the same time, dries them. A moisturizing hand soap builds moisture into the act of cleansing itself. Here is how to choose one, and how to wash so that it works.

We wash our hands to keep them clean, and the washing is part of what dries them. Most people feel this contradiction and accept it. We choose a facial cleanser with care; for the hands, washed a dozen times a day, any soap that foams has been thought good enough.

A moisturizing hand soap is an answer to that contradiction. Cleansing and the moisture of the skin afterwards are not opposites. With the right cleansing base, the right moisturizing ingredients and the right way of washing, hands need not dry with every wash. They can be put in order with every wash.

This page follows the question through: why washing takes moisture from the hands, what to look for in a moisturizing hand soap, how to wash without undoing its work, and what to do in the minutes after the towel.

Why a moisturizing hand soap matters: what every wash takes away

The moisture of the skin depends on the balance between the water held in the stratum corneum and the thin film of sebum that covers it. That film is a veil against evaporation, and washing, by its nature, rinses part of it away. The back of the hand has few sebaceous glands to begin with, so once the film is gone it takes time to return.

Add a dozen washes a day and the moisture barrier is disturbed. The hands feel tight, the skin roughens, the fingertips catch on fabric. In dry seasons, or in periods when washing and sanitising increase, the same soap feels harsher than it did before.

What a moisturizing hand soap sets out to do is to give back, within the wash, part of what the wash takes. If the hands come out of the water still supple, their condition until the next wash is different, and the difference shows by the end of the day. Preventing chapped hands more broadly is covered on our dry and rough hands page.

Cleansing and moisture together: three things to read on the label

Many soaps call themselves moisturizing. Soie reads a label for three things.

1. Moisturizing ingredients

Glycerin, aloe vera leaf juice, hydrolyzed collagen and allantoin are moisturizing ingredients that support the skin during and after washing. When names like these appear near the front of the ingredient list, the soap has been designed with the feel of the hands afterwards in mind.

2. A gentle cleansing base

Removing dirt and stripping the sebum film are two different things. A soap built on a traditional soap base, or one designed to leave little tightness after washing, is aiming for both cleanliness and moisture. Whether it avoids petroleum-derived ingredients is another useful marker.

3. The quality of the lather

A soft, dense lather reduces friction between the fingers and the skin and lifts dirt without scrubbing. A thin, airy foam invites you to rub harder, and rubbing is one of the quiet causes of dryness.

Fragrance, suitability for the whole family and the other points of choosing a hand soap are set out in our guide to choosing a hand soap.

How you wash decides the rest: temperature, lather, rinsing, drying

A moisturizing hand soap does half the work. The other half is the way you wash, and four small habits decide how much moisture survives.

Temperature: hot water strips sebum and breaks the moisture barrier. Use lukewarm water, even in winter.
Lather: take a modest amount, lather it lightly, and roll the foam over the skin rather than scrubbing. Do not rub the back of one hand with the palm of the other.
Rinsing: soap left on the skin irritates it. Rinse between the fingers, around the nails and up to the wrists.
Drying: do not rub. Press a towel or paper towel gently against the skin and leave no droplets. Water left to evaporate takes the skin's own moisture with it.

When there is no visible dirt, a sanitiser with moisturizing ingredients is considered less likely to chap the hands than repeated washing. How the number of washes relates to moisture is the subject of a journal piece.

The minutes after washing: making the most of a moisturizing hand soap

The moisture a good soap leaves behind is meant to carry the hands to the next step. The minutes after washing are when water leaves the skin fastest, and if nothing follows, even the gentlest soap loses ground a little at a time.

Soie's basic habit of hand beauty is simple: wash, then moisturize. Wash with a moisturizing hand soap, pat dry, and smooth a beauty serum made for the hands over the backs of the hands, the fingertips and the skin around the nails. A serum that leaves no stickiness can be repeated as often as the day requires.

On days of constant wet work, keep the water from getting too hot and consider gloves for longer tasks. The more often you wash, the more clearly a moisturizing hand soap makes itself felt. The aim is not to wash less, but to put the hands in order with every wash, and let that accumulate into the hands you have at the end of the day.

Frequently asked questions

What makes a moisturizing hand soap different from an ordinary one?

It contains moisturizing ingredients such as glycerin, aloe vera leaf juice and allantoin, and is designed to keep moisture in the skin during and after washing. Its cleansing base is usually gentler as well, so the hands feel less tight afterwards and keep a supple texture.

If I use a moisturizing hand soap, can I skip moisturizing afterwards?

We recommend keeping the habit. A moisturizing hand soap limits what the wash takes away, but the minutes after washing are still the time when the skin loses water fastest. Pat dry and smooth in a hand serum straight away: wash, then moisturize.

How warm should the water be?

Lukewarm. Hot water strips sebum and breaks the moisture barrier, and in winter the temptation to turn the tap up is exactly when the hands can least afford it. Lowering the temperature a little is one of the simplest ways to reduce the tight feeling after washing.

Does a gentle soap still get the hands clean?

Yes. Removing everyday dirt and stripping the sebum film are different things. A soft, dense lather lifts dirt without scrubbing, and thorough rinsing does the rest. Careful rinsing is what supports both cleanliness and moisture, so take a few extra seconds there.

Is a moisturizing hand soap suitable for sensitive skin and children?

Soie's soap has a gentle formula suited to people with sensitive skin and to children, and can be shared by the family. No product suits everyone, so stop using it if you notice redness or itching, and consult a dermatologist if the discomfort continues.

Soie's moisturizing hand soap: Moist Fragrance Hand & Body Soap

Soie (pronounced swah; French for silk) makes Moist Fragrance Hand & Body Soap (300 mL), a soap that grew out of the brand's own research and moisturizes with every wash. On a potassium soap base it combines moisturizing ingredients such as glycerin, aloe vera leaf juice, hydrolyzed collagen, placenta extract and allantoin with more than twenty botanical extracts, among them rosemary, chamomile, lavender and sage. It contains no petroleum-derived ingredients.

Its soft lather envelops hands and body, leaves none of the tightness of an ordinary hand soap, and keeps the skin supple. Afterwards, Enlight Hand Serum, the beauty serum made only for the hands and available in the same five fragrances, adds the moisture that completes Soie's habit: wash, then moisturize.