FACT FILES ON HANDMADE, PURE ORGANIC SOAP

“If you drink much from a bottle marked ‘poison’ it is certain to disagree with you sooner or later.”- Lewis Carroll, “Alice in Wonderland”…my favourite book from childhood- a book of riddles that actually makes wonderful sense.

We carry so much with us from our experiences. Nursery rhymes- will we ever forget any of them? TV ads and jingles- I’m sure they’ll stay embedded too. Can anyone over 40 forget the “Louie the Fly” ad for Mortein that played for years, with updated variations? For those unfamiliar, here’s the link to the original ad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcO2UlIMkpo -a quirky fly character who was “bad and mean, and mighty unclean”, that we could remove from our lives by using Mortein insect spray in every room in our home with confidence…”Spray safe…spray only Mortein.” I still know the words to the jingle off by heart.

Then there was Mr Sheen in the 70s- a spray on furniture polish that promised to transform the toil of cleaning. Another quirky character, and another jingle: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnlPZT5y24k convincing us that “Everything around you comes up bright and clean.” Too bad its harsh chemical formula destroyed many a cherished antique piece of timber furniture. Whoops- nothing was mentioned about that… just “Put Mr Sheen, in there to fight for you.” “Fight for you”?

TV became an effective place to market cleaning products that promised us an easy way to create a clean environment. Somewhere in the last twenty years, the focus moved more intensely to combating ‘germs’, and antibacterial products flooded the market. The surface cleaning sprays suddenly needed to be more effective than before- we needed more than Dettol to just kill the germs that could affect us from the odd scrape or cut…we needed to sanitise our household surfaces as well, and eradicate every trace of bacteria from our environment.

Manufacturers introduced products laden with the new wonder chemical ‘triclosan’. Triclosan was initially registered for use as a pesticide in 1969. Then it became a chemical largely reserved for hospital shelves, where it was used as a synthetic broad-spectrum antimicrobial agent. Now it’s included in about 75% of antibacterial personal care products, and represents an industry that’s worth an estimated $1 billion. It’s included in body washes, soaps, hand sanitisers, toothpastes, antiperspirants/deodorants, body wipes and antiseptics…along with household cleaning products, plastics, fabrics and numerous other common use products.

Triclosan can pass through the skin into the bloodstream, and it accumulates in fatty tissues. It is a suspected endocrine disruptor and carcinogen, immunotoxin, common irritant and allergen. It has been detected in 75% of human tissue samples…including breast milk. It has led to bacterial resistance, which can interfere with the effectiveness of antibiotics. Its prolific use has also led to the contamination of our waterways and the destruction of related ecosystems.

Like most other chemicals being used in commercial products, triclosan was never fully tested and evaluated for safety in long term and recurrent use. Studies of the use of triclosan began in 1972…the conclusions only finalised in 2005. It took 33 years to conclude that there was no effective benefit derived by the inclusion of triclosan in personal care products in their ability to obliterate bacteria, than there was over that achieved from using plain soap and water.

Triclosan does have efficacy against bacteria, but has not proven effective against viruses- and it is viruses that spread our most common illnesses…colds and flu. The conclusions of the studies were that most people who use antibacterial products are no healthier than those who don’t. The other finding was that chronically sick people who use antibacterial products actually become sicker and more prone to bacterial infections.

So how can you avoid exposure to Triclosan? BAM…read those product labels- I can’t emphasise enough how increasingly important this is to do in selecting products. Triclosan must be identified by law as an ingredient- so if a product includes it, bypass it. It’s any easy choice- it’s toxic to your body. Use soap and water, and learn to wash your hands effectively. I absolutely cringe seeing all the TV commercials currently running for antibacterial hand washes with kids lining up for their liquid dose, as the mother confidently and lovingly looks on at her ‘germ-free’ kids! I cringe seeing hand sanitisers with carabineer clips for ready attachment and use in our active lifestyles. The subliminal message being sent is that we need portable sanitation methods on hand when we step out of our sterilised homes...nasty 'germs' be gone!

Our skin is naturally covered in billions of bacteria- a healthy skin and body can deal with them. We are not meant to live in a sterile environment- nor our bodies to be sterilised. Chemicals interfere with our body’s ability to effectively function as it should. Reduce the chemical burden on your body whenever/wherever you can. Make informed decisions, and reject chemical-laden commercial products. If you can’t pronounce a product ingredient, there’s a clue to the decision you should make…leave it where it is!