How to choose body washes for sensitive skin

What should you look for on the bottle?

Choose a body wash marked for sensitive skin, even if its bottle has all the visual ambition of office stationery. Fragrance is a useful first thing to avoid because it can dry and irritate skin. For eczema, perfumes and dyes in soaps can make symptoms worse, and strong soaps and detergents are also irritants to avoid. A gentle cleanser is a better starting point than regular soap.124

Look for the words "fragrance free," rather than relying only on "unscented." This distinction is especially relevant if you have rosacea, a condition that often makes facial skin sensitive and easily irritated. For rosacea, avoid products containing alcohol, camphor, fragrance, glycolic acid, lactic acid, menthol, sodium lauryl sulfate or urea. That is guidance for rosacea, not a universal ingredient blacklist for every sensitive body.5

Body wash or emollient soap substitute?

Emollient soap substitutes clean without normal soap's foam, so a shower does not need a special effects budget. Emollients are moisturising treatments that help trap moisture in the skin; some are left on, while others replace soap during washing.3

How should you wash sensitive skin?

1. 1Use lukewarm water rather than hot water. Keep washing brief, especially if you have eczema.
2. 2Apply cleanser where needed. For sensitive or eczema prone skin, concentrate soap use on the armpits and groin rather than automatically soaping your entire body.
3. 3If using an emollient soap substitute, mix about a teaspoonful with a little warm water in your palm, then spread over damp or dry skin.
4. 4Wash gently without scrubbing. Rinse the emollient wash off.
5. 5Pat dry instead of rubbing with a towel.
6. 6Apply a fragrance free moisturiser promptly afterward, within about three to five minutes. For eczema, apply while skin is still damp to help trap moisture.

How often should you shower?

A daily shower helps rinse away allergens that collect on your skin. Morning or evening is fine. If you shower more than once a day, use soap during only one shower to avoid drying your skin out. With eczema, frequent baths or showers can worsen symptoms by drying the skin, so keep water exposure short and avoid long, hot bathing.12

The same approach applies to baths: avoid overly hot water and heavily fragranced bubble baths. Foaming bath products can be irritating and drying, particularly during a long soak. If you use bubbles or a bath bomb, rinse off afterward to remove ingredients that could irritate your skin.2

What should you apply after washing?

Use a fragrance free moisturiser. Ceramides and cholesterol are ingredients that help restore the skin's moisture barrier, the outer layer that helps keep water in. For eczema, moisturising with a lotion, cream or ointment two to three times daily helps keep skin moist. Washing gently and moisturising are parts of eczema care, not substitutes for medicine your clinician has prescribed.14

If you use a steroid cream or another skin treatment, separate it from an emollient by 20 to 30 minutes. Ask your doctor which to apply first.3

Can you use body wash on your face or groin?

If facial products often burn, choose a creamy facial cleanser labelled for sensitive skin, soap free and fragrance free. For facial rosacea, use a mild cleanser rather than soap, wash with your fingertips, rinse thoroughly and avoid washcloths, sponges and scrubbing.56

For external genital skin, choose a mild soap without perfumes, dyes or alcohol. Wash gently with your hands or a clean washcloth and water, then dry thoroughly. If you have a vagina, keep soap and water out of the vagina itself. If you have foreskin, retract it gently only as far as it comfortably goes to wash underneath.7

When should you change products or get help?

If an emollient wash stings and the sensation does not settle after rinsing, ask a pharmacist for another product. Persistent burning, inflamed hair follicles or new rashes also need advice. For eczema, contact a clinician if home care does not help, symptoms worsen or treatment stops working. Fever, redness or pain can be signs of infection and need medical attention.13

Emollients can make baths and showers slippery. Keep emollients and fabrics carrying their residue away from flames and cigarettes; washing fabric does not completely remove the fire risk.3