Soaps, Shampoos, Body, and Hair Care Dr. Clark Store

Washing your hands is one of the best ways to fight germs. But do you really need an antibacterial soap to do the job? Some researchers say no, and they caution that antibacterial products may do more harm than good.

Only the strong survive Recent research indicates that antibacterial agents contained in soaps may kill off ordinary bacteria, creating an environment for resistant, mutated bacteria that are impervious to antibacterials, including antibiotics.

"These mutated bacteria get wise to antibacterial agents," says Eli Perencevich, M.D., a research fellow in infectious diseases at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. By using antibacterial soaps over and over, more bacteria will become resistant to the products, Perencevich says. In that respect, antibacterial agents behave like antibiotics which, when overused, promote the spread of antibiotic resistance.

Read the label Consumers should pay close attention to labeling when buying soap, Perencevich says, because an increasing number of products contain antibacterials. "With so many of these products on the market, consumers may not even realize they are purchasing soaps that contain antibacterials," he warns.

More than 75 percent of all liquid hand soaps and nearly 30 percent of bar soaps for sale nationally contain antibacterial agents. In a survey of national chain stores, regional stores and e-commerce sites, researchers found nearly half of all commercial soaps contain the antibacterial agent triclosan.

Triclosan Triclosan has been used as an antibacterial for many years. However, it only recently raised a red flag as researchers have learned how it acts on bacteria.

Triclosan does not actually cause a genetic mutation in the bacteria, but by killing the normal bacteria, it creates an environment where mutated bacteria that are resistant to triclosan are more likely to survive and reproduce. Antibiotic resistance has become an increasingly serious problem worldwide, and overuse of triclosan may exacerbate this problem. The concern is that bacteria will become resistant to antibacterial products like triclosan, rendering those antimicrobial products useless to those who truly need them, such as people with compromised immune systems.

The use of triclosan is alarmingly widespread. It is found most commonly in hand soaps, cleaning supplies and dish detergents, but it also shows up in products that don't claim to be antibacterial. Some toothpastes, kitchen utensils, garbage bags, toys and bedding contain triclosan.

Plain old soap and water Despite Americans' concern with germ control, at least a third have forgotten the basics. A recent survey conducted for the American Society of Microbiology found that while 95 percent of men and women surveyed say they wash their hands after using a public restroom, only 67 percent actually do wash before leaving the restroom.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says antibacterial soaps are not necessary. Hand-washing with regular soap and warm water is the simplest, most effective thing people can do to reduce the spread of infectious diseases," says CDC director Julie Gerberding, M.D. In fact, the agency deems hand-washing so important in preventing the spread of infections that it offers guidelines for how and when the hands should be washed:

· Always use warm, running water and a mild, preferably liquid, soap. Antibacterial soaps may be used but are not required. · Wet hands and apply a small amount (dime to quarter size) of liquid soap. Rub hands together vigorously until a soapy lather appears and continue for at least 15 seconds. Be sure to scrub between fingers, under fingernails, and around the tops and palms of the hands. · Rinse hands under warm running water. Leave the water running while drying. · Dry hands with a clean, disposable (or single use) towel. Turn the faucet off using the towel as a barrier between your hands and the faucet handle. Remember, dirty hands turned the faucet on.

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Time to Come Clean About Corporate Soap

Did you know that much of mass-marketed soap available in stores today is not really soap at all, but detergent? Detergents are a petroleum-based product, like gasoline and kerosene. Some ingredients in mass-marketed corporate soap have been proven harmful to human health and can cause severe skin irritations and worse. We are talking about additives such as DEA, Isopropyl Alcohol, BHT and Triclosan (a common component of anti-bacterial soap).

Below, for example, are the listed ingredients of a leading corporate “cleansing bar.”

Triclosan, Sodium Cocoyl Bethionate, Stearic Acid, Sodium Tallowate, Water, Sodium Dodecylbenzene Sulfonate, Sodium Cocoate, PEG-20, Sodium Chloride, Masking Fragrance, Sodium Isethionate, Petrolatum, Sodium Isosteroyl Lactylate, Sucrose Laurate, Titanium Dioxide, Pentasodium Pentatate, Tetrasodium Etidronate.

Petrolatum speaks for itself. PEG compounds have been linked to breast cancer,(1) and Sodium Dodecylbenzene Sulfonate is a pesticide. And that’s just for starters.

Corporate Soap’s butter-tongued spin-doctors refer to this noxious chemical cocktail as a “Gentle Cleansing Bar” with “unique dual-action moisturizing benefits.”

Therapeutic use of turmeric was described in traditional Chinese and Indian medicine as early as the 7th century AD. Asian folk medicine used turmeric to treat diarrhea, fever, bronchitis, colds, parasitic worms and leprosy, as well as bladder and kidney inflammations.

In Corporate America one hand washes the other
It’s a fact that commercial soaps are commonly made with slaughterhouse tallow (Sodium Tallowate) from cows or even animal fat from euthanized cats and dogs. Animal ingredients such as Sodium Tallowate are used in the cosmetics industry not because they are better than vegetable-derived ingredients but rather because they are cheaper. Today's slaughterhouses must dispose of the byproducts of the slaughter of billions of animals every year and they have found an easy and profitable solution in selling them to food and cosmetics corporations. The slaughterhouses get rid of their waste and the cosmetics industry in turn gets a dirt-cheap base for their products.

A case of one hand washing the other, you might say.

Color me toxic
Many synthetic colors used in commercial cosmetics are derived from coal tar, aluminum salts and lead. Lead toxicity targets the nervous system, kidneys, bones, heart and blood. Lead toxicity poses greatest risk to infants, young children and pregnant women. Toxic lead-laden coloring agents are commonly used in corporate shampoos, conditioners, eye shadow and lipstick.

