Happy St. Patrick's Day

Did you know that Irish Spring® originated in Germany before being bought out by Colgate-Palmolive?  It’s been a staple in US grocery stores for almost 50 years! It’s great for repelling deer from veggie gardens, deodorizing smelly sneakers, or fixing a sticky drawer, but do you know what commercial soaps are NOT great for? Your skin. 

Commercial soap ingredients include things like:

• Dioxane (contaminant and carcinogen )
• Triclosan (antibacterial/anti-fungal, endocrine disruptor)
• Formaldehyde (preservative, carcinogen)
• Parabens (preservatives, mimics estrogen, linked to breast cancer)
• PEG Compounds (carcinogens, linked to breast cancer)
• Phthalates- (man-made compounds, not regulated, not required to be specified on labels)
• Diethanolamine or DEA (foaming chemical, surfactant and corrosion inhibitor, and suspected carcinogen)
• SLS- Sodium Laureth Sulfate (powerful detergent, cleans by corrosion, synthetic, irritant)

After WW II, they became popular as from the industrial byproducts of petrochemicals and are therefore less biodegradeable.  Therefore, they can be inexpensively produced on a large scale.  In fact, most of what we call “soap” today are actually synthetic detergents.

Conversely, handcrafted soaps are made from food grade natural fats and butters that won’t strip skin of natural oils.  Recipes can be custom formulated to meet certain properties like hardness, emollience, lather, and conditioning. The remaining unsaponified oils are the “superfat” (or oil that doesn’t turn into soap) which adds luxury to the bar without making it too soft.  When combined with organic clays and silk, this leads to a bar that not only feels good, but nourishes the skin.

We at Concord Hill Farm wish you a little luck of the Irish this St. Patrick’s Day. 

“May your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow. And may trouble avoid you wherever you go."

Sláinte

Kristie