Monday, November 12, 2007

The Trouble with Lauryl Sulfate

One of the crazier ingredients dumped into pretty much every kind of soap is Lauryl Sulfate. It's an ingredient that puts bubbles in your clean, and it's a detergent agent that makes it a good solvent to remove oils. Apparently, removing oil is considered a good thing and Americans don't seem to feel really clean unless there are a ton of bubbles foaming away the dirt and skin cells.

If one does a search for lauryl sulfate one very soon comes across any number of websites -- including the National Institute of Health Toxnet site -- that list Lauryl Sulfate as a potentially significant skin irritant. Yet, most soap companies use it in their soaps, shampoos, and even conditioners.

If you are plagued by dry skin; or have acne, dermatitis, eczema or rashes of any kind -- perhaps the problem is the Lauryl sulfate being lathered on your skin? Find a soap that does not contain lauryl sulfate and see if your skin problems don't clear up!

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