These days, many of us don’t use soap in the shower or bath anymore. Instead, we lather up with bath foams, shower gels, facial washes, and scrubs, all of which rely on complex detergents (often the same ones used in heavy industry) to wash away simple dirt.
I recently came across this analogy, which I thought was dead-on so I wanted to share it with you: The difference between soap and detergent is like the difference between cotton and nylon.
Soap and cotton are produced from natural products with (in most cases) little modification. Detergents and nylon are produced entirely in a chemical factory. If you use mainstream commercial brands (even so-called “Premium” brands), what you basically get is the same detergents and surfactants (foaming agents) that are found in your household cleaning products, only in a much smaller concentration. Many of these harsh surfactants deplete natural fats and phospholipids from the epidermis that weakens the skin allowing toxins and bacteria to invade. Not so appealing when you really think about it. Is it any wonder that there’s an epidemic of dry irritated skin out there with no end in sight?
If you have sensitive or perpetually dry skin, discontinue using liquid soaps or body washes that contain Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) or Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES). These surfactants (foaming agents) are among the most commonly used foaming agents in shampoos, cleansers, body washes and even toothpastes and mouthwashes, because they are extremely cheap. They work by lowering the surface tension of water, which unfortunately, also dissolves your skin’s natural oil and strips it of its protective layer. SLS, particularly in shampoos, penetrates very easily through the hair follicles on the head, and assists other chemicals to more readily penetrate as well. It can cause skin damage, flaking, drying, cracking, roughness, and breakdown of the skin’s protective barrier. While there is no concrete evidence of a link between SLS and cancer, studies have revealed some cause for concern. There is evidence that these chemicals do permeate the skin and enter the bloodstream, leaving residuals in the eye, brain, liver, lung and heart tissues.
Other ingredients to be concerned about in your liquid soap, body wash products, and shampoos: Cocamide EDTA (or similar compounds ending with DEA, TEA or MEA) along with formaldehyde-forming substances such as Bronopol, DMDM hydantoin, Diazo-lidinyl urea, imidazolidinyl urea and Quaternium-15. These are ingredients that have been known to react with other nitrogen-based ingredients to form cancer-causing nitrosamines after absorption.
Instead, get your new year off to a clean (and safe) start with Dropwise gentle cleansing aloe, coconut, jojoba, and olive oil-based pure liquid castile soaps infused with our delightful essential oil aromatherapy blends. These soaps use gentle, natural cleansing agents that effectively dissolve grime and pollutants without Sodium Lauryl Sulfate or other added foaming agents that can strip or dry the skin. Just good old-fashioned, gentle suds without all the extra foam. These body washes rinse clean, leaving your skin feeling soft and hydrated.
If you’re concerned about the environment then you should know that liquid soaps and body washes made with all-natural, vegetable ingredients are completely bio-degradable, whereas many of the chemical ingredients mentioned above are derived from petroleum and can take as long as 200 years to degrade after they wash down the drain! Because the ingredients are plant-based, they
My first comment here and I’m going to keep it short & sweet as I have a lot more reading to do ! Thanks for the great blog, I know I appreciate the time and effort it takes to keep these sites current !