Join the Toss the Toxins Movement with Bend Soap Company

This blog post was written by Bend Soap Company Co-Founder, Marilee. 

Picture yourself walking around your home. You tidy up and put things away at the end of each day. You decorate and improve different areas over time. You cook and serve the ones you love, making new treats or tried-and-true dishes. You wash and fold laundry each week. You clean up and bathe the little ones before tucking them in bed. And at the end of the day, you relax and breathe deeply, enjoying the peace in your humble little home. 

It’s a busy yet blissful life. 

But as you drift off to sleep... Do you ever think of the poison that could unknowingly be in your home? 

Probably not! Poison most likely isn’t at the forefront, let alone even a thought in our lives these days. In fact, we’re sure many of you are reading this with some confusion. Of course you don’t think about poison — you would never willingly bring such a thing into your home, right? That thought has probably never even crossed your mind. But maybe it should.

The harsh reality is that poison may be lurking all around us in our homes: in the laundry room, in the kitchen, in our cupboards and foods, even in the bathroom during bath time. 

Bathtime Redescribed 

Let’s think about bath time again. There’s a tub full of warm water and a giggling little body ready to get all cleaned up. A bottle of bubble bath is poured into the tub. Maybe you even throw in a colorful bath bomb to add to the excitement and joy of bathtime. Your little one hops in and the bubbles get everywhere. The fun goes on and on! After playing for a while, it's time to scrub from head to toe with a little body wash squirted onto a nylon poof. Then to top it all off, you add a drizzle of shampoo to the top of your child’s head, giving it a rigorous scrub and rinse before hopping out and drying off. 

Bath time is over! But what if we viewed this same scenario through a different lense... 

This story begins the same: There’s a tub full of warm water and a giggling little body ready to get all cleaned up. A bottle of toxic chemicals is poured into the water and synthetic foaming agents begin to multiply by the thousands. Next, a ball of fizzing dyes and fragrances is tossed into the bathtub “to add to the excitement and joy of bathtime.” The toxins go everywhere from their ears, mouth, hair, and scalp. A liquid poison is squirted on a nylon poof and rubbed all over your little one's body. Then, to top it all off, you add a drizzle of liquid hazmat full of dyes and chemicals right onto your child’s head to clean their hair and scalp.

By the time they're ready to hop out and dry off, your child has been marinated in a toxic soup of liquid hazmat and dangerous toxic chemicals with potential links to cancers, reproductive abnormalities, and irritations. There were dyes and fragrances full of a myriad of undisclosed ingredients basking alongside your little one. Even genetically modified oils and hidden petroleum derivatives were there, unbeknownst to you. 

We might as well hand them a cigarette for all the potential damage that’s been done to their health. It’s one of the most tragic yet all too common crime scenes in America.

🛈 Fact: Your skin is your body’s largest organ and it absorbs everything you put on it.

Listen to this recently recorded video of Bend Soap Company founder, Dwight Johnson, sharing his passion with us.

Common Products Containing Toxins & Chemicals

Let’s take a glance at the few products mentioned above for bath time, and why they’re potentially toxic:

• Bubble bath: To create bubbles Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS is often added. Dyes and  fragrances are also common.
• Bath bombs: dyes and fragrances are added to create a visual treat for the eye and explosion of fun in the tub.
• Body wash & Shampoo: Both known to contain SLS, alcohols, dyes, and fragrances.

But that’s just the start. We also typically use a variety of products that could be laced with similar poisons:

• Soaps: Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS), GMO oils, fragrances, and dyes.
• Shaving cream: aerosols, triclosan, and fragrances.
• Deodorants: aluminums, dyes, petroleum-based, and fragrances.
• Cleaning supplies: SLS and fragrances.
• Face creams: GMO oils, and fragrances.
• Sunscreens: fragrances.
• Colognes and perfumes: fragrances.
• Laundry soaps and detergents: irritants, fragrances, and alcohol.
• Room sprays: fragrances.
• Lotions: GMO oils, alcohols, preservatives, parabens, phthalates.

Here how these ingredients are harmful:  

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and/or Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES): This ingredient is found in many different skincare products like shampoos, body washes, soaps, deodorants toothpaste, and bubble baths. You’ll even find it in household cleaning products as well as engine degreasers. Used as a detergent that can help products produce a lather they wouldn’t naturally have, this ingredients is widely available and inexpensive to use in product formulas which makes it a top choice for many big-name brand companies to use, despite the fact that they have been known to cause skin irritations and trigger different allergies in individuals.

