Perfumes are one of the most common triggers to people with respiratory problems and those with chemical sensitivities.
Unscented soap is the solution. We carry a full line of unscented soaps: unscented bar soap
(very simple, super-hypoallergenic formula),
unscented shampoo (actually it is "Level H" liquid soap), unscented "Original" liquid soap
(a hand/body soap), unscented lotion (just Shea Butter and Safflower oil),
and unscented lip balm (simply Shea Butter).
Of course, all products are fragrance-free and are as simple as possible.
What exactly is "hypoallergenic"?
"A common misconception about hypoallergenic products is that they
never cause irritation, even to those with sensitive skin. Unfortunately, this is not always the case.
Many with sensitive skin often develop rashes after using a product labeled "hypoallergenic." Why is this?
Well, the problem is usually preservatives. Almost all cosmetics contain preservatives to keep the product fresh
and to prolong its shelf life. Along with fragrances, they are the most common cause of allergic reactions.
Some cosmetic companies...specialize in products that are hypoallergenic.
All this normally means is that their products are fragrance-free. They still contain preservatives."
As you may know by now, AZ Sungold Soaps is not only fragrance free but is also preservative free.
A pure vegetable oil based bar soap, at first, can seem very different than the more traditional bar soap that is made with animal fat.
Vegetarian bar soaps seem to be more oily with a "slick" feel to them and also seem, at first, to be more laborious during rinse off than
the bar soaps with animal fat.
However, this "different feel" soon fades and a unique appreciation for the pure vegetable soap will prevail.
In addition, animal based bar soaps can stand up to a flooded soap dish and not melt away as can vegetable based bar soaps.
A simple solution to this lack of hardiness in the soap dish is the use of a soap saver. For more information about
soap savers, visit our Soap Savers Product Page. AZ Sungold Soaps includes a free soap saver with all bar soap purchases.
AZ Sungold Soaps goes the extra mile and uses Distilled Water in the "Ultimate Safflower" bar soap and "Level H" liquid soap. Purified Water or Tap Water are not used in these products.
Our Ultimate Safflower bar soap is designed to generate maximum lather.
There is a direct correlation between the amount of lather produced and how fast the bar of soap is used up.
Other soaps may well be geared to last longer and be hardier, but would generate lather at a more modest rate.
Also, the amount of lather produced directly correlates to the cleansing ability of the particular soap.
It can be compared to an automobile that gets less MPG, but has more power under the hood.
AZ Sungold Soaps uses no pH (Power of Hydrogen) manipulation to artificially lower the natural pH of its soap. The skin will adjust to the natural pH of soap.
Misconceptions about artificially lowering the pH level of soap are rampant. As a matter of fact, it is
healthy for the body to have an increase,
to some extent, of alkalinity.
This can be accomplished via food intake (Ingestion) or even, as AZ Sungold Soaps theorizes, by Absorbtion (via the skin barrier).
Citric acid is a common additive
in many soaps to lower the pH level.
What is the shelf life of Sunogld Soaps? Since we use no preservatives, shelf life is under one year. Please do not purchase more than
a year's supply of soap or lotion products.
We've been trying to get our Ultimate Bar Soap into several Health Food stores, but AZ Sungold Soaps are not available in any store. Customers could ask store managers to inquire about our soaps, but currently our products are only available from the AZ Sungold Soaps website, or obtained from a friend or family member.
What is the difference between a synthetic soap and a natural soap?
Synthetic soaps, also referred to as detergents, synthetic detergents, or "syndets", are often labelled in the soap industry as "surfactants".
A surfactant is a general term
and simply pertains to a category of substances which cleanse when mixed with water. In a sense, it makes water "wetter" and helps to carry away dirt.
Surfactants reduce the cohesion of water and allow the water to permeate, at a greater level (to a greater degree), into the object or onto the
surface needed to be cleansed. Surfactants are referred to as "wetting
agents" because of this phenomemon. AZ Sungold Soaps believes that any "cleanser" that is used in conjunction with water can be called a surfactant. Even natural soap can be defined as a surfactant. However, in the
soapmaking industry, a "surfactant" would normally refer to
a syndet or synthetic detergent.
Synthetic cleansers are created in the laboratory and are engineered to have the properties that seem to be desired by the public.
Syndets are quick to lather, easy to rinse off, and leave minimal residue or soap film.
This may seem ideal. However, as you may have guessed, there are also downsides to these "appealing" properties. Syndets seem to be very well-behaved,
but, can also have unwelcome side effects.
