Why Handmade Soap?

I was just reading the latest issue of Grit magazine and they are doing a whole spread on soap and soap making. One of their soap facts was about the average person coming into contact with over 100 chemicals in their morning hygienic routine before breakfast. 100 chemicals. That's crazy. Its no wonder we have people with cancer and immune disorders and alzheimer's and...You get the idea. So I am proposing that everyone look into the more natural. Like Hand Made soap for instance. It is definitely more decadent than buying a bar of Irish Spring and some handmade soap makers (like me) give discounts for bulk purchases similar to the way Costco gives discounts. You can always try your hand in making your own, but if you are a busy person this option may not be the best bet.

Although hand made soap does have sodium and or potassium hydroxide in it at the start of the process, once the soap has cured, these chemicals have evaporated out and what you are left with is a bar of salt capable of washing away the dirt, grime and bacteria. Yes, I said salt. When you mix one of the above chemicals with oil you get saponification and this process turns the once acidic oil in to the more alkaline salt, we call soap. By using handmade bath and body products you can potentially decrease your chemical exposure by more than 50%. You have to be careful though, even though some products are home made they may still have chemicals like sodium laureth sulfate and laurel sulfate, propylene glycol and phthalates. All of these you should avoid if you are looking for a healthier morning routine. By using a handmade shaving soap for example you can avoid triclosan which is a popular antibacterial ingredient. However, by using products with triclosan we are adding to the problem by creating antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria. By using a hand made shaving cream you also avoid parabens (check labels to be safe). Parabens increase estrogen and have been found in breast cancer tumors. It is a known carcinogen and is in much of the store bought beauty items. Why? It is a preservative. But really, if you buy your handmade soap from a reputable person they will stand behind their products and if they are superfatting (making the bar more luxurious by adding more oils and less lye) then they will most likely be adding something like grapefruit seed extract as a preservative. This can extend shelf life to a year. If it is not superfatted then the bar can get away with no preservative and may last up to 6 months. Most of us don't have soap in our closets that long.

So do yourself and the rest of mankind a favor and buy natural handmade soap. Its better for you, your family, the environment and your sanity because you will know you are using a product that will benefit not only you, but the person that made it and the world around you.

www.desertsoapstone.etsy.com

Our health: Is it really safe?

Recently I have been informed about a slew of chemicals in the flu vaccine. Something that has been touted in the media as a necessity in life, has recently been shown to me to be nothing more than a detriment and a way for people to be duped into unknowingly spreading an infectious disease. Most people that receive this vaccine are oblivious to the fact that it contains such chemicals as Ethylene Glycol (vehicle antifreeze), Carbolic Acid (Toxic poison), Formaldehyde (cancer causing fluid used for embalming the dead), Aluminum (has been linked to alzheimer's disease and cancer), and Mercury (a well known heavy metal that has been linked to brain, nerve and immunity problems and has been the leading cause of autism in the U.S.). Oh, you don't believe the last one? Well, recently I was looking through a box of items belonging to my grandmother when I ran across a book marker with the face of John F. Kennedy on the top. The bottom portion of this bookmarker (a public service announcement geared toward a cure) was claiming that we needed to find the cure for autism. Interesting that this would come out a decade after vaccinations were made the norm in the 1950's and this bookmarker was being distributed shortly after Kennedy's inauguration in Januray 1961. This decade of vaccinations was enough time apparently, for the problem to become obvious, but not the cause. Maybe it is just me, but I find it infuriating to see vaccination stands set up at the local Wal-Mart knowing full well, that what these unknowing people are about to put into their bodies is nothing more than a poison designed to send them rushing into the emergency room with chronic symptoms of the flu when all they really needed to do was load up on Lemons!

I'm so proud

My step sister and her hubby at their wedding: First dance.

Natural Fabric softener

Recently I was reading a nature-y type magazine. It happens to be one my mother bought a subscription for us to. Its a great magazine and they have ideas that are outstanding by way of downsizing your household expenditures and living on less and loving it and natural solutions in our unnatural world. One of the solutions I found interesting and quite unique was to use White venegar as a fabric softener. I had to try it. Being all excited about the new essential oils I had just ordered I wondered if I could spike the new Vinegar solution with a little lemongrass eo to make my clothes smell extra clean. The article said to put 1/4 cup of vinegar in your "downey" dispenser or fabric softener dispenser and wash. I added a few drops of eo and said with my fingers crossed, "I hope I don't blow up the dryer." I didn't and I had very nice smelling clothes. No spots or marks from the eo and no static. I think my clothes looked and smelled fifty times better than with the store bought, break your bank account brands. So the next time you are thinking about washing clothes try using 1/4 cup of white vinegar instead of fabric softener and see what you think. Now, next time I might venture out with a fragrance oil...Dare I?