Bar Soap Still Works!

According to the Center for Disease Control, "Washing hands prevents illnesses and spread of infections to others."

Sometimes, in our quest for the latest and greatest, we neglect the tried and true solutions of the past. Handmade bar soap has been used for centuries to wash away dirt and germs effectively. With so many other options now available, why is handmade bar soap still a good choice? To answer that, let's first take a closer look at some of the other options and see how they stack up.

Mass-Produced Bar Soap

A number of well-known household brands produce bar soap by the millions. The advantages of mass-produced bar soap is a cheap price and... well, that's about it. Many people are surprised to learn that many name-brand “soaps” are not true soaps at all, but are actually detergents, and often contain nasty chemicals and petroleum products! Glycerin is an important by-product of soap and is often removed from commercially processed soap so it can be used for other products with higher profit margins. These large manufacturers then add a host of chemicals to make up for the missing glycerin. The bars of Simple Life Soap retain the naturally-occurring glycerin, so there's no need for us to add harsh chemicals.

Liquid Soap

While there are some good options for liquid soap (hey, we sell it too!), in most cases, liquid soap is no better than the mass-produced bar soap mentioned above. Most name-brand liquid soaps are loaded with nasty chemicals. If it says "antibacterial" on the label, watch out! Keep reading to see why.

Antibacterial Soap

We all want our families to be safe, so the appeal of antibacterial soap is strong. We should want our soap to kill germs, right? The problem is two-fold. First, research is showing that antibacterial soap isn't any more effective at getting rid of bacteria than plain soap and water. Second, a common ingredient in antibacterial soap and hand sanitizers, is triclosan, which is considered a pesticide by the FDA. Triclosan is an ingredient you definitely want to avoid. Read about hand sanitizers below to learn more.

We don't need to kill the germs. The point of soap is to wash away the germs!

Hand Sanitizer

Antibacterial hand sanitizers are widely used, yet they also contain triclosan. Antibacterials are known endocrine disruptors, can contribute to weakening the immune system, and they have the potential to create antibiotic-resistant bacteria. 
Since the sanitizer is not washed off, it gets absorbed through the skin, introducing toxic chemicals into our bodies! Yikes!

Handmade Bar Soap

By now the advantages of natural, handmade bar soap should be obvious. Beware that handmade soap doesn't always mean natural, though. At Simple Life Soap, we use natural oils and goat milk while taking care to avoid dyes, harsh chemicals, parabens, petroleum products, and synthetic preservatives. We're also phasing out synthetic fragrance oils because we want to be known for making 100% all-natural home cleaning products that are healthier for you, your kids, and your home. Yes, handmade bar soap is still effective at cleaning dirt and removing germs. Keep it safe. Keep it simple. Wash your hands!

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