SYNDETS ARE NOT MADE FROM WHOLE OILS. Natural soap, as you may know, is simply made by combining a fat with an alkali to produce a natural chemical that we call "soap".
Natural soaps are simply whole oils/fats that are combined with an alkali, in the correct proportions, to produce soap. This type of soapmaking
has been going on for
thousands of years. Syndets (introduced in the 1950's), on the other hand, do not use
whole oils. Syndets use "parts" of whole oils, or derivatives, obtained through various extraction methods.
This difference is comparable to making bread
from white flour
as opposed to whole wheat flour. White bread has a fluffy texture, great mouth appeal, mass allure, and is easy to digest. Whereas bread made from
whole wheat flour, although not as fluffy or as light feeling in the mouth and stomach, provide much greater nutrition. And as many health-conscious people
know, whole wheat bread
is better for your health. This is because whole wheat flour retains the essential germ of the wheat which provides all those important
vitamins and minerals. Whereas white
flour manufacturers have the germ removed (the germ contains the bulk of the nutrients in the plant) to make it more commercially "appealing" to the masses.
To health-conscious consumers, though, the extra vitamins and minerals present
in the whole wheat bread are actually more "appealing". Good health, to health-conscious people, is of more value than a fluffy, mouth appeal.
Synthetic soaps, however,
go through a lot more refinement and processing in the laborotory than even white flour. So, this comparison may understate the level of synthetic processing
that syndets go through (in other words, syndets have moved a lot further away from Nature than even white flour).
Natural soaps are made from whole oils/fats. All the nutrients that are present in the whole oils are passed on into the properties of the soap.
This includes the naturally occurring glycerine which is produced (as a natural by-product) by all natural soaps.
This is not the snythetic glycerine that is manufactured in the lab. This glycerine is a natural by-product of the natural soapmaking process.
Glycerine is hygroscopic. It absorbs moisture from the air.
This quality makes it invaluable as a moisturizer for the skin. Glycerine is a humectant and therefore attracts moisture and retains this moisture on the skin.
Snythetic soaps do not produce glycerine as a by-product as do natural soaps, and therefore formulations or products that utilize synthetic soaps need glycerine
or a glycerine substitute added to them
(if they are to come into contact with human skin or hair). Often,
synthetic glycerine will be made from petroleum products. People with chemical sensitivities are usually sensitive to petroleum products.
One of the reasons natural soap will not
dry the skin the way synthetic soap does is that the natural soaps contain this natural glycerin. Synthetic soaps, like
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, on the other hand, tend to dry
the skin and act as an irritant.
Indeed, synthetic soaps do not contain this natural glycerine (and other nutrients) like a natural soap does, and this forces soapmakers who use
synthetic-based soaps in their formulations
to enrich or add synthetic glycerine and other ingredients
(similar to the enrichment of white bread) to their product to
reproduce , in effect, what nature has already bestowed upon the natural soaps.
AZ Sungold Soaps believes the main problem is that synthetic detergents are inherently unbalanced cleansers. Syndets, in effect, actually clean too well. They
strip away an unnatural amount of the natural oils that are present on the skin or hair, and we believe that this is what can cause the irritation to the skin
and and/or hair loss/damage.
Natural soap, on the other hand, also strips away oils in order to cleanse, but does it in a balanced way. It removes just enough oils to cleanse,
but does NOT completely strip away all the oils present on the skin or in the hair. It cleanses in a naturally balanced way. This is the
beauty of natural soap. It removes oil and dirt from skin or hair without causing damage or irritation. Synthetic soaps, on the other hand, act as an irritant
by strippng away too much
oil and in effect being too strong of a cleanser. It is not a naturally balanced cleanser.
Synthetic detergents not only can irritant the skin, but can irritate the lungs as well. AZ Sungold Soaps believes that gasses are released from the soap lather,
and it is during lathering that the substances in the product will emit their respective gasses/aromas. Especially in the shower,
when using synthetic-based shampoo, the lather
from the syndet will "outgass" and act as an irritant to those with any kind of chemical sensitivities. This outgassing is most noticeable
during the peak of lathering.
When the substances in the shampoo, for example, are released into the air, it can act
as an irritant to the airways. This seems to be referred to in all the
MSDS (Material Data Safety Sheet) documentation on each
synthetic detergent AZ Sungold Soaps has investigated so far.
SLS, or Sodium Lauryl Sulfate,
is probably the most widely used of all the synthetic or "semi-synthetic" detergents. The CDC (Center for Disease Control)
has even seen fit
to study human exposure to this
synthetic soap.
