All those whipped creamy soft foams, shave creams and brand name shampoos we have been using all our lives, contain some of the harshest chemicals around; the sodium lauryl sulphates and laureth sulphates and betaines. Bottom line? They are detergents. They aren’t good for us. They strip the natural oil mantle from our hair and skin. They run down our drains and enter streams and rivers, dissolving the protective lipid layer of tiny plants, fish and animal life. They enter our pores and lungs, contributing to toxic overload, neurological malfunction and other nasty things.

Shampoos are a huge problem. The hair industry is based on the routine of stripping the natural oils from the hair shaft and then synthetically putting it back with silicones, acrylics, chemicals and cationic surfactants (carcinogenic, environmentally disastrous substances.)

Before scientists discovered detergents in the 1920’s, people used soap. The first soap was discovered when people poured the ashes from their fire into a stream with animal fats. The two combined to create a slippery bubbly concoction known as soap. Natural soaps made with a high proportion of emollient oils (like castille soap) are gentle cleansers, and biodegradable. The problem is that they can break down and leave scum on clothes, skin and hair. (In the olden days people knew that the acidic water in their rain barrels worked best with soap).

So what is out there for natural personal cleansers besides soap? The plant world offers saponins in plants like Soapwort, Yucca, Quillaria and Soapberries. Shikakai powder (Acacia) from India is a terrific hair cleanser, detangler and conditioner. These plant soaps were originally used as foamers in beer and also in toothpastes; soapy herbs that have been used for centuries to wash clothes and hair. If you have tried them, you’ll find that they are not nearly as luxurious as the fantasy foamers we’ve come to know and love, and a lot messier, but they are healthier and overtime you will see dry over-stripped hair and skin restored.

The chemical industry is responding to the demand for milder, plant-derived surfactants. Even though they are still technically classified as detergent, there are now soapy olive and coconut derivatives with names that include: glucosides, olivates, esters and glutamates. These are milder, plant-derived detergents. Suppliers claim they are biodegradable. They have a nice “soapiness”, but not the rich lather. They don’t strip the skin or the hair and are very gentle and even baby safe. Look for names like poly alkylglucoside, cocoglucoside and decylglucoside. And with the explosion of “green chemistry”, there will be more coming.

Whether you choose to go with good old-fashioned soap, saponin- containing plants, or with the new milder detergents, the conclusion I’ve arrived at is: We have to learn to let go of lather.

Karen Van Dyck, Organic Skin Creamery
www.naturesfirstbeautybar.com