Fragrances: You can find this ingredient in thousands of perfumes, skincare, hair, makeup, and household products. The is an interesting ingredient to highlight as it stands in a space cosmetic chemistry refers to as a “fragrance loophole”; companies can mask different ingredients within its single “fragrance” listing on their product labels. “The term ‘fragrance’ on a product label represents an undisclosed mixture of various chemicals and ingredients, added to provide a pleasant scent, or (more often) to mask a bad one”, explains Tina Sigurdson, assistant general counsel at the Environmental Working Group).

Dyes: You’d be surprised to know just how many products in your home — especially skincare products — are filled with artificial dyes and colors known to cause health related issues. For example, dyes like Yellow No. 6, Red No.3, and Blue No. 2. have been linked to an assortment of cancers and irritations in the body. Sure, dyes might make the product look more appealing, but at what cost to your health?

Parabens: Parabens are an ingredient many of us have heard of, but are still not 100% sure of the health risks they can cause, yet you’ll find them in many skincare, makeup, and hair care products. Scientists conclude that exposure to propylparabens, which are used as a preservative, may lead to diminished ovarian reserve and contribute to ovarian aging among women. One of the scariest things about parabens is that they have characteristics similar to estrogen — a hormone found naturally in the female body — and can disrupt the balance of normal hormones. One study published by Harvard even traced paraben build-up in the female body to reduced fertility. Parabens can appear in different forms, so check out this blog for more details on how you can spot (and avoid!) them altogether. 

GMO: Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) are organisms whose genes have been artificially altered to modify their characteristics in some way. This is often done by taking genes from one organism (such as bacteria or an animal) and inserting them into that of another species. GMOs can even be found in many skincare products as it’s a cheap, easy way to produce more volume of the product. For example, if making a bar of soap or a body scrub, it’s much cheaper for companies to use vegetable, corn, glycerin, cottonseed, or soy oils (which are almost always genetically modified) so that they can create more product without spending more money on ingredients. When selecting a product, always check to see if the oils used are labeled as non-GMO or GMO-free.

Triclosan: Triclosan is an ingredient added to many consumer products intended to reduce or prevent bacterial contamination. You can find it products like antibacterial soaps, body washes, toothpastes, and even some makeup. While much research is still being done on the effects of triclosan on the human body and it’s overall safety, we believe that this is an ingredient that’s best to steer clear from. As noted by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), some scientists believe that high doses of triclosan are associated with a decrease in the levels of some thyroid hormones. Other studies have raised the possibility of this ingredient contributing to bacteria becoming resistant to antibiotics.

The Experimentation Needs to End

At Bend Soap Company, we’re on a mission to get the word out and help each other find a better alternative.  

“We believe that the human race should not be poisoned and deserves healthy solutions.” - Bend Soap Company Mission Statement

It’s time for a change. It’s time to stop participating as lab rats in the experimental skincare industry and toss the toxins found in most store bought products. To do this, we invite you to join the Bend Soap Company Toss the Toxins Movement in the following ways:

• STEP 1: Take a deep dive into the products and ingredients that you’re putting on your skin by following our upcoming blogs and social media. We’d not only like to help you identify the ones that are harmful, but also help you understand which ones are safe to use and have in your home. Sometimes we find toxins in the least-expected places (like so-called “natural” products). This blog has a list of common toxins to look out for that are often found in “trusted” name brand products as well as places where you might find them in your home. 
• STEP 2: Discover the affordable healthy solutions that Bend Soap Company has to offer the entire family! Learn about our simple, high-quality, and pure ingredients and experience the endless benefits of nourishing, all-natural skincare products. Get your order on its way today by browsing our collection of best-sellers!
• STEP 3: Sign up for the Toss The Toxins Newsletter below to get tips and helpful resources on how you can toss the toxins and live a cleaner, healthier life.

Sign up below to receive regular Toss the Toxins emails with educational information and tips from your friends at Bend Soap Company.

More Posts to Enjoy

To take a deeper dive into the toxins and poisons in common household products, follow the links below.

• Blog Post: This Is Why You Should Stop Using Johnson & Johnson Products
• Blog Post: The Hidden Dangers of Fragrance 
• Blog Post: Colorful Chemicals: Why Dyes in Your Personal Care Products Are Harmful 
• Blog Post: Decoding the “Natural” Ingredients in Soap: Are They Safe?
• Blog Post: How to Live a Healthy Toxin Free Life 
• Blog Post: How to Toss the Toxins, Start Clean Living, and Win Free Stuff 
• Blog Post: The Most Common Toxins People Found in their Homes