In today’s world, people are taking an increased focus on hygiene and sanitation. When the coronavirus hit many shops were immediately sold out of alcohol, soaps, and yes, toilet paper. People desperately needed soap and hand sanitizer and it was difficult to find. Those that did find soap were often not happy with the choices that were still available to them. With that in mind, we want to share an approach that can turn your basic soap into something more.
When choosing a soap we recommend avoiding anything with the ingredient triclosan in it. Triclosan is currently under review in a number of studies and until they are finalized we can’t confirm for sure that is bad for you but the studies being done alone should serve as a warning. Triclosan has been linked with decreasing levels of important thyroid hormones and it has been linked with creating bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. One study is currently ongoing to see if it has an impact on the development of skin cancer. Even if it is not negative for your health, there are very few studies that show it is beneficial either.
One study conducted by the Food and Drug Administration analyzed Colgate data and did find that Triclosan is good for combating gingivitis. However, there are many other kinds of toothpaste that are natural and fantastic for your teeth so we believe that if you want to, you can easily avoid Tricolsan without any downside.
Once you avoid triclosan it can be difficult to find soaps with strong antibacterial properties. These are important. While many soaps leave a great smell you need to know that they are actually cleaning your hands. However, fear not, you can make some adjustments to your basic soap to ensure they are providing the antibacterial properties you desire.
Take a soap dispenser that you have already used and fill it ¾ full with water. Make sure your water is properly distilled to avoid putting any bad bacteria in your soaps. Then fill almost the entire remainder of your dispenser with Castille liquid soap, but leave some space at the top for a few special ingredients. This liquid soap is plant-based and serves as a great foundation.
Add half a spoon of grapeseed oil which is great for your skin’s health. It will add Vitamin C and antioxidants giving your skin a nice glow. Finally, add essential oil. Essential oils are fantastic because they are natural, contain antibacterial properties already, and smell great.
If you want something very potent then we recommend peppermint, lemon balm, or coriander seed oils. These have been shown to have the highest antibacterial properties. If you care about smell then we love adding some lavender, orange, and rosemary. Feel free to mix and match based on your preferences. In total, you should add around 20 drops of essential oil to your soap.
This Do It Yourself soap is excellent. While you do need a base soap to make it work you still get about five times the life cycle out of that basic soap so you are saving money and looking after your skin.
That is how you make your own antibacterial soap without spending a lot of money and without harming your skin. While this is a really nice formula at a time when everyone is focused on washing their hands the truth is we should be trying to introduce more natural products in all areas of our life. Today we use too many dangerous chemicals in our products and it is having a negative effect on our health.