What Should You Avoid?
So many brands of body wash contain a huge list of ingredients – moisturizers, fragrances, colours, foaming agents, preservatives… As you may have guessed, many of these ingredients are toxic! The skin is the body’s largest organ, and many chemicals are easily absorbed through it and into the bloodstream.
Most creamy washes contain parabens, which as you may know are toxic, particularly to the reproductive system as they mimic estrogens. Sodium Lauryl Sulphate is typically used as a foaming agent, which might make you feel clean… But it is a known carcinogen and is especially toxic to the gastrointestinal tract. Triethanolamine is used to adjust the pH of cosmetics, but is known to cause irritation of the skin. None of these chemicals are necessary to keep you clean! (And we haven’t even mentioned half of what they use! You’d be here all day)
What Do We Recommend?
As always, read the ingredients! Look for products with natural scents (essential oils) and natural moisturizers such as coconut oil or coco butter. Even if a product says it is natural or organic, read the labels!! If you don’t recognize an ingredient, or you’re not sure if something is safe, look it up on the Environmental Working Group website. It’s a great resource to check on the safety of pretty much any product. (Or, check out our suggestion below for a safe wash)
Remember, a good body wash does not have to foam up in order to make you clean. Use a loofah or wash cloth to help remove dirt and dead skin cells along with your natural body wash.
Which Products Have We Found?
There are many great, natural, non-toxic soaps out there. Using castile soap with essential oils is an effective cleaner. We love Dr. Bronner’s. They use very few ingredients and you can get it in a number of scents or unscented! It comes in a bar form as well (for you diehard bar users). You can find this at most health food store and Bulk Barn here in Aurora.
You could even consider mixing up your own batch. Dr. Bronner’s unscented castile soap… your own combination of essential oils… some melted coconut oil or sweet almond oil. Mix it all together and enjoy!