Soap

I have been a "shower gel" user for years - probably ever since they came on the market. I never liked the way my skin felt when I used soap and I was convinced the switch to body washes would make my dry skin feel better. I loved the lather and the great fragrances.

Nonetheless I always seemed to be on a quest to find a more moisturizing wash. And as a result, my collection of post-shower body lotions grew and grew. My skin didn't feel any better, so of course, I blamed my skin and not the products I was using on it. I always seemed to be on a "quest" to find a better product.

Then as I started modifying my actions to be more green and I began incorporating more organic items in my diet, I had a realization ~ if my skin is my largest organ, why am I subjecting it to harsh chemicals? Why am I nourishing my internal organs with healthier versions of my favorite foods, but am using toxic products on my skin? The solution: a switch to organic, handmade soap. Eureka!

Soap? I'm sure you are thinking "Are you kidding me?" My skin is too sensitive, or too dry, or too flaky or too itchy or too oily....

Really? Don't you think it might be all those chemicals you are putting on your body while you are in the shower or bath that might be causing all those skin conditions?

Let me illustrate the concept.

Before switching to organic soap, I used a body wash touted as "moisturizing". Here are the ingredients:

Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cocamidorpropyl Betaine, Sodium Chloride, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Aloe Barbadensis Flower Extract, Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Helianthus Annuus Extract, Primula Veris Extract, Sambucus Nigra Flower Extract, Citric Acid, Polyquaternium-7, Disodium EDTA, DMDM Hydantoin, Propylene Glycol, Sduim Benzotriazolyl, Butylphenol Sulfonate, Buteth-2, Tributyl Citrate, Fragrance, Menthol, Blue 1, Ext. Violet 2

I now use the Butter Bar from my line. My soap contains: Saponified Organic Oils of Palm, Coconut, Olive and Palm Kernel, Raw Shea Butter, Organic Calendula Extract, Rosemary Extract

Isn't that better?

The real test - How does my skin feel? Clean and refreshed without being stripped. Since it's winter, I still use a body butter (a great organic line I will be introducing soon) to provide extra nourishment against the drying affects of the weather. In fact, I even use the Butter bar on my face and have given up my expensive face cleanser in the process. My skin does not feel tight or "pulled" and it is more balanced.

Here are some frequently asked questions about using soap. The answers are provided by my buddy Larry who has been making organic soaps for decades.

Why don't my soaps lather as well as body washes?

Because these organic soaps do not contain SLS (see below), a foaming agent, many people are surprised at the low lather created by these soaps. The reason - the more the lather, the higher the drying affects on skin. But rest assured, the lather is not what is getting your skin clean, so you are not giving up cleansing quality if your soap doesn't lather well. For best results, use our organic soap in warm/hot water to increase the lather. Also, use an organic cotton wash cloth or loofah to add friction and increase lather.

What is Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and what is the big deal?

Sodium Lauryl (Laureth) Sulfate (SLS) is currently the primary foaming agent of Western civilization. It is usually found in combination with cocamidopropyl betaine (cocabetaine) and diethanolalamine (DEA), which itself has fallen under scrutiny of late. SLS is found in shampoos, bath gels, car washes, dish detergents, bar "soaps", laundry detergents, etc. It is a wetting and dispersing agent, emulsifier, degreaser and foamer. It also increases skin permeability roughly 100 times and is used in lotions to increase absorption of micronutrients through the skin.

SLS has gotten a bad reputation lately due to some urban legends and its link to cancer. These claims have not been substantiated. But here is what we know:

1. It is used in toothpaste to make it foam and also so the paste will stay together when coming out of the machines. Unfortunately it also aggravates the gums causing irritation. A University of Oslo (Norway) report states that individuals with gum disease had their symptoms cleared 40 times faster when non-SLS toothpaste was used.
2. May increase hair loss, and promote skin and scalp irritation in sensitive individuals. May produce skin and hair damage including cracking and inflammation. SLS is a known skin irritant and is used in lotion tests. First the skin is irritated with SLS - then the soothing effects of the lotion is tested on it.

