Soap Opera Maggie Brierley

Soap is big business. If it weren’t, travelling by public transport would be an odorous experience.

And so scrubbed are we on the issue of cleanliness, there is even a Health and Safety Executive illustrated pamphlet with instructions on how to wash, aimed at the three categories of soap user: The Traditional, encompassing a large proportion of the male population, believes that the economy 4-pack will cover all cleaning needs; The Moderate – which plumps for ordinary soap for body and ‘nice’ (read expensive) stuff for the face; and lastly, The Extravagant, who will purchase exquisite hand-made concoctions, the ingredients of which read like the contents of a kitchen store cupboard.

As one of the latter I once bought a sumptuous green mint shower gel. In one use, it brought tears to my eyes, not to mention other sensitive areas. I wrote to the manufacturer and received back an extremely long, scientific explanation of all the rigorous testing undergone - with a post-script: they couldn’t be held responsible if some people were susceptible to certain properties. So no matter what suds you select, home-brand or high-brand, do you really know what’s in your lather?

 

A Clean Slate
Soaps, as we think of them, were first used about 600 BC by the Phoenicians who combined goat fat, water, and potassium carbonate ash to form a solid soap. In 1878, Harley Procter developed a soap in collaboration with his cousin, James Gamble. It was produced by whipping air into a soap solution resulting in Ivory Soap, which is still used today.

Hardly altered over the millennia, generic soap remains a combination of an animal or vegetable fat and the mineral sodium hydroxide (lye). Neat sodium hydroxide is extremely dangerous, but once it has been processed, all the molecules have been broken down and recombined into something that won’t eat your face off.

A Wash Out?
Soaps decrease the oil on the surface of the skin and this removal of the protective fat layer can lead to drying of the skin. In addition, they may contain synthetic fragrance, preservatives and artificial colours to make them more appealing, which affect the natural acidity of the skin. Mild soaps usually don’t contain synthetics, but accustomed as we are to a nice ‘smelly’, the odours of the raw ingredients can be off-putting.

 

Soap Conscience
So, what other alternatives are there to the traditional soap? You can buy lipid (fat) free liquid cleansers, useful for suffers of eczema and dry skins, cold creams you wash off, or if you want something a bit more hardcore, astringent scrubbers (or is that a character Eastenders?). But a quick perusal of the ingredients in many soaps reveals quite a number of chemicals. If you want to avoid these you can seek out some of the natural soaps, with more of those pantry-like components.

Goats’ milk is still a popular ingredient and good for dry skin. Just add a teabag and your basin can become a giant mug. Soaps containing oats are good for exfoliations, lavender as a ‘destresser’, honey for oily skin. If you want something to pep you up try peppermint. And I’m keen on one named Buffy the Backside Slayer.

Natural soaps use oils such as palm or sunflower to bind them rather than chemicals. The only caution is if they don’t have any preservatives, they will not last indefinitely. All the more reason to pamper yourself with a luxurious soak on a regular basis.

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Soap Villains

Great title, but let’s not be misled. While the following are thought to cause irritation and/or dryness, they are not life-threatening. And along with fragrances and water-softeners they do make our soap sweet-smelling, efficient and latherly. So it’s up to the consumer to investigate what they would or wouldn’t like to be served up in their soap dish.
Sodium Laurel Sulfate (SLS): a chemical used as the chief foaming agent in soaps, including some baby soaps. It might be worth splashing out on a natural product containing plant extracts, such as calendula, which will be better for their delicate skin.
Triclosan: an antibiotic designed to kill a multitude of germs, it has been thrown in soap for decades. But do we need soap to wash off dirt or act as a medical aid and supplement our immune systems?
Propylene Glycol (PG): is a colourless, near odourless, gloopy liquid derived from natural gas and used as a preservative and a carrier for fragrance. Considered an irritant.

 

Suds-u-Like

If you’re feeling adventurous, try making your own. All you need is white wood ash, rain or spring water, animal fats, plant oils and salt. www.soapnaturally.org lists over 160 recipes, including Thunder Egg Swirl, Chocolate Addiction and, I kid you not, Gardener’s Scrubby Stick. Sounds like a love match for Astringent Scrubber…

 

Buffing Baby
Anything you put on a baby’s skin should be well considered. The skin is the body’s biggest organ, the first line of defence against infection and dehydration, and it absorbs whatever you apply. It should be hypoallergenic and it needs to be non-toxic, since young babies like to put their hands in their mouth. Quite a lot of baby washes are all the above but many are not SLS-free.