Why all natural?
Why we only do all natural products
Fall is coming. Im pretty excited about it. It has been my favorite season as long as I can remember. The crisp morning air, pumpkin pies, fires, sweet potatoes, apple pies, and all the outdoor activities. Maybe its me but everything smells better when the air is cool. I actually love the smell of my husbands pipe tobacco, but only when its cool outside.
Ive always been a fan of all natural things. When I started making soap, I knew that if I was making a product that I was responsible for giving others... I didn't want it to have things in it that were remotely questionable as good for them. Don't get me wrong, Im not looking down on all the fragrance oil people or anything! In fact, every fall I would go to a certain large name bath store and get a whole years worth of soaps for my whole house! I mean how could you not? They have so many great deals and they smell SO good!! I loved having them in my house. Everyone always commented on how good they smelled after washing their hands. But... I know its not good for us.
Unless you are making a conscious effort to shop and live naturally, there are so many harmful chemicals in EVERY area of our modern lives. How we clean our houses, eat, wash our clothes, wash our bodies, wash our hair, moisturize our skin, deodorize our armpits, and perfume ourselves, among a million others. Considering all the chemicals that are considered dangerous/harmful, in every area of our lives... it has to be having an effect on us! Its well known that rates are soaring for loads of chronic diseases and conditions. I think its obvious that a lot of our modern habits have at least some blame.
With fall coming, Ive been tempted to make some typical fall scents (that I love!) with fragrance oil. The reason is because it will be very hard to get a strong scent of something like apple, pear, fig, pumpkin, vanilla, etc, with out artificial scents. None of those things can have essential oils made of them and there are almost no options for strong natural scents like them! Im actually experimenting with some natural options that will have a very mild scent but they will be made with the real ingredients! They will have the vitamins and nutrients in them from the whole ingredients and not all the toxins that would come with the scented ones, and I'm pretty happy about that.
I wanted to write this to explain to people why our scents are slightly limited, why we choose to be this way, and why we hope y'all will appreciate our dedication to only providing something that we know won't be harmful to you and your families. I know that when I wash my baby with our all natural soap, I'm relieved! I know what went into it and that there is nothing harmful to her! Anyways, If you've made it this far through my soapbox speech, here are some interesting things about those fragrance oils that we have in so much of what we use on a daily basis.
From The Huffington Post
"1. WHAT is “fragrance?” More than 95 percent of the chemicals in synthetic fragrances are derived from petrochemicals. These chemicals include: benzene derivatives, aldehydes, phthalates, and a slew of other known toxins that are capable of causing cancer, birth defects, nervous-system disorders and allergies—some of which are cited on the EPA’s hazardous waste list.
2. WHERE is it hiding? In the U.S., manufacturers can legally hide hundreds of synthetic chemicals in the one word—“fragrance”—without revealing what those ingredients are. It’s referred to as a “trade secret” in the industry. But really, it’s simply a loophole big enough to drive a fuel truck though. This excuse to not label fragrance ingredients was initiated in an era when the major fragrance houses lobbied to protect their secret formulas made from flowers and oils. But those days are long gone. What the government is protecting now are manufacturers who have a license to poison the American public with more than 3,000 chemicals that are being absorbed, inhaled, and ingested daily.
3. WHY should I avoid it? Environmental Working Group (EWG) researchers found more than 75 percent of products listing the ingredient “fragrance” contained phthalates (THAL-ates) which have been shown to disrupt hormone activity, reduce sperm counts, and cause reproductive malformation, and have been linked to liver and breast cancer, diabetes, and obesity. Additionally, studies by Dr. Philip J. Landrigan of the Mount Sinai Children’s Environmental Health Center, link fetal exposure with autism, ADHD, and neurological disorders.
4. HOW do I avoid fragrance? Many of us work hard to make good food choices—such as eating organic and avoiding hormones and GMOs—and we read nutrition labels. But how many of us read the labels of our bottles, sprays, and jars? A majority of personal care products for men, women, and children, along with home-cleaning products, contain “fragrance.” The ingredients in “fragrance” are absorbed into the bloodstream directly though the skin. We advise people to avoid ALL products with the ingredient “fragrance” on the label—including perfumes and colognes, baby lotions and wipes, air fresheners and candles, dryer sheets and detergents, and so on. Even if the front screams “fragrance free,” products can still contain fragrance ingredients as a masking agent to cover unpleasant chemical smells. Read the labels!"
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/maria-rodale/five-mustknows-on-the-dan_b_4737654.html
