Soap Scentric... What are you putting on your skin?

Last weekend my sister did her first show for her new business.  My sister began making homemade soaps last year.  They were so popular among her family and friends that she began a business.  She is just in the starting phase, but she has done her research.  She knows that most soaps sold in our stores and not good for our skin

 

My family has sensitive skin.  We tend to be easily irritated by fragrances or harsh chemicals.  Most soaps strip the skin of natural oils.  As my sister states on her website, Soap Scentric, soap companies add harsh chemicals to their soaps to prolong shelf life and help the fragrances last longer.  Once the natural oils are stripped, the soap manufacturers know that people will purchase lotions and moisturizers to replace the oils and heal their irritated, dry skin.  

As a personal testimony, I have been taking my health very seriously lately.  From the foods I eat to what I put on my skin to the cleansers I clean my home with, I have become picky.  Having discovered that I have developed allergies to things such as milk, cats, cedar, and grass; and having so many health issues crop up; I have been on a research campaign to live in a healthier environment.  

One of my issues that bothered me for a couple of years is incredibly dry skin and eczema on my arms.  The eczema would be so itchy that I would scratch until I had bleeding sores.  Drinking more water didn't really help as I had hoped it would.  For Christmas my sister gave us all some of her handmade soaps.  I loved the scent she gave me, but I didn't really consider that it would help.  In fact, I was a little concerned because nearly everything irritates my skin.  

In January, when the test results came back with the allergies that I had, I cut out milk.  I also began using my sister's soap.  As I researched, I realized that the lotions I used could also be irritating.  So, I switched to coconut oil to moisturize my skin.  Miraculously, for the first time in years, my eczema disappeared.  I realize that it was the combination of eliminating dairy, changing to a more natural soap not full of harsh chemicals, and switching to a natural moisturizer (coconut oil) that probably made the difference.  However, using my sister's soaps is a key part.

In March I traveled to Missouri to visit my daughter at her college.  I didn't take my sister's soap.  Instead, I just used what was in the hotel.  I maintained my non-dairy status while I was there and kept using the coconut oil to moisturize.  I was only in Missouri for a couple of days, but the eczema returned on my arms.  It took a week, after I was home and returned to using my sister's soap, for the eczema to completely disappear again. 

One of the most convincing statements that I read about the importance of using natural soaps and products on my skin is from my sister's website:

"Skin is porous and absorbs what we put on it.  This is much like eating a piece of fruit that has been chemically treated, without first washing it.  Chemically produced products repeatedly rubbed into skin will result in those toxins to be stored in your body potentially causing several health issues.  Furthermore, these contaminants affect our eco system.  As the chemicals slide down our drains, they end up passing by some water purification filters at water treatment facilities, therefore possibly landing in city drinking water."