3 Ingredients You MIGHT NOT WANT In Your Body Soap (And Some Great Natural Alternatives)

Over this last weekend, there was a bit of controversy around a particular huge personal care product company and it’s less than thoughtful ad it released involving women of various nationalities. I briefly spoke on them in my instagram stories (click HERE to follow me on instagram @itsmeladyg), but you can check out the entire story HERE.

While I have my own personal opinions on this ad which I will reserve from going into now, the fall out led to some people reaching out to me for soap and personal beauty product recommendations.

As a huge advocate of opting for natural and the least toxic products possible, I made the switch from commercial soaps and products quite some time ago. By using websites such as the Environmental Working Groups as a reference, I’m able to figure out what ingredients could lead to irritations and potential disruptions in hormones. Check out the Environmental Working Group’s website here.

But in case you need a couple of quick guidelines for your next trip down the natural soap aisle, here’s a couple of things to keep in mind:

1. Artificial Fragrances

Way before I started my journey down natural living way, I noticed that my body (specifically my lady parts) did not like heavily fragranced soaps. There are a couple brands that I have to stay away from like the plague because it gives me an allergic reaction. Before making the leap to full on natural soaps, I started with ones without fragrances as they were easy to find in almost any store.

If I do choose a fragranced soap bar, it can only be made with natural agents such as essential oils. As mentioned earlier, artificial fragrances (and yes, that includes those fruity smelling body washes that go on sale during the holidays), are the biggest irritants in products. Use the database on the Environmental Working Group’s website to check which soaps have the least amount of fragrance and also which chemicals may be in a particular item.

2. Tallow

What the hell is tallow? Tallow is the fat derived from the fatty tissue of animals. This usually includes sheets and cows but has also been found to possibly include euthanized animals from a variety of sources, labs, shelters, and other sources. I first found out about tallow when reading the book  Mad Cowboy: Plain Truth from the Cattle Rancher Who Won’t Eat Meat. In the book a former farmer and cowboy get graphic about many practices within the farming industry.

The easiest way to get a good visual on it is to remember the scene in the movie Fight Club where Brad Pitt took Ed Norton with him to steal human fat from a liposuction facility to make fancy soap. He later sold that soap back to the department stores where the women who get liposuction also shop…yeah it was a crazy scene. Well, tallow is basically the same thing except that it’s made from animal fat.

Some people have no issue with tallow. In fact, they find the extra fat and acids beneficial for a moisture. However, when I decided to balance my hormones, I started to eliminate all potential sources of hormonal disruptions. Though I can’t scientifically prove it, I believe tallow in products is effected by the diet that the animal ate. And being that I have no way to ensure the diet was clean and not filled with antibiotics and other growth hormones, I just rather omit the ingredient from my routine altogether.

Alternatively, I opt for soaps that are made with vegetable oils. They are just as moisturizing and usually contain cleaner ingredients overall. Yes, they do cost a bit more than the commercially mass produced bars, but like anything else in the natural products world, you are paying a so-called premium because other products have been cheapened by inferior products. I often tell people to stop asking “why are natural products so expensive, but how are other products so cheap?”

3. Unnatural Colors

Lastly, just as with the artificial fragrances, unnatural colors are a huge no-no for me. Don’t get me wrong. That doesn’t mean that all of my soap bars are plain white, they might be also tinted by natural coloring. Some brands use dried berries, charcoal, flowers, and other highly pigmented spices such as turmeric to jazz up their bars.

If I had to personally prioritize the no’s in my products I would definitely put tallow at the top of the list followed by fragrances and unnatural colors. A couple of my current favorite brands are Schmidt’s new bar soap line,  Kiss My Face Soaps (Amazon & Thrive Market), and Tom’s Bar Soaps. Another brand that we have purchased at Whole Foods is Good Soap by Alaffia. While the ingredients are very clean, some of the bars have goats milk powder in them. However, they do also offer bars that are completely vegan. They are quite affordable and are in line with zero waste practices due to the option of buying them without packaging.

If you have any other tips for buying clean soaps or any other brand alternatives, leave a comment below letting me know. I love finding new brands.