Most commercially available soaps are made with sulfates. Sulfates are a group of detergents or surfactants that are used in most personal care products today. Sulfates themselves are classified as a skin and membrane irritant. They can also become a a possible carcinogen with repeated exposure and can create even more toxic by-products by the other ingredients they are usually blended with. Additionally, most soaps contain an industrial detergent like SLS. The sodium lauryl sulfate found in your soap is exactly the same as the one used to degrease car engines.
Sodium lauryl sulfate dissolves the oils on your skin which leads to a drying effect. When we constantly strip all our oils, our skin tries to repair itself by replacing the oil stripped away. Each time we strip the oil away, our skin over-compensates for the lack of moisture by producing more oil.
Sodium lauryl sulfate is also a penetration enhancer, meaning that its molecules are so small they’re able to cross the membranes of your body’s cells. Once cells become more vulnerable to other toxic chemicals that may be with the SLS.
Castile soap is different than most soaps available today in that it’s made with vegetable oils and lye. Named after the medieval Spanish city of Castile, this kind of soap was was originally made with olive oil. Today, solid and liquid forms are made with vegetable oils like palm, coconut, hemp, jojoba, and olive.
Unlike commercial soaps that rely on SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate) to create a soapy lather, castile soap’s bubbles come from saponins in the oils that are released from the reaction of lye and oil.
5 Reasons Castile Soap is the best way to wash your hands
- Doesn’t Cause Irritation
Castile soaps are also free from foaming agents, like sodium laurel sulfate, that are typically found in detergents and cause skin irritation in some people. Castile soap retains all its moisture , allowing your skin to be hydrated every time you use it.
- Anti-Bacterial
Triclosan, the chemical in most antibacterial soaps has been found to interact with chlorine in the water to form chloroform gas. It is also a hormone disruptor, and can potentionally cause cancer. When the Calming Lavender organic castile-based soap was sent out for in vitro (“test tube”) and in vivo (in regular use) laboratory tests, against all the kinds of germs commonly found in the hospital setting. Here’s what those tests found:
Overall, the hand washing results clearly show a significant and striking reduction (99.9 to 100%) in enormous numbers of gram negative and gram positive bacterial cells in response to the three liquid soaps (A,B,C) evaluated in this study. In conclusion, these tests show Earth Mama Angel Baby soaps A, B, and C to be consistently bactericidal and effective in removing bacteria from skin.”
- Promotes Healing
Castile soap promotes skin’s natural healing properties.
- Great for Skin Sensitivities
Castile soap has zero chemical additives, synthetic fragrances, no parabens, or other harsh chemicals that will trigger an allergy. It’s best for people with skin sensitivities because it is very gentle on the skin.
- Non Toxic
It’s a true soap, not a chemical detergent, making castile soap completely safe and biodegradable.
Hand Soap
Fill an empty hand soap dispenser not quite to the top with water; then fill the rest with liquid castile soap.
Add some tea tree oil as well for extra anti-bacterial protection.