The Truth about Lye - Why the Bar in Your Shower Probably Isn't Real Soap!
It seems a little crazy that you would ever really need to define the word “soap.” But, in a day-and-age when the average consumer in the local health and beauty aisle is bombarded with everything from shower gel to body butter, foaming soap to rejuvenating cleanser, and detergent to cleansing cream, believe us, it’s very, very necessary! It seems the word soap has come to mean many things but if we are talking real, actual, soap then we are really only talking about one thing...and that's lye.
“It seems a little crazy that you would ever really need to define the word “soap.” But, in a day-and-age when the average consumer in the local health and beauty aisle is bombarded with everything from shower gel to body butter, foaming soap to rejuvenating cleanser, and detergent to cleansing cream, believe me, it’s very, very necessary! It seems the word soap has come to mean many things but if we are talking real, actual, soap then we are really only talking about one thing...and that's lye.”
Opinions on lye and it’s safety in soap-making always seem to be surrounded by a cloud of heated debate. Generally, the anti-lye debate swirls with stories of grandma’s old lye soap, nightmarish tales of handmade soap that was harsh, drying, and even burned sensitive skin. The irony? Many, if not most of these old-timer horror-stories are probably true. So, avoiding lye soap is best...right? Wrong, want to know why? Keep reading…
Lye, also called sodium hydroxide, is an extremely caustic chemical. Deadly if ingested, it can cause serious chemical burns to the skin and even blindness. Without time-warping back to high school chemistry class for too long, we do need to take a quick look at some good ol' science.
In order to create a neutral one must combine an alkaline with a base. In traditional soap-making the alkaline is lye and the base can be anything from all natural plant oils to animal fats. Lye is an essential component in soap-making because when the lye combines with the oils or fats a molecular process called saponification occurs. Saponification is just a fancy way of saying that the alkaline and the base have merged to create a new chemical compound that is now neutral. The end result is soap plus glycerin.
So...how did lye soap get such a bad wrap? Longer ago when soap-makers often used lye made from wood ash they didn’t have the benefit of the high tech digital scales we do today and unless they were very, very careful often the ratios of the alkaline to the base could be incorrect. Even in these cases, saponification would still occur, but without enough of a base the "left-over" caustic sodium hydroxide (lye) that didn't have any base to bond with would remain in the soap and often create a finished product that when used could indeed burn the skin. When measured and processed correctly, after saponification occurs, lye soap is 100% safe and extremely gentle on the skin.
Over the centuries, with traditional lye soap, humans have been able to greatly reduce the spread of disease and germs in society up to 80%. There is no excuse to use anything other than top quality, all natural, lye soap. So, back to defining that word “soap” -
Anything that is produced without using lye is technically a detergent and it's not real soap! Any product that removes or harvests only the glycerin and sells that as soap...again, not real soap! If your soap melts with heat vs disolves with water…you guessed it…also not soap!
Sadly most products sold in big-box and craft stores today are primarily a cocktail of preservatives and man-made chemicals that are used to ensure that the products will lather and remain shelf stable for years...YEARS! Think about it; there is nothing man made that's good for you, or good for your skin, that should be able to sit on a shelf for years without spoiling!
So, don't be fooled by the pretty packaging or clever commercials for the popular beauty brands. Make sure your soap is 100% natural with absolutely no added preservatives or artificial chemicals. (and yes, this means anything labeled “fragrance” - that’s another whole article…but trust me, come of the most toxic ingredients in your beauty products are the synthetic scents they contain!
Remember, your skin is the largest organ of your body and it’s important to protect it! What you choose to lather and slather on it can play a huge role in your overall heath and wellness.
For more resources about organ donation and transplant or to sign up to be a donor you can visit the amazing and hard working people at UNOS. (United Network for Organ Sharing)
The teams at UNOS not only manage the lists of patients, like my mom, who are waiting on a match but they also manage the donor registries for the entire United States and even provide services for patients and families after they have their surgeries!
Check out all they do at www.unos.org
Sarah Seeds, CNHP and UNOS Ambassador
Sarah, aka: The Plant Based Ginger, has been in the plant-based community for 20 years and has worked in natural skincare as well as the health and wellness sector. Over the years her love of holistic wellness, essential oils, and plant-based cooking has merged to create the PBG website and social brand. Sarah is currently living back in Central Florida, where she was raised, after spending over a decade up in Ohio’s Amish Country! She is a Certified Natural Health Practitioner, UNOS Ambassador, Homecook, Coffee Lover, and Fur Mom!
New Study Finds Women Have 84 “Bad Skin” Days A Year! Five Habits to Take Back Your Skin and Your Pocket Book!
According to a new poll, the average woman says that she experiences 84 “Bad Skin” days a year! EIGHTY-FOUR! That’s 7 days a month…once every 4.5 days, spending, on average, over 10k in the course of her lifetime on products designed to combat her troubled-skin. With most women citing wrinkles, acne and dark circles among their biggest anxieties, dry skin, enlarged pores and age spots also made the list.
According to a new poll, the average woman says that she experiences 84 “Bad Skin” days a year! EIGHTY-FOUR! That’s 7 days a month…once every 4.5 days, spending, on average, over 10k in the course of her lifetime on products designed to combat her troubled-skin. With most women citing wrinkles, acne and dark circles among their biggest anxieties, dry skin, enlarged pores and age spots also made the list.
