How do I choose a chemical free soap? Which soap is eco-friendly even after I send it down the drain? Recently, the Organic Consumers Association, reported they tested several detergents and body care products for 1-4 dioxane. They found different levels of this chemical in many natural products and products that report to contain some organic ingredients. 1-4 dioxane has been shown to cause cancer. The concerning part is the FDA acknowledges this and does not identify any safe level for use.
One of my tried and true eco-friendly brands, Seventh Generation, contains it in very low levels, but just the same....it still goes down the drain and back into our water supply eventually. And how do we know what is considered a low level when the FDA does not have a guideline for it? See Seventh Generation response here: http://www.seventhgeneration.com/learn/blog/seventh-gener ations-response-oca
Who do you trust these days? Here is the Organic Consumers Association report with lists of those products that tested free of this chemical and those that did not. (Unfortunately, there are not many products that do not contain 1-4 dioxane): http://www.organicconsumers.org/bodycare/DioxaneAlert080314.pdf
All the soaps I choose are mostly organic with simple plant based ingredients. They are 1-4 dioxane free! Here are my recommendations:
I use Dr. Bronners for all sink and shower soaps. Comes in soap bars and concentrated liquid form. I get the liquid one gallon jug that lasts more than a year since you can dilute it 1 part soap to 10 parts water. It is a very simple castile soap and comes in several essential oil smells. My favorite is almond. I think you can get unscented and add your own essential oil.
For face and hair, I really like Aubrey Organics. You can go to their website www.aubrey-organics.com/ and choose your skin type for product recommendations.
For laundry soap and dish soap, I am still using Seventh Generation, but I am seriously contemplating switching to something else. I may actually try Soap Nuts www.maggiespureland.com/ which is a pure nut that has nothing else added to it. Not sure how well it works, but I will get back to you on that. For added grease cutting, I am thinking about adding a little Oxy Clean or Oxygen Pro which is supposed to contain only calcium salts and it is biodegradeable.
For dish soap, I may go back to Dr.Bronners, although I stopped using it before because the oil in it caused a dirt film on my sink. Oh well, better than a cancer causing chemical on my hands. My sink cleans up well with BonAmi. Now, what to do about the dish washer detergent? That's my next step.....
Another great local soap maker is Pharmacopia. Our soaps are made with locally grown and produced organic olive oil (grown in Petaluma), and locally grown organic lavender and calendula flowers. The soaps are hand made in Ukiah, California and very mild (safe for babies AND moms!) Here is a link to our website: www.pharmacopia.net
Also, a great website to use as a resource when rating body care and cleaning supplies is www.safecosmetics.org
Just a tip!
Elizabeth Davis