AZ Sungold Soaps believes that Mark Santos nicely sums up the use of SLS in the majority of shampoos in his online article
Your Shampoo May Be Hazardous to Your Health.
In FDA testing of skin irritants, in referring to the use of SLS, the FDA states
Sodium lauryl sulfate is also used to increase skin reactivity,
but is not recommended because of the potential for sensitizing subjects to substances unnecessarily.
Syndets generally use
Sodium Sulfate or Ammonium Sulfate for detergent powders. For bar/liquid detergents, Sodium Carbonate [Soda Ash] or Sodium/Potassium Hydroxide are used to form the synthetic soap from the sulfated (sulfonated) oil/fat derivatives (oil derivitives combined with sulfonic acid, a sulfuric acid derivative).
Whereas natural soaps generally use Sodium Hydroxide or Potassium Hydroxide as the alkali that is combined with whole, natural fats/oils.
An example of a semi-synthetic soap ingredient would be as follows: Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
(also spelled Sodium Laurel Sulfate).
SLS is a product of Lauric alcohol (derived from lauric acid, which is derived from coconut
oil or other tropical oils that contain lauric acid), and Sulfonic acid, and
then are made into a semi-synthetic soap with Sodium Carbonate or Sodium Hydroxide.
An example of a natural soap ingredient would be as follows: Sodium Cocoate.
COMPARISON CHART OF BOTH POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE PROPERTIES OF NATURAL AND SYNTHETIC SOAPS
Natural Soap Positives
Natural Soap Negatives
Synthetic Soap Positives
Synthetic Soap Negatives
Naturally Balanced Cleanser - cleansing power is balanced and does not strip away too much
of the body's natural oils from the skin (sebum) and hair. Does not adversely affect the skin's oily barrier.
Produces Soap Scum in hard water, water that has a high amount of desolved calcium and other minerals. These minerals combine with the soap molecules and produce the visable soap scum.
Produces signicantly less soap scum in hard water
Unbalanced cleanser - cleansing power is unbalanced and can strip away too much
of the body's natural oils from the skin (sebum) and hair. May adversely affect the skin's oily barrier.
Formulations/products utilizing synthetic soaps, especially for products that cleanse skin and hair, need
enrichment (additional ingredients), or synthetic balancing, by manufacturer to try to offset skin irritation properties.
Uses whole, natural oils
Can clog sewage pipes/drains with soap scum sludge
Tends not to cause build up of soap scum sludge in sewage system
Uses derivatives or parts of whole oils. Synthetics may be petroleum-based soap. Semi-synthetics may use
petroleum-based catalysts during chemical break-up of whole oils (for example, methanol may be used as a catalyst
when producing lauric acid (a fatty acid or component of coconut oil and other tropical oils). Semi-synthetics use
hydrolyzed fats.
Non-irritating to skin and lungs/airways
Will deteriorate fabrics at a faster rate than synthetics
Is very good for cleaning fabrics. Slows down rate of fabric deterioration.
May be classified in MSDS (Material Data Safety Sheet) as an irritant to skin and airways.
Contains naturally occurring glycerine
Can become deactivated in
hard water and is depended by the degree of hardness. For more information about your Water Quality and hardness, contact your Water utility company. It is required by the EPA to report chemical composition of your water.
Produces a very quick lather
Devoid of naturally occurring glycerine (glycerine is a natural by-product of natural soapmaking)
n/a
n/a
Easy and quick rinse off
General agreement that syndets should not be used on the body for any extended length of time.
It is intended, and advised, that syndets can be used safely in quick or immediate rinse-off applications. General agreement that
prolonged exposure to syndets should be avoided.
This is a natural chemical
n/a
n/a
This is a synthetic or semi-synthetic chemical. Can also be referred to as a surfactant, syndet, synthetic cleanser,
or semi-synthetic cleanser (semi-synthetics incorporate more natural elements than "full" synthetics).
Olive oil soaps have a certain appeal to a percentage of people. Olive oil soaps, often referred to as "Castille" soaps,
are made with up to 100% olive oil.
"Castille Soap
is one name for such a soap, named after the region of current day Spain".
The problem with Castille soaps are that those who choose these kinds of soaps believe
they are getting a "pure" soap. In fact, 100% olive oil soaps not only may use
Pomace olive oil, but they are also unbalanced formulas. It is a one-oil formula. Traditional Castille soaps are 100%
olive oil. However, today, a Castille soap is defined as having at least 50% olive oil.
Pomace olive oil is made from the third extraction of the olives.
"A process of "hexane extraction" is able to chemically extract most of this oil, which is then refined.
Used primarily to make soap."
