Naturalla Beauty

Historically, castile soap referred exclusively to the olive oil soap made in the Castile region of Spain, but today it's a term more broadly used to describe any soap made through the traditional saponification process that turns natural plant oils into soap.  Castile soap is an everyday staple in my home for both body care and cleaning purposes and I've recently been trying out the soaps from a new-to-me brand, Dr.  Jacobs Naturals.  Dr. Jacobs is a cruelty free company making liquid castile soap in the USA without palm oil, synthetic fragrance, colors, preservatives, or GMO's.



People often complain that liquid castile soaps are either too thin and runny or don't lather sufficiently, and quite honestly, these two factors frequently have me reaching for a different product in the shower too.  Dr. Jacobs soaps, however, circumvent both these issues by thickening their coconut and olive oil based castile soap with a small amount of the gentle, non-toxic surfactant coco-glucoside.   The result is a hybrid soap that's substantially thicker than your average castile offering.  It won't pour out of your hands or run down the drain, and the coco-glucoside helps it to lather more easily too.

I've been testing Dr. Jacobs' soaps out for all my usual household cleaning tasks -- laundry, makeup brush washing, and more -- and also as a shower gel and hand soap, and I'm pretty sold on them for all of the above!  The thicker viscosity makes it the perfect consistency to use as either a body wash or hand soap and its gentle and non-drying on the skin.  (And the 16 oz. pump bottles are extra convenient in the shower too!)  The thickness also means that you don't need to use as much product, particularly for cleaning, so a smaller amount of soap goes farther too.  I'm not personally a fan of castile soap for the face, but if that's something that usually works for you, I see no reason why Dr. Jacobs wouldn't as well.  

In terms of scents, Dr. Jacobs offers a good variety of both essential oil-based and natural fragrance options and I've been testing out three, plus the unscented.  The Citrus, currently residing in my shower, has a very mild scent.  It smells good and citrusy, but I also smell a little of the natural oils coming through.  The Eucalyptus and Peppermint are much stronger scents and have some serious scent power.  I used the Eucalyptus to clean my makeup brushes this week, while suffering through the tail end of a cold, and had the added bonus of clearer sinuses when I was finished.  The Peppermint has been hanging out by my washing machine, and a small amount in the wash leaves clothes smelling minty and fresh.  And the Unscented is, of course, great for when you don't want a scent, or for creating your own.

The Bottom Line
I always keep castile soap on hand and Dr. Jacobs is a great option!  The liquid soaps are thick and skin-friendly, and create a rich, versatile lather to suit a multitude of uses -- both for the body and household/cleaning.  

I've been using green and natural products for most of my adult life, but there are still moments when a new discovery truly makes me sit up and take notice.  That WOW feeling is the inspiration for this post, wherein I want to highlight greener options that you may or may not have heard of before -- both in the beauty realm and beyond.  Today's picks combine three things I never thought I'd pair together: birth control, hair dryers, and air freshener.


Low-EMF Hair Dryers
All electronic devices emit electric and magnetic fields (EMFs) when plugged in and in an increasingly electronic world, there's little doubt that most of us are constantly being bombarded with some level of this low-grade radiation.  According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), there's no clear evidence to show whether or not EMF exposure increases cancer risk or other health problems, but, since the strength of electromagnetic fields fade with distance from the source, they recommend limiting time spent around a source and increasing the distance from a source to reduce exposure.  Obviously increasing the distance from your hair dryer is not a feasible option when drying your hair, but you can opt for a low-EMF model that emits significantly less radiation.  Interestingly, it's not crunchy companies leading the charge on this one either, but rather pro brands like Chi, that promise both less EMF's and faster hair drying times.  

ContraGel Green Gel
Birth control methods are classified as medical devices in North America, so bringing new and greener options to the market is often much more difficult and cost prohibitive than with other kinds of products.  It's an area where I really think healthier options are often lacking, but that's a whole other topic of conversation.  

Let's talk about barrier contraceptives for a minute.  For those looking for hormone free birth control, barrier methods like the diaphragm are often touted as one of the best choices.  However, many of these methods are not fully effective unless used in combination with spermicide or contraceptive gel.  And -- I'm sure you know where I'm going here -- the ingredients in conventional spermicides are far from ideal.  Regular use of Nonoxynol 9, the primary chemical used in spermicides, is linked to irritation, rashes, and even an increased risk of contracting HIV.  Crazy, right?  Not to mention all the other gross filler ingredients and preservatives in there.  ContraGel, on the other hand, has only five natural ingredients and relies on lactic acid to immobilize sperm.  It's also condom-compatible, vegan, cruelty-free, and free of dairy and gluten.  

[[Note: Like spermicide, ContraGel does not protect against STDs/STIs.  It's also not recommended as your sole method to prevent pregnancy, but if you're someone using (or looking to use) spermicides or a diaphragm, it's a great healthy replacement to look into.]]

Plug-In Air Fresheners
Essential oils and naturally scented candles are great home fragrance options, but I've met several people -- usually those newly transitioning to natural products -- looking for an easy one-to-one swap for something like a Glade Plugin.  And I finally stumbled onto one the other day!  Aura Cacia's Electric Aromatherapy Air Freshener is an essential oil air freshener that functions the same as conventional plug-ins, just with much cleaner ingredients.  You purchase the Electric Air Freshener itself the first time and then you can just buy the replacement refills from that point on.    

Of course, if you've already got the essential oils, a plug-in Scent Ball or Room Diffuser is an even better option that allows you to fully customize your scents!




Have you made any great green + natural discoveries lately?