TCarmine, a red coloring agent regularly used by industry giants in foods and cosmetics, is extracted from the bodies of female cochineal beetles by means of harsh chemical solvents. In the past several years, doctors in Switzerland and France have proven that this insect-based coloring agent can cause several allergic reactions, including anaphylactic shock. (2)

More than skin deep
Endocrine disruptors in commercial skin care products and shampoos can cause children to develop embarrassingly large breasts (gynecomastia) long before puberty. Early-onset puberty—including premature breast growth and pubic hair development—is on the rise in America. Until very recently such cases were thought to be caused by hormonal imbalance, in which the body produces an excess of female hormone. However, in many cases of prepubertal breast development, no abnormality in estrogen or androgen blood levels was found. Instead, these abnormalities have been linked to exposure to additives such as lavender and tea tree oil fragrances commonly found in corporate personal-care products like shampoos, soaps and skin creams.(3)

Additionally, many epidemic health problems such as asthma, migraines, hyperactivity disorder, rashes, depression and even seizures, have been linked to synthetic chemical fragrances.

Lethal lather
Emollients are liquid substances that help prevent drying of the skin by providing a barrier to trans-epidermal water loss. There are two basic types of emollients: natural and synthetic. Certified organic fixed or base oils are cold-pressed from fresh fruit and seeds or nuts to preserve the beneficial nutrients. Synthetic emollients, on the other hand, are “cooked” using fossil fuels at temperatures of 500 to 1000 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 to 24 hours. This violent industrial process splits the natural vegetable oil molecules into new, synthetic molecules. The temperature and pressure extremes are very much like those found in the core of a nuclear reactor.

Synthetic emollients thus produced readily cross the trans-dermal barrier. Recent studies show that we may in fact be getting more toxins through skin absorption than through the foods we eat. When you rub commercial cosmetic creams loaded with harmful chemicals on your skin, those chemicals can pass straight through the skin and enter your bloodstream within minutes.

Getting under your skin
Below are just a few of the synthetic emollients manufactured by the superheated industrial “nuclear fission” process discussed above.

Butyl Adipate, Butylene Glycol, Capric/Caprylic Triglyceride, Cetearyl Glucoside, Cetyl Palmitate, Cyclomethicone, Dimethicone, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Glycerol-Mono-Di-Stearate, Isostearyl-Isostearate, Methyl Glucose Dioleate, Petrolatum.

Is this the sort of concoction you want to put on your skin? Would you go to the store to buy the aforementioned ingredients? Are they what you would prepare for your dinner? And if these ingredients are not safe enough to eat, then why put them on your skin?

What, then, is the alternative to participating in this sorry Corporate Soap Opera? The answer is: handcrafted soaps.

Handcrafted soaps
Handcrafted soaps are typically additive-free. They are made the traditional way, by the process of saponification. Unlike corporate soaps, handcrafted soaps will not coat your body with dangerous chemical additives and pollutants.

What exactly is saponification? Saponification is the chemical reaction created by combining natural oils—usually olive oil, coconut oil or palm oil—with lye and water. Most handcrafted soap makers use what is called the “cold process” saponification method, allowing the lye and water alone to do the job rather than “cooking” the mixture. Saponification is complete after the soap mixture has been poured into molds, cut into bars, and allowed to cure for several weeks.

The oils used in handmade soap are carefully chosen by the soap maker for the character they impart to the final soap. Coconut oil, for example, creates lots of glycerin, makes big bubbly lather, and is very stable. Olive oil has natural antioxidants and its soap makes for a creamier lather.

Pure, natural moisturizing glycerin
An important natural byproduct of saponification is glycerin. Glycerin is a humectant, that is, a substance that promotes the retention of moisture. During saponification, one molecule of glycerin is created for every three molecules of soap. Commercial soap makers promptly yank the glycerin out of their soap, thus robbing their product of its moisturizing qualities. The reason? You guessed it. They use the glycerin in fancy lotions and other cosmetics that command a higher price. Very often the same company that sells you the corporate soap that dries out your skin also sells you a lotion to moisturize your body after your shower.

Handmade soaps, crafted in small quality-controlled batches, retain all of the precious moisturizing glycerin, so your skin feels soft, silky and healthy. With handcrafted soap, all of the naturally-occurring glycerin stays in the soap, where it belongs. You may notice that when your handcrafted soap is fresh it will draw moisture from the air into small beads that will make the soap bar’s surface wet. This indicates that your handcrafted soap has a high glycerin content. For a fraction of the cost of the average skin conditioner, you can experience the purest soap you can get, and restore your natural skin balance within a few weeks.

As we’ve just indicated, the commercial cosmetics makers embrace the money-driven philosophy of mind over matter: they don’t mind and you don’t matter. So boycott the corporate giants. Put them on a cross-town bus. Burst their bubble. Scrub these hucksters right off your slate! Instead, buy pure, natural, mild handcrafted soaps. You’ll be glad you did.

References

Johnson, W., Jr. & Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel. "Final report on the safety assessment of PEG-25 propylene glycol stearate, PEG-75 propylene glycol stearate, PEG-120 propylene glycol stearate, PEG-10 propylene glycol, PEG-8 propylene glycol cocoate, and PEG-55 propylene glycol oleate." Int J Toxicol, 2001;20 (Suppl 4):13-26.
CSPI News Release (http://www.cspinet.org/new/carmine_8_24_98.htm), August 24, 1998.
Henley, D. The New England Journal of Medicine, Feb. 1, 2007; vol 356: pp 479-485. News release, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health.
July-August: Time to Come Clean About Corporate Soap

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