What's In Your Soap?

At the end of a long and chaotic day filled with chasing my toddler this way and that, while attempting to manage the other 101 things around the house, I like to take 20 minutes of "me time" to unwind, clear my head, refocus, and just relax in a nice hot bath. 

Imagine my surprise when a friend of mine enlightened me about my beloved bar soap, Dove.   I was disappointed  to learn it contains animal products.  Upon further investigation, I also discovered most hairsprays, hand soaps, conditioners, and chewing gum also contain material from both farmed and domesticated animals.  Great.

That night my bar soap went out the window (actually, over to my husband to finish off), and no more commercial bar soaps for me.

Let's take a closer look at what exactly is in this bar soap, Dove.  Sounds sweet, innocent, pure?  Not so much...

Dove Soap Ingredients:

1. BHT ~ Suspected endocrine disruptor.  Harmful to fish and other wildlife.
2. Fragrance ~ Found even in products marked "unscented", can trigger allergies and asthma.  Some linked to cancer and neurotoxicity.  Some harmful to fish and other wildlife.
3. Cocamidopropyl Betaine
4. Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
5. Stearic Acid
6. Coconut Acid
7. Sodium Tallowate ~ very, very inexpensive, byproduct that is typically cheap fat/bone/hide leftover from the commercial meat industry.
8. Water
9. Sodium Isethionate
10. Sodium Stearate
11. Sodium Cocoate and/or Sodium Palm Kernelate
12. Sodium Chloride
13. Tetrasodium EDTA
14. Trisodium Etidronate
15. Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891)
16. Sodium Dodecylbenzene Sulfonate
17. Tocopheryl Acetate

Bar soaps have fast become another thing that we've changed in our households after learning of all the synthetic chemicals and toxins they are made with (not to mention those leftover animal parts!)

This was one of my many "wake up calls" and lessons learned.  It is important to not only read your food labels, but product labels as well. And research, research. research.

So, what are your options?

1. You can find a company that uses only organic and natural ingredients and that don't contain any parabens, sulfates, dyes, or fragrances.

Make sure to order from a reputable company that uses organic ingredients; the fewer, the better.  Look for saponified oils (lye is used to create a chemical reaction which turns oils into soap - necessary in creating soap - you won't find any soap anywhere that does not go through this process - No lye will remain in your soap once the process is complete), and either rosemary or Vitamin E (these are natural ingredients used as a preservative.).  Some places will offer you leftover soap from their large blocks (the uneven soap pieces) or entire blocks that you can cut yourself; this will usually be cheaper.  Some places will also add essential oils and other natural ingredients to their soaps for scent or healing benefits.  Make sure to do your research first to choose what best suits your family.

2.  Make your own.  

It might seem like a lot to get started, but you can order all of your materials in bulk, and it will save you in the long run.  The only concern with making your own, is factoring in the chemical process of turning your oils into soap with the use of lye.  You need to be extremely careful when handling the lye. Buying soap bases and adding in your own essential oils is not the same thing, and although may be inexpensive, not recommended because of the unnecessary ingredients and preservatives added.  Here is a recipe for a hot processed natural bar soap.  I would highly suggest researching further and talking with others that have made their own before beginning.

3.  Use Castille Liquid Soap instead of bar soap.

I've also started doing this, and was amazed at the rich lather this type of soap provided.  Dr. Bronner's castille soap is very popular, yet I prefer to order from Vermont Soap Factory, simply because their castille soaps don't contain citric acid (a common hidden GMO) or other additives.  The base of castille soap is olive oil, which can be drying for some skin types.

To find out more about Castille Soap, and it's many uses, click here.

As always, this information is not intended to scare you, but simply make you aware.  Aware of what we are purchasing as consumers.  Aware of what we are supporting every time we make purchases. Aware of the connection between inorganic/synthetic chemicals and disease.  In order to create a more natural world that is safe for our children, we need to refocus our support to those companies and products that meet our standards.  When demand decreases, so will supply.  Change starts with one!

To connect with others, find healthy whole food recipes, and share in this journey called life, please visit our Facebook page, Loving Green, at Loving Green FB.