Plain, Old-Fashioned Soap as an Essential

For a long time, I have thought about writing a post about how chemical-laden, antibacterial soap is unnecessary and can actually be harmful. As COVID-19 sweeps across many nations, everyone is talking about the importance of handwashing to help stop the spread of disease. One thing that I have found interesting is the absence of mentioning antibacterial soaps. While hand sanitizers are definitely all the rage, antibacterial soaps are not even on the radar.

Here is a quote from fda.gov:

“According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), there isn’t enough science to show that over-the-counter (OTC) antibacterial soaps are better at preventing illness than washing with plain soap and water. To date, the benefits of using antibacterial hand soap haven’t been proven. In addition, the wide use of these products over a long time has raised the question of potential negative effects on your health.”

And a quote from cdc.gov:

“To date, studies have shown that there is no added health benefit for consumers (this does not include professionals in the healthcare setting) using soaps containing antibacterial ingredients compared with using plain soap. As a result, FDA issued a final rule in September 2016 that 19 ingredients in common “antibacterial” soaps, including triclosan, were no more effective than non-antibacterial soap and water and thus these products are no longer able to be marketed to the general public. This rule does not affect hand sanitizers, wipes, or antibacterial products used in healthcare settings.”

Triclosan and other “antibacterial”ingredients are just some of the nasty ingredients to avoid. Chemicals in what many would consider plain, harmless soap have the potential of causing skin problems. For more information, check out the article “The Benefits of Using Real, Natural Soap” at naturalnews.com.

A word about hand sanitizers, I would caution against using them unless you are in a situation where you don’t have access to soap and water. Again, most of them contain chemicals that are harmful for you and, in my opinion, harm your microbiome.

Go to Johnson Pure Soap’s online store to choose from a variety of over 20 different kinds of simple, all-natural handmade soaps and stock up on essentials.