Skin care tends to lead people into thinking not only of taking care of their skin in a responsible way, but also pampering their skin. Going a little above and beyond routine skin care can be good for both you and your skin; you feel relaxed and comfortable, and your skin gets an extra special treat of moisturizer or period of stress-free time (as stress can damage skin). One of these pampering methods involves the bathtub. A good soaking with various products will give you different results.

Bubble bath soaps are popular among women. Most men find bubble baths to be girly; they are not interested in soaking in a land of bubbles and fragrance to relax. A little bit of specially formulated soap into running water and soon you have a tub full of glossy bubbles. But what does this do for your skin? Bubble bath subs do not actually do anything, quite similar to the foam in shampoo or your body soap.

Foam has no real purpose, but we like the bubbles because we find them fun and relaxing. Some bubble bath can actually irritate skin, but if you pay attention to what you are buying, some can help soothe skin. However, as with most baths, the longer you soak in the warm tub, the more natural oils are coming away from your skin (hence the pruney look to your skin), so dry skin may be inevitable once you hop out.

Bath salts have many faithful followers. Soaking in a tub full of salts, from rock salt to sea salt, can help keep infections down, allow skin to soften and shed dead skin cells more easily, and you can also use a bit of the salt to help exfoliate your skin by gently rubbing it in. Avoid using salt on your face as an exfoliant as it may be too harsh.

The Dead Sea has been hailed as beneficial to health for a long time, but you may not be able to travel all the way to the Dead Sea. You can get similar results by soaking for a bit in bath salts though. Salts also tend to open the pores on your skin, hence the natural exfoliation without rubbing. People with skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis may find bath salts quite beneficial.

Oils can also be added to your bath time to help soften skin. By adding a few drops of natural oils, which are often scented with essential oils such as lavender, rose, and citrus to help one relax, you can add in a little moisture and help get rid of rough patches. However, bath oils can be difficult to wash away from your bathtub, and again you have to be wary of soaking for too long or you will negate all the benefits of both soaking and the bath oils.

If fragrance causes allergies, you can easily look for oils that are unscented. Finding good oils can be tricky, but you should try looking for some that contain jojoba, olive, or vitamin E. Vitamin E can be a little pricier, as the cost of the oil will depend upon the base ingredient.

No matter what bath treatment you seek for a little extra skin care, the idea soaking time should be three to five minutes. Most people will ignore this; after all, what is the point of the bath if you cannot soak for twenty or thirty minutes? If you can get away with long time soaking, and your skin does not become too dry afterwards, you are always allowed to do what you like.

However, if you want to get the most benefits from soaking, then three to five is the way to go. During this amount of time, your skin has time to absorb a little extra water without losing all of its natural oils. If the product has directions indicating a specific time you should soak for, then follow them in order to get the most benefit from the soap, salts, or oils you have.