In extracting the oil from the olive, the first pressing is referred to as
an Extra Virgin olive oil. This is mechanically
extracted. The second pressing is referred to as Virgin olive oil. This is mechanically extracted also.
The third pressing is referred to as Pomace olive oil and this is solvent extracted. Pomace oil is favored by many
soapmakers because of the ease in which the Pomace olive oil saponifies (turns into soap) and its ability to hide
the discolorations that normally occur in ALL whole, natural soaps. Olive oil is very prone to discolorations
(more than other oils) and
soda ash (Calcium Carbonate) can
form on the part of the soap, while in the soap mold, that is exposed to air. This is a white, powdery residue that is
perfectly harmless but cosmetically unappealling which can form on the bar of soap. This residue is usually cut off the bar
before it meets the customer's eye.
Most soapmakers make their olive oil soaps with Pomace olive oil. If a soapmaker makes their soap with a
higher grade olive oil, logic would dictate that
this is something that the soapmaker would want to communicate to the potential client as a higher grade of soap than what
is usual. Also, Pomace olive oil is a dark, greenish color. Virgin olive oils are a translucent color. In addition,
even the higher grade olive oils may contain a percentage of cheaper, dilutive oils such as corn, soy, sunflower, & hazelnut.
100% Castille soaps, in our opinion, make for an unbalanced soap. Every oil has a particular property that it imparts
to the soap. You will notice in using 100% Castille soaps that the lathering and cleansing ability, as well as the rinse-off
ability, is significantly diminished as compared to a balanced soap. A balanced soap will contain a tropical
oil or an animal fat as one part of the soap
formula. Utilizing a tropical oil such as Coconut, Palm Kernel, or Babassu creates a soap with a superior cleansing and
lathering ability and an easier rinse off.
AZ Sungold Soaps carefully chooses its oils and creates its formulas to maximize both cleansing, lathering, and
conditioning (moisturizing) ability.
All of our soaps, both bar and liquid, are carefully balanced and meticulously thought out and tested. Check out our
Oils Used
page for more information about which oils we use.
JOHN J. LUMPKIN, Associated Press Writer:
Tue Oct 18,10:42 PM ET
"...critics of anti-bacterial soaps in the home say there's plenty to be concerned about."
"...some people contend that a number of the products, particularly those that use synthetic chemicals...
pose the risk of creating germs that are resistant to antibacterials as well as antibiotics."
"...antibacterials are no more effective than regular soap in reducing infections and illnesses.
The Food and Drug Administration, in briefing documents posted on the Internet ahead of Thursday's hearing,
said the agency has not found any medical studies that definitively linked specific anti-bacterial products
to reduced infection rates."
"Unlike anti-bacterial products, regular household soap helps separate bacteria from the skin so they wash
down the drain or attach to the hand towel when hands are dried. Anti-bacterial soap kills the bacteria
outright."
"The Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee will consider whether there is evidence that these products
pose long-term hazards, as the critics contend. They can make recommendations on the sales and labeling
of these products to the FDA, which ultimately has the authority to restrict availability of such soaps
and related items."
"...Dr. Stuart Levy, president of the Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics,
say these products should be banned for use in healthy households...'We run the risk of changing the
kinds of bacteria we confront every day in the home,' said Levy, a professor of medicine and
molecular biology at Tufts University School of Medicine...Here's how, he says: The small percentage
of bacteria that survive a brush with the soap may develop resistance to it. What's more, he says,
some surviving bacteria may have an improved ability to pump out all threatening substances,
including antibiotics used to cure infections. Those survivors may pass that mutation to their offspring,
and the adaptation can come to dominate an entire population of bacteria, creating a resistance."
"Other issues to be considered by FDA panelists include whether the synthetic chemicals in some soaps pose
a hazard in the environment after they wash down the drain and through wastewater systems. They also will
look at whether the use of antibacterials in homes may in fact leave those homes too clean for young
children, who may need some exposure to the bacterial world to develop a strong immune system. This
controversial theory, called the "Hygiene Hypothesis," suggests that growing up in a too-clean environment
may cause a person to develop asthma and serious allergies later in life."
Just as physical activity builds up body strength and endurance, a occasional bout with a biological agent can build the bodies immune system.
In regard to glycerine, based on AZ Sungold Soap's experience with those allergic or sensitive to glycerine,
it seems to be the synthetic glycerine that is added to a product as an ingredient that people are often allergic to.
However there are some misconceptions out there about "glycerine soap".
On the one hand, glycerine soap can mean soap that has glycerine added to it as an ingredient.