Here's some more information about SLS from Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sorting Fact from Fiction

Sodium Lauryl Sulphate facts?

As a concerned and aware consumer, do you really have anything to worry about as far as Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS) is concerned? 

It would appear that we have two quite differing views on the safety of using and exposing the body to constant low levels of toxic chemicals such as Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS). I feel it is only fair we look at the facts as they are reported by the chemical industry and other concerned individuals in regard to SLS .

I would like to quote word for word as reported in the book " Health Wars " written by investigative medical journalist Phillip Day : You make up your own mind about the wisdom of using Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS) in your shampoo and children's bubble bath!

"Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS) is a very harsh detergent found in almost all shampoos and more than a few toothpastes. Pick up a cross section of these products next time you visit the supermarket and you will find Sodium Lauryl Sulphate SLS or Sodium Lauryth Sulphate (SLES) in pride of place under the ingredients label.

Sodium Lauryl Sulphate started its career as an industrial degreasant and garage floor cleaner. When applied to human skin it has the effect of stripping off the oil layer and then irritating and eroding the skin, leaving it rough and pitted.

Studies on SLS have shown that:" ( Judi Vance, Beauty To Die For, Promotion Publishing, 1998)

1. "Shampoos with SLS could retard healing and keep children's eyes from developing properly. Children under six years old are especially vulnerable to improper eye development. (Summary of Report of Research to Prevent Blindness, Inc. conference."

2. "Sodium Lauryl Sulphate can cause cataracts in adults and delays the healing of wounds in the surface of the cornea."

3. "Sodium Lauryl Sulphate has a low molecular weight and so is easily absorbed by the body. It builds up in the heart, liver and brain and can cause major problems in these areas."

4. "Sodium Lauryl Sulphate causes skin to flake and to separate and causes roughness on the skin."

5. "Sodium Lauryl Sulphate causes dysfunction of the biological systems of the skin."

6. "Sodium Lauryl Sulphate is such a caustic cleanser that it actually corrodes the hair follicle and impairs the ability to grow hair."

7. "Sodium Lauryl Sulphate is routinely used in clinical studies deliberately to irritate the skin so that the effects of other substances can be tested." (Study cited by the Wall St Journal, 1st November 1998)

Ethoxylation: Ethoxylation is the process that makes degreasing agents such as Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS) less abrasive and gives them enhanced foaming properties. When SLS is eth oxylated, it forms Sodium Laur eth Sulphate (SLES), a compound used in many shampoos, toothpastes, bath gels, bubble baths, and industrial degreasants. The problem is, the extremely harmful compound 1,4-dioxane may be created during the ethoxylation process, contaminating the product. 1,4-dioxane was one of the principal components of the chemical defoliant Agent Orange, used to great effect by the Americans during the Vietnam War to strip off the jungle canopy to reveal their enemy. 1,4-dioxane is a hormonal disrupter believed to be the chief agent implicated in the host of cancers suffered by Vietnam military personnel after the war. It is also an oestrogen mimic thought to increase the chances of breast cancer and endometrial cancer, stress related illnesses and lower sperm counts.

Dr Samuel Epstein (Author and research Scientist) reports: "The best way to protect yourself is to recognise ingredients most likely to be contaminated with the1,4-dioxane. These include ingredients with the prefix word, or syllable PEG, Polyethylene, Polyethylene Glycol, Polyoxyethylene, eth (as in sodium laureth sulphate) or oxynol. Both polysorbate 60 and polysorbate 80 may also be contaminated with 1,4-dioxane. (Epstein, Dr Samuel, Safe Shoppers Bible, P.190-191)  Further Reading Article by Michael V Brooking and Naheed Zaman

Since the controversy still seems to be brewing I would encourage you to do some comparisons of your own. Try a product that does not contain SLS - especially one that you use on your skin or for oral hygenie. I think you will find that you feel better and healthier without the additive. I do.

It's just one more way to be Intentionally Green.

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