Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Hippie Soap

I am looking to buy some new soap.  For lack of better term, I'm looking for some hippie soap.  What the heck is hippie soap?  I want a bath soap (preferably liquid, but I can live with bars) that is as natural as possible and that does not have any endocrine disruptors. 

My husband enjoyed a hearty laugh at my concerns about my bath soap and he inquired if I'd be procuring Cherokee hair tampons next (seems like we've had this conversation more than once), but I have a good reason for wanting hippie soap.  Well, maybe not a good reason.  More like a sad and pathetic reason, but it's a reason and it's mine.

I didn't use my regular soap for weeks after I discovered I was pregnant last November because I'd been trying to get pregnant for so long and I was afraid to use anything that might be harmful to embryonic or (later on) fetal development.  I used a very mild facial cleanser instead of my regular bath wash.  I ultimately thought I was being a little too paranoid and I was being silly to fear soap so I began to use it again.  My baby died a few weeks later.

Was it the soap?  No, I don't believe so.  But I already had hormonal difficulties and who's to say that it didn't tip my hormones out of balance just enough to cause "fetal demise"? 

I discovered the Skin Deep database recently and learned that my regular bath wash is a 6 on their scale and the facial cleanser is a 3.  Both are indicated as potentially causing endocrine disruption.  Obviously, I don't want to use either.

So, here's where I'm hoping that my crunchy readers will come through with some recommendations for me.  Tell me what bath products you would recommend.  I'm specifically concerned about avoiding anything that might stimulate or mimic estrogen and, from a reproductive standpoint, I'd like to keep things as hormonally neutral as possible. 

What soap do you use in the shower?  Is it liquid or bar?  Where do you buy it?  Is it expensive?  Does it smell like Birkenstocks & hairy armpits or is it something that a mainstream-hippie would be willing to use?  Does the line/brand have other products that are worth checking out?

2 comments:

  1. I don't know how I missed this post before! I'm all about the handmade soap. I actually used to make and sell soap at farmers markets years and years ago, before handmade soap was all the rage. I was that hippie chick LOL.

    Anyhow, Smells lovely, there are many many different scents you can get, but even unscented doesn't smell like a moose's ass.

    I just used bars, I really don't know about the body wash. This is the one I am loving at the moment
    http://www.thecoconutcrush.com/
    Specifically, the citrus iced tea. I know a lot of her soaps have fragrance, but I believe some of them are just scented with essential oils. I like lots of pretty smalls so I do buy soap with fragrance oil.
    I have also bought from a couple other artisans lately, but hers is by far the best. Her lip balm doesn't suck either.

    Anyhow, you can come over and smell my soaps and talk suds if you want. I can ramble on about soap for ages.

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  2. You make soap and yogurt?! You're my hippie hero! hehe :)

    I ended up getting a bar soap from Trader Joe's that is a 0 on the Skin Deep database and, you're right, it doesn't smell like moose ass. LOL!

    We should totally get together and talk soap (and yogurt - I'm still on the fence about the maker). . .I have a "recipe" for homemade laundry soap so I can share my mad laundry soap knowledge. Of course, being a fellow CD mama, you no doubt have a ton of knowledge on the matter too. Ah, the things I've learned about in these last three years!

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