Is the soap you’re using really soap?
I was walking through the soap aisle at Walmart the other day. I was there to get shampoo and hand soap for a craft project. Of course, I was looking for the cheapest stuff possible. So many pretty colors and scents!
And there was some really cheap stuff. Which was great for the craft I was working on (which was something that didn’t involve actually using the stuff).
I looked at the ingredients. So much of it I couldn’t even pronounce. Which is usually a good sign that it’s a chemical or synthetic.
It made me start wondering what all the ingredients were in the glycerin soap we sell. It’s a melt and pour deal. We get it from a trusted source, so I’ve never doubted its naturalness. But I’d never actually looked up all the ingredients either.
So here we go… the ingredients in our soaps and its purpose there. All of it pronounceable. ? Lol.
Coconut oil (moisturizing, lather)
Palm oil (hardens the bar)
Safflower oil (moisturizing, lather)
Glycerin (moisturizing, what makes the soap clear),
Purified water (umm, well, water)
Sodium hydroxide (lye)
Sorbitol (sugar alcohol, aides in transparency)
Soy bean protein (emulsifier)
Essential oils (gives it a medicinal purpose and scent)
Soap colorant (makes it pretty, the only thing not natural in our soaps)
In looking up all these ingredients I ran across some thought-provoking articles. (I’ll post links below in case you’re interested). Most of the “soap” sold nowadays is actually detergent by definition. Beauty bars (yes, even Ivory), body washes, face washes, shampoos, etc. are all actually made from the same basic ingredients as your laundry “soap”.
There’s a lot of jokes about eating Tide-pods, but how about taking a bath and washing your body in Tide-pods? That’s pretty much what one is doing when using commercial “soaps”.
Why does this matter?
Because your skin is your body’s largest organ and what you put on it goes into your body. All these chemicals then are stored in your fat. If you can, visualize that yellow layer of fat underneath your skin over-loaded with chemicals and toxic things.
Then think about all the “mystery” illnesses around today… fibromyalgia, lupus, ADD, cancer, and a hundred other things no one can figure out why they happen, etc., etc. Would it not make at least a little sense that there might be a connection?
Beyond going into our skin and being stored in our bodies, it then goes down the drain and out into the environment to affect everybody else too. ?
God made our bodies so they can filter out a lot of gunk, but we can help the process greatly by being mindful of our toxic load. I’m not saying to be fearful of every bar of soap and bottle of shampoo, but yes, do think about the chemicals around you that you come into contact with and lessen it where you can. Your health, (especially as you get older) will thank you.
So with all that said, are there real soaps you can get locally? Yes, Walmart sells Kirk’s Castile Soap. It’s affordable and has pronounceable ingredients. It’s not over the top expensive either. We’ve used it often and recommend it. You can find other real soaps online all over the place. And of course, we recommend our glycerin soaps as well. You can find it in our store.
As promised, here’s those links I spoke of:
Benefits of Using Real Soap