Sadly, one in three adult women claims that her skin makes her feel insecure and stressed. Ironically, most skincare experts will agree that stress and anxiety can be major factors in all kinds of skin trauma from eczema and acne flair-ups to premature wrinkles and a sallow complexion.
One of the major problems in today’s beauty industry is that the products that these women are buying to try to “fix” their skin are actually, in most cases, helping to contribute to the overall skin challenges that they experience! Did you know that creams, serums, lotions, and washes that contain chemical fillers, toxic preservatives, unnatural fragrance and added dyes are actually working to further your skin problems? (And that is just how the big brands like it.)
The current philosophy on skincare from the big-box brands is closer to triage than therapy…a band-aid on a bullet hole, if you will. Products designed for immediate, albeit temporary, results make us feel good about our purchase but in the long run, rarely ever deliver the advertised results. Instead, the products are actually designed to keep your skin in an unhealthy cycle so that you will need to buy more of their products!
But, you can break the cycle…take back your skin and your pocketbook by adopting these 5 healthy skincare habits today:
1. You are what you eat. Clean food. Clean skin.
People don’t much like this fact, but it’s a fact, none-the-less. You simply can not put trash into your body and expect your skin not to suffer. Like any organ, our skin feeds and is maintained by the food and nourishment that we ingest. We aren’t talking about the old wives-tale of eating a chocolate bar or some fries today and having a break-out tomorrow, that’s not how the science of nutrition works. Our bodies, however, were designed to run best on fresh fruits, lots of vegetables and minor amounts of lean protein and our skin is no exception! Oh, yeah…and this should go without saying but DRINK WATER…lots and lots of water. (You already know this…now, just do it!)
2. Get a little sun!
In moderation, of course! We aren’t saying to skip the sunblock if you are planning an entire day at the beach or a family vacation to a theme park this summer but remember a little Vitamin D is good for you and your skin! Extreme sunburn and sun poisoning is nothing to mess around with but on a daily basis, when you are simply out running errands…try skipping the chemical-laden sunscreen. In fact, some research may point to synthetic, chemical, sunscreens doing more harm, and leading to more cancer long-term, in patients that overused the products than in those who simply avoided the sun or only experienced moderate sun exposure without consistent or long-term burning. If you really feel the need to lather up…try a sunblock made with natural ingredients, like essential oils, for a more eco-friendly way to protect your skin.
3. Ditch the “Pretty” Scents and Colorful Creams.
Love the smell of a Toasted Marshmallow Latte, Caribbean Teakwood, or Coconut Vanilla Breeze? Our advice, buy a candle…and keep it out of your skincare. The world of sweet-smelling creams, lotions, body mists, and shower gels is almost infinite at this point. Thanks to the scientific technology of fragrance engineering if you can wish it, you can probably smell like it. Everything from Cucumber to Cotton Candy Cola is up for grabs when it comes to scented body products. The problem is that almost all of these scents are synthetic and loaded with all kinds of chemicals and preservatives that have no place on our skin, or in our bodies. Beware of packaging that says things like, “Made with All Natural Moisturizers” or “Enriched with Organic Ingredients.” These claims may be partially true but even products and brands that actually do use other reasonably high-quality ingredients often blow it at the end with the addition of artificial perfumes and synthetic dyes. Instead, look for all natural brands that use 100% pure essential oils to add scent to their products and natural mica powders, sea clay and minerals for color.
4. Start Dry Brushing Daily!
What is dry brushing? Dry brushing is pretty much just what it sounds like. A practice that reminds us that our skin and skincare is a total body objective, not just something we do to our faces! With a dry, short-bristled body brush, lightly stroke the skin, beginning at the toes and ankles upward toward the heart. Continue up the legs and torso and then brush the hands and arms, always working with long, gentle, strokes moving toward the heart. Dry brushing is not only a natural and gentle way to exfoliate the skin, it also helps promote circulation and aids the body in moving toxins through the lymphatic system and out of the body. Dry brushing is especially beneficial when combined with a daily prayer or meditation routine helping to detox both the mind and the body.
5. Start with quality, all natural, SOAP!
In truth, this last one should maybe have been #1 on our list because it really is the easiest thing to do for your skin to see major results! The most simple, and most beneficial thing that you can do, on a daily basis, for your skin is to use an all natural soap when you shower and bathe. Did you know that most of the products that we use as “soap” today are actually not soap at all? The body bars, the cleansing gels, and the foaming micro-scrubs that line the “soap” isles of our popular big box and drug stores are primarily, chemically developed detergents, not soap. Switching over to a preservative-free, natural soap, like these, can not only help to balance the pH of the skin but because there are no toxic components it won’t contribute to dry or flaky skin or aggravate irritated or acne prone skin. Restoring a natural balance to your bodies largest organ, you will find that, over time, you need less lotion and have fewer problem areas to deal with, overall. Your skin will maintain a natural glow and not need to be pampered like it once was, saving you not only time but money, as well.
Sarah Seeds, CNHP and UNOS Ambassador
Sarah, aka: The Plant Based Ginger, has been in the plant-based community for 20 years and has worked in natural skincare as well as the health and wellness sector. Over the years her love of holistic wellness, essential oils, and plant-based cooking has merged to create the PBG website and social brand. Sarah is currently living back in Central Florida, where she was raised, after spending over a decade up in Ohio’s Amish Country! She is a Certified Natural Health Practitioner, UNOS Ambassador, Homecook, Coffee Lover, and Fur Mom!