Why are soaps so drying even though they are mostly made up of oils?

Question

Why are soaps so drying even though they are mostly made up of oils?

In: 19

Answer 1

Soap itself is not oils and fats, but it’s made when oils/fats undergo a process called saponification.

Saponification turns oils and fats into soap, and soap is a surfactant which is a special molecule that allows water and oil to stick to each other when they normally don’t.

So when you use soap, the oil in your skin sticks to the water you’re washing with and gets washed away leaving your skin dried out.