I have a vivid memory of totally losing it one day, and just crying in the shower. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. I was reacting to everything, including soaps and shampoos. I remember just crying and wondering what I was going to wash with, when everything made my throat swell?
I tried bottle after bottle of shampoo, I bought every product that was unscented and with the least amount of chemicals, trying to find something that would be safe. The same was true with soap. I tossed away countless bottles of shampoo and bars of soaps. It was a frustrating time to say the least.
It took a lot of trial and error to find something that would work for me. Friends suggested things that worked for them, but they didn’t for me. That’s the thing with MCS, each individual is unique and what works for one person, will be toxic to another. But every suggestion was a starting point. As with all things, the more time passed the more I would learn. During that time, I learned that like foods, I had to rotate my soaps and shampoos, or I would begin reacting negatively to them. So I kept a variety of soaps and shampoos in the shower and each week I would use something different. I also learned that everything mattered. Everything has an impact on your health. Since the skin is the largest organ of absorption and elimination, I learned that what I put on my skin would be absorbed my body and have a positive or negative effect on my health.
These are products that have worked for me. They may not be a good option for where you are at this moment in time. But perhaps it is a starting point for you. Consider following some of the hints at the end of this article.
All of these products can be found at your local natural market, food cooperative and online. Unwrapped soaps will absorb the fragrance of other soaps, so if I buy them locally, I usually have to outgas them in my mud room until the odor is gone. I’ve had better success buying unwrapped soaps online direct from the company (such as Sappho Hills), rather than in a store.
So after a lot of trial and error and wasted money on items I couldn’t use, here’s a list of my favorite soaps and shampoo:
Dead Sea Mud Soap Ingredients: Saponified Palm and Palm Kernel Oils, Dead Sea Mud, Vegetable Glycerin, Citric Acid, Shea Butter, Dead Sea Salt, Cinnamon, Salt and Vitamin E.
Dead Sea Olive Oil Soap Ingredients: Saponified palm and palm kernel oils, olive oil, citric acid, shea butter, dead sea salt, vitamin e, salt, and plant and mineral pigments.
EO Handmade Soaps Unscented Sensitive Skin Bar-Oatmeal & Honey Ingredients: Saponified Oils of Organic Sunflower, Organic Palm and Organic Coconut (with retained glycerin), Oats, Honey, Grapefruit seed Extract, Rosemary Extract.
Grandpa’s Baking Soda Soap Unscented Ingredients: Coconut oil, palm oil, purified water, vegetable glycerin, baking soda.
Organic Excellence Wild Mint Shampoo Ingredients: Purified Water, Olive Oil (and) Coconut Oil (and) Potassium Lactate, Vegetable Glycerin, Peppermint Oil*, Fennel Extract*, Hops Extract, Balm Mint Extract, Olive Leaf Extract*, Ginger Extract*, Mistletoe Extract*, Allantonin (Comfrey Root), Citric Acid, Niacin (Vitamin B3), Lemon Grass Oil*, Burdock Root Extract*, Sage Extract*, Rosemary Extract*, Grape Seed Extract*. *Certified Organic Herb.
Organic Excellence Spearmint Body Wash The Organic Excellence Spearmint Bodywash is free of the harsh detergents Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate found in products that lather. Ingredients: Purified Water, Vegetable Glycerin, Spearmint Oil*, Walnut Husk*, Fennel Extract*, Hops Extract, Chamomile Extract*, Balm Mint Extract, Mistletoe Extract*, Yarrow Extract, Citric Acid, Olive Leaf Extract*, Ginger Extract*, Milk Thistle Extract*, Sage Extract*, Rosemary Extract*, Grape Seed Extract*. *Certified Organic Herb
One with Nature Dead Sea Salt Soap Ingredients: Saponified Palm and Palm Kernel Oils, Vegetable Glycerin, Shea Butter, Dead Sea Salt, Citric acid, Salt and Vitamin E.
Sappho Hills Soap Oatmeal Fragrance Free Ingredients: Saponified non GMO food grade oils of palm and coconut, vegetable glycerin, organic oats. Paraben-Free, Phthalate-Free, SLS-Free, Detergent-Free, No Sulfates, No Harsh Chemicals, Vegan, Cruelty-Free, Gluten-Free*
Sappo Hills Soap Natural (Milky White) Ingredients: Saponified non GMO food grade oils of palm and coconut, vegetable glycerin. Paraben-Free, Phthalate-Free, SLS-Free, Detergent-Free, No Sulfates, No Harsh Chemicals, Vegan, Cruelty-Free, Gluten-Free*
Sappo Hills Soap Gardener’s Fragrance Free Ingredients: Saponified non GMO food grade oils of palm and coconut, vegetable glycerin and organic cornmeal and polenta. Paraben-Free, Phthalate-Free, SLS-Free, Detergent-Free, No Sulfates, No Harsh Chemicals, Vegan, Cruelty-Free, Gluten-Free*
Hints:
When possible look for sample sizes of new products to try, so your financial investment isn’t too great.
If ordering online, ask if they have sample or trial sizes for sale.
When trying to find something new that worked, I would buy a product and divide it up amongst three or four friends. We all shared in the expense, and if a product didn’t work, the financial expense wasn’t overwhelming.
