Bar or Liquid?

Recently, over at our friend Beth Terry's blog "Fake Plastic Fish" we've been involved in her most recent discussion- bar versus liquid. Similar to us over here at ROLLING RIVER SOAP COMPANY, Beth is also VERY interested in eliminating plastic out of her life (hence the title of her blog); the question she posed to her readers recently was "Why are body washes in plastic bottles more popular than bar soap?" We wanted to know the same thing, because we couldn't imagine using anything BUT bar soap. Then again, we also have the best bar soap on the planet, so we are slightly biased.

Beth used the Old Spice commercial that my hot and funny boyfriend Isaiah Mustafa’s stared in, as her example; of course, we know, that you know, who we are talking about. *wink smile* My boyfriend is known aaaaallllll over this country for his mad funny commercial acting.


The body wash in question is Old Spice's Classic Scented body wash. It's ingredient line up is less then safe and really, really scary. The Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Database scale lists it as 5, moderatly harmful. (We personally would have listed it as highly harmful).

And for your information pleasure (because we are ALL about information at ROLLING RIVER SOAP COMPANY) we have deciphered Old Spices ingredients for you. Because we only want you to have the truth.

OLD SPICE BODY WASH ingredient listing:

WATER: this is self explanatory

SODIUM LAURETH SULFATE: Is an inexpensive (understand cheap) foaming agent, highly irritating and is known to cause hair follicle damage, skin damage, permanent eye damage in children and because it does not metabolize AT ALL, even liver toxicity. This is one of things that bad dreams are made of.
 
SODIUM SULFATE: is the sodium salt of sulfuric acid and is used to as a filler and because it dissolves in water (this is part that makes the shampoo feel like it is being rinsed out of your hair). Causes dryness in hair (yuck tangles), skin irritation and so on. It's basically an acid salt bi-product. Think drying yucky burning- that about sums it up.
 
COCAMIDOPROPYL BETAINE: A synthetic spreader. Simply put, this is used to make the gel wash feel like it is being spread around on you body, give it that fake feeling of silky smooth. Are you asking yourself yet WHY they would need to add something to make it feel like it's spreading across your body? It is also an allergen, this is what makes some people break out in hives, itch and sneeze while you spread it around your body.
 
FRAGRANCE: Synthetic and allergen, with that said, they don't even mention what kind of fragrance they use, for all we know it could have parabens in it. Those are the plastics that give you cancer.
 

SODIUM LAUROAMPHOACETATE: Also known as Genagen LDA, it is a foam booster (it super charges the other foaming agent, is this even necessary?) and cleaning-spreading agent, known by many names, loved by companies because it makes everything SUPER FOAMING like your enjoying yourself at a spa!! (it’s Pretty Woman in the giant bath tub all over again) Designed (which is why it has 2 names) by 5 guys who thought that making a bigger better foaming-spreading agent would improve everyone’s cleaning experience. Again, it gives that fake feeling of silky smooth. And what we should remember is that just because it is foaming like a son of a bitch DOESN’T mean it is cleaning, now days foaming does NOT equate clean. And with that said we only have one thing to say about this chemical "We at ROLLING RIVER SOAP COMPANY are not tricked by your SODIUM LAUROAMPHOACETATE cloud bubble!"
 
CITRIC ACID: preservative and weak acid, people put this stuff in cabbage rolls.
 
SODIUM BENZOATE: preservative, used in fireworks, lets just say that AGAIN, USED IN FIREWORKS and causes hyperactivity.
 
POLYQUATERNIUM-10: Reduces static in hair, makes you believe that it is enhancing the look and feel of hair. This is the stuff that commercials boast will make your hair shiny and soft but is really making your hair flat, weird, unmanageable and makes you have to use more product with more chemicals in it because this stuff made your hair weird.
 
DISODIUM EDTA: This makes all of the above stuff mix together and gives it 
that gel constancy. This is also the stuff that goes into the water and earth after you’re done washing with it and pollutes everything. Making other animals sick because once it's adsorbed into the body via skin and the food chain it stops the absorption of Vitamin C along with aiding in the accumulation of heavy metals. YOU CAN NOT GET RID OF THIS STUFF once it is in the ecosystem. Imagine pouring cartoon toxic green slimy yuck on yourself, except there is no cartoon, it's not green or slimy but it is CLEARLY toxic.
 
METHYLCHLOROISOTHIAZOLINONE: preservative, anitfungal agent, causes tissue damage, burns and is dangerous for long term use. Ever use a body wash and afterwards feel like your skin is burning, dry or have red skin irritation? This is the nasty stuff that causes that.
 
METHYLISOTHIAZOLINONE: Is used as a preservative (so products can stay on the shelf longer and longer and longer and longer longer and longer and longer and longer longer and longer and longer and longer) and is a chemical that is used to kill organisms (it doesn't care which ones, good or bad, it kills them ALL). It causes brain damage and is TOXIC to human cells.
 
As owners of ROLLING RIVER SOAP COMPANY, a Canadian natural bath and beauty company; we believe you don't need to put chemicals into soap and we  also have oodles to say about soap that does. 

There’s a growing trend among the main stream beauty industry to bring customers products that are HIGHLY saturated in smell, taste, and sight. Because you are lead to believe that if it doesn’t taste like a bucket of pure concentrated strawberries then it really isn’t real strawberries. And if it doesn’t look like the brightest most concentrated version of yellow, then it must not be good for you. And if you’re not smelling like you just walked out of a vat of perfume/cologne then the product clearly isn’t doing a proper job. You’re not “clean.” 

