Pine Tar Soap for Dry Skin
Skin is the body’s largest organ. While we may not usually think about it that way, it truly is, and the skin has so many important jobs to do. It protects our internal space, filters out toxins, guards us against insects and parasites, and absorbs UV rays. We sweat via our skin, which helps in regulating body temperature. Vitamin D, which is necessary to our core body functions, is created in the skin. And skin has a psychological function, providing us a conduit to touch and interact with others and the outside world.
When skin becomes overly dry, this is a reflection of our interior state as well as a reaction to the environment around us. Harsh household cleaners, skin care products, pharmaceuticals, hard water, the effects of the sun, a poor diet, and many other factors can contribute to dry skin.
To safeguard our skin against a world full of potential irritants, it is important to clean skin gently yet effectively, hydrate diligently, and protect skin from agents that cause irritation and dryness. This is why pine tar soap for dry skin can be indispensable. Pine tar soap cleans as effectively as any soap we know of, yet it never strips the skin. Instead, it leaves skin feeling soft and moist.
What Causes Dry Skin?
The composition of your tap water—“Hard water” is the result of the presence of excess minerals in the water. Heavy metals leave a film on the skin and can interact with skin oils to clog pores and causes rashes or other skin conditions. If you have chronic dry skin, a water filter may help. Filtering the water from your showerhead as well as your drinking water is vital to improving skin conditions, as the chemicals in the water are best able to penetrate your skin when they are carried by particles of steam.
Certain medications—Acne medications and skin resurfacing drugs work by causing skin cells to increase the speed of cell turnover, causing flaking and dryness.
Excessive handwashing—People are washing their hands now more than ever, and the constant application of hand sanitizer on top of it doesn’t help. Using pine tar soap every time you wash your hands is an excellent way to avoid dry skin entirely. Pine tar soap has antibacterial and antimicrobial properties, but it is an effective moisturizer as well. Not many cleaning agents deliver both effectively. In fact, some people find that they can avoid the need to slather on moisturizer every time they wash their hands when they use pine tar soap for dry skin.
Air conditioning/heat—Air conditioning and heat can rob skin of moisture in both summer and winter. This forced air may dry out your airways as well as your skin, causing cough and inflammation of your airways. But unless you live in an area that has a mild climate all year, it’s difficult to avoid.
Aging—As we get older, skin loses elasticity, and our bodies produce less of the oil that keeps skin supple and flexible. Menopause can add a layer of hormonal irregularities that further dries out the skin.
Irritation from body care products—Our bathroom closets and drawers have never been more crowded with body care products, lotions, masks, scrubs, and the like—and yet we still have rough, dry, itchy skin without a real solution. If you have dry skin, it may be time to look at the labels of the concoctions you are putting on your skin on a daily basis to find any ingredients that may be causing a problem. Pine tar soap may be able to replace several of these products, as it both cleanses and hydrates.
The Moisturizing Qualities of Pine Tar Soap
The history of the use of pine tar might surprise you. It’s been in use for thousands of years as a wood sealant for boats that spend days on end in the water. That’s how powerful the protective qualities of pine tar can be. Packer’s Pine soap utilizes pine tar itself rather than its extracts, so the natural product and its hydrating qualities are intact when you lather up.
Most soaps use harsh, synthetic chemicals that do clean the skin—but at what cost? Why use a soap with toxic chemicals like sodium laurel sulfate, paraben, synthetic fragrances, and ethyl alcohol when pine tar soap cleans just as effectively—but without causing dryness? Our customers find that pine tar soap is actively good for dry skin, often eliminating the need to moisturize every time they wash.
Feeding Your Skin from Inside
If there’s an internal condition that is contributing to your dry skin, all the moisturizer in the world won’t cure it. Try the following tactics to lubricate your insides, and in time the results should improve the moisture, health, and clarity of your skin.
Fats—Fats hold moisture within your body and therefore are vital to maintaining healthy, hydrated skin. The omega 3 fatty acids found in oily fish (tuna, salmon, etc.), nuts and seeds (chia, flax, walnuts), and other foods contribute this vital fat to your body. On the other hand, trans fats are inflammatory and should be avoided at all costs.
Drink quality water—Our bodies are made up of more than 70 percent water, so it only makes sense that staying hydrated will be reflected in your skin. Water may be the ultimate health food, so do your research and choose a high quality spring water or invest in a water purifier to keep your body as free as possible from toxins and irritants.
Biotin rich foods—Biotin is a nutrient that is vital to the health of our skin. Egg yolks, salmon and herring, spinach, cheese and milk, and bananas are all rich in this substance.
Zinc rich foods—Itchy, flaky skin can be an indicator that your diet has insufficient zinc. Pumpkin and sunflower seeds, cheese, meat, fish, and lentils should be consumed regularly to boost your zinc intake.
Of course, there are foods that can also rob your skin’s hydration, leaving your skin parched. Alcohol and caffeine, unsurprisingly, are dehydrating. Too much salt can make you and your skin thirsty as well.
Dry Skin Conditions that are Helped by Pine Tar Soap
Pine tar soap can help improve a wide array of skin conditions. It is also compatible with most other treatments, so it can be used as a support to other approaches when your skin needs more attention.
Eczema—Eczema is an itchy, inflamed, weepy skin condition that is most commonly experienced by toddlers and children but can affect anyone at any age. Pine tar keeps the skin hydrated to help lessen the effects of the eczema. Many of our users with eczema also report that it helps keep inflammation at bay. And finally, pine tar soap keeps the surface of the skin clean and free of bacteria, which can enter open sores from eczema and potentially cause an infection.
Psoriasis—Psoriasis is a similar condition to eczema. It is usually less itchy, but often it is more unsightly. Once considered to be mainly a skin condition, it is now thought of as more of a systemic syndrome that often presents along with other major health conditions such as psoriatic arthritis, heart disease, and Crohn’s disease. Pine tar soap may help to inhibit the growth of diseased psoriasis cells and in turn help skin to clear.
Sunburn—When sunburn damages the top layers of your skin, the itch can be surprisingly intense. And then after a few days, you wind up with peeling skin that can last a week until it’s finally healed. Try pine tar soap for dry skin associated with sunburn to hydrate, soothe, and promote a return to normal skin!
Dandruff—Chronic dandruff is annoying, unsightly, and it can be itchy. Our pine tar shampoo is highly effective against dry skin and is formulated to be especially gentle on the scalp.
How to Use Packer’s Pine Tar Soap for Dry Skin
Replacing your regular soap with pine tar soap is a good idea if your skin tends to be dry, dull, and sallow. Pine tar soap will slough off dead skin cells and make way for the new without the need for loofahs, salt scrubs, or synthetic chemicals. Keep it simple!
It’s a good idea to have a bar of pine tar soap in the kitchen, at the bathroom sink, and in the shower. Keep a bar in your gym bag so that you can freshen up and hydrate post workout without lugging a bunch of different products around.
For those who prefer to take baths, Packer’s Pine body wash can double as a bath treatment. If you have dry skin all over your body, you may want to try taking one or more pine tar treatment baths per week. Just add two capfuls to a warm (not hot) bath.
Whichever method you prefer, make sure to whip up a thick pine tar soap lather and let the suds linger on your skin for as long as possible. This allows the pine tar to do its magic on your dry skin. Once out of the bath or shower, use a fluffy towel and pat skin dry rather than rubbing, which causes friction—and flakes. It’s our goal to keep your skin clean and hydrated so that you look and feel your best.