This is the glycerine that AZ Sungold Soaps has found people to be sensitive to via testimonials.
However, "glycerine soap" has another definition. It can also simply mean "natural soap".
There is no glycerine added to our natural soap. But of course "naturally occurring" glycerine is present.
There is naturally occurring glycerine in all natural soap products.
It has been AZ Sungold Soap's experience that people sensitive to "glycerine" are allergic to the synthetic glycerine
that is added as an ingredient rather than the naturally occurring glycerine that is in all natural soap products.
That is the distinction and the confusion surrounding "glycerine soap".
AZ Sungold Soaps can include a bottle of oxygen bleach (sodium percarbonate) with your
purchased of our liquid Laundry Soap (you can get three bottles of oxygen bleach
when a 136 oz jug purchased...etc).
PCS, or Sodium Percarbonate, is a solid form of hydrogen peroxide.
It is simply made by mixing sodium carbonate and hydrogen peroxide.
This a dry powder we put in small 6 oz bottles.
Please handle with care as you would with any strong household cleaner. Please read the MSDS before use.
To access a safety sheet (MSDS) on this PCS, please click
here. You will need
Adobe Acrobat Reader (which is on most computers).
Sodium Percarbonate, related to sodium bi-carbonate (baking soda) which most people are more familiar with,
is not as biodegradable as hydrogen peroxide. And hydrogen peroxide,
as most of us know, is something we use as an anti-septic on cuts...etc.
Hydrogen Peroxide is extremely environmentally friendly and will breakdown to water, oxygen...etc.
It is the oxygen that is released from the hydrogen peroxide that provides much of the cleaning power
behind this chemical mixture.
Sodium Carbonate is also known as Soda Ash or Washing Soda, terms which may be more familiar.
Directions:
The Sodium Percarbonate (Oxygen bleach) can be added directly to the water in the washing machine
when you add your laundry soap (prior to adding clothes).
Add directly to the water or machine, prior to adding clothes, if possible and allow to mix or0
use a mixing stick if you have a top loader along with the 6-14 ounces (depending on load size)
of our natural liquid Laundry Soap. (6 oz is good for small loads....14 oz for very large loads)
This allows the Laundry soap and the Sodium Percarbonate (PCS) to thoroughly mix in with the washing water.
PCS will enhance the cleaning power and make whites whiter and counter any yellowing effects
of the natural soap.
For very large loads, you can use up to half the PCS bottle. For small loads, a quarter of a bottle will
suffice (or even less).
Please be careful handling your PCS. Try to have it go directly from the little bottle directly
into the washing machine.
As with any strong household cleaner, use the PCS with care. And keep out of reach of children.
Do not attempt to handle this product directly or try to put spilled PCS back into the bottle:
just carefully discard.
For emergencies...etc, please call Chemtrec at 1-800-424-9300.
For our regular customers, we are willing to share our information about great deals we have found on the Internet.
For example: Cell phone plans for $5.37 per month, webhosting for $3 per month, domain name registration for $8 per year,
Internet accesss for under $7 per month, free online banking with no balance restrictions or fees
(never make a trip to the bank again!).
Other rewards can include anti-spam tips for your website (if you have one), and free website
consultations (within limits) via Skype.
We cannot think of all the great deals we have come accross in our research, but we
will add to our list as we think of them or as we come across new great deals.
Just contact us to find out if you qualify.
We make no money nor receive any "kick backs" for giving out these types of "customer rewards".
In addition, if you do qualify as a "regular customer", you may have an
opportunity to be a "tester".
This means free sample products sent to you at no cost, whatsoever, if
you meet our "tester" basic
requirments. Some examples of the requirements to be a tester would be having a modern computer
(under 5 years old) with
Internet access and a willingness to register for "Skype", our primary source of
communication with testers
(Skype is completely free and currently has no spam or adware associated with it).
Skype offers state
of the art VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) and includes IM (Instant Messaging) ability.
Once our product ships, it becomes the responsibility of the mail carrier. We guarantee that all orders are protected against loss.
However, in the unlikely event of a loss during transport, you should expect a delay in receiving your order while we process
the insurance claim. Once the claim is processed (at least a few weeks, depending on the carrier), we will send out a duplicate
order. We cannot give you a cash refund of your original purchase price. We can only replace the order.
Orders placed online via our Paypal payment system are usually shipped out 2-4 business days after payment is received. A business day is defined as Monday through Friday
except nationally observed holidays.
We may sometimes use cardboard boxes that are recycled for mailing our orders. In addition, AZ Sungold Soaps strives to use
minimal product packaging.