And we think this is where the misunderstanding comes in; men (and women, who are we kidding) are being conditioned to think body wash works better because it makes them smell like the most INTENSE SMELLING version of a concentrated-bottle-of-rich-and-luxurious OMG I SMELL LIKE CARRIE BRADSHAW!! and not “just washed.” Because just washed is boring and not anywhere close to celebrity. Just washed is too pedestrian. Just washed isn’t what the ladies/men want. Maybe if you’re not smelling like a designer smell then you’re not good looking enough. You’re not hip enough. You’re not rich enough. What you definitely are, is pouring toxic chemicals directly onto the largest organ on your body, your skin. 

Smelling like the real version of “clean” or “just washed” is a subdued smell that doesn’t brand a company’s products well enough (and doesn’t buy into the media conditioning of the definition of clean), because you don’t have enough people asking “What are you wearing?” Ask yourself when the last time you asked someone (who was only washing with regular non-smelling fragrance free soap) what they were wearing? No one, now a days cares about the fresh, clean smell of real clean.Oh no, now a days people want to know how hip you are, how rich you are and apparently that is told by what smell you are wearing. *cough* WRONG! *cough*

It still amazes us what people are okay with washing with. Bathing is the only activity where your body is primed, pores open to receive whatever you want your body to have. It’s the equivalent of opening your mouth and pouring food in. Why wouldn’t you want safe, non-toxic, healthy bath products?

To expand this smell indoctrination even more we don’t don’t need to look any further than air fresheners. We were watching a commercial the other day for Febreze® wherein it stated that to get the things you can’t wash that clean smell, just use Febreze® and then it listed those “things-you-can’t-wash.” We were surprised to hear the commercial say curtains, pillows and furniture. Funny, just the other day we washed the living room curtains, bedroom curtains and office curtains (We also hung them outside to dry. gasp! in the fresh air) along with a bunch of pillows. We feel like a broken record- it AMAZES us what people will spray in the air and put on their bodies. And we wonder why we have become a society of scent sensitive, asthma diagnosis, topically allergic people.

Yet users of these products don’t or won’t take the time to actually look into the ingredients listed on these products, or maybe we don't understand what the chemicals mean because they have been positioned to the public as being safe. Most of them are harmful chemicals and PLASTIC. Yes, our arch nemesis, plastic in a liquid form. Plastic that these companies use as fillers to make more money; it’s kind of like adding bread crumbs to your meat loaf to make it go farther, except in the case of bath products it’s harmful. 

So, why are people using these products? 

We want to hear from you.

Coo coo for Cocoa Butter?

Anyone who has spoken with either of us about our goals and dreams for Rolling River Soap Company will know that education and awareness are two very important parts of who we are and what makes us feel great about what we do.  We aren't about hiding the magic that makes our products wonderful or hiding behind confusing chemicals! What we are about, is sharing the loveliness that goes into each bar of soap, each bath bomb and each uber-elegant body butter.

One of our ingredients is also known as 'Food of the Gods,' or perhaps a bit less dramatic, but still delicious sounding - Cocoa Butter Theobroma cacao.

Why do we love this nutty number?
Not just because it's been tested tried and true for centuries by people who live in some of the most extreme environments on earth such as Africa and South America, (the first recordings of the Cocoa Tree come from 1000B.C.) but because it allows us to add a whole new level of luxury to our products.  And feel good doing it!

What is it?
Cocoa butter is a cream coloured vegetable fat that is extracted from the cocoa bean.  It's then used to add flavor, scent and emollient properties to everything from foods and chocolate to lip balms, body butters and a host of other topical applications.  

Why does Rolling River add it to products?
Because it's wonderful!  We use Cocoa Butter because of the many benefits it offers the human body.  Cocoa Butter melts at body temperature and is readily absorbed by the skin which makes it ideal to use in our body butters and lip balms.  It assists in creating silky smooth skin and it also creates a barrier between your sensitive skin and the environment.

Cocoa Butter is high in Vitamin E and other vitamins and minerals.  These help balance and soothe the skin while providing collagen and reducing the appearance of wrinkles.

Does it get better?  You bet!

Cocoa butter is used by expectant Mommy's to help treat and prevent stretch marks. But it's not just for Mom-to-be. It's also used in the treatment of chapped lips and skin and as a daily moisturizer to prevent itchy dry skin.  The sweet smell of cocoa also promotes feelings of well-being.  Now that's pretty awesome.  Combine the scent with the sensual massaging motion to relieve stress and you're in business!
 
Science Talk
Cocoa Butter contains cocoa mass polyphenol. CMP (the short form) inhibits the production of immuno globulin IgE (in our minds we say immune goblins) which is said to aggravate symptoms of dermatitis and asthma. Basically, imagine Cocoa Butter as the super hero, now imagine the Immune Goblins as the bad guys. Cocoa Butter to the rescue (done tad taa) punching and fighting Immune Goblins as they try to make asthma and dermatitis across the land. Of course Cocoa Butter wins. *sigh smile* We love happy endings at Rolling River Soap Company.


Which Rolling River Soap Company products have Cocoa Butter?
It's a good thing you asked.
All of our body butters contain a high level of skin lovin' Cocoa Butter.  Our many lip balms also contain Cocoa Butter for maximum smooch-ability!

Ah, Cocoa Butter.  We plan to keep you around for a while.  It's been a  great relationship so far, and we can't wait to see what other tricks you may have up your sleeve!