Reader Interactions


Share this:

Comments

      • Matt says

        I am also curious about Kirk’s Original Coco Castile soap, as it is readily available at stores like Walmart and Smith’s/Kroger. The label says, “Natural, Hypoallergenic Skin Care with No Animal By-Products or Synthetic Detergents.” The ingredients are listed as: Coconut Soap, Water, Vegetable Glycerin, Coconut Oil, and Natural Fragrance.

      • Samantha says

        Hi! So sorry I couldn’t figured out how to leave a comment but the reply button worked…I was wondering about the bar soap that Whole Foods sells-it’s just called “good” soap & it’s engraved on the actual bar! Do you know if it’s truly good stuff?! Thank you 🙂

    • Sonna Nixon says

      Please women, be cautious when using the Castile soaps. My sister recommended Castile soap for stripping the oils, etc., out of my hair. It was great for this but I ended up using it when I showered as my husband liked it as well. I ended up with a horrible vaginal problem because the Castile bar was stripping all of the oils out of my vagina area, and the miserable problem lasted for months. Thinking it was a yeast infection, I kept seeing my doctor who told me I did not have this problem. I finally figure out on my own what was happening as I had experienced a similar problem years before with my then very young daughters who were bathing with a then popular liquid bath soap for kids. We used to shave off pieces of a bar of Castile Soap to put in our laundry. That is how strong it is.

      • Sonna Nixon says

        In my previous comment, I should of said that I was using the Kirks Original Coco Castile Soap. It has been around for years.

      • A real soaper says

        Real Castile Soap is 100% pure olive oil and has a 0 cleansing factor. Therefore there is no way what you were using was all natural Castile Soap. I have been making it for years and there is a zero chance it caused your problem if it was pure. Castile is also not a laundry soap, laundry soap (bars) are made with borax, which is not Castile Soap. Either what you were using is not 100% Castile Soap properly made. Or it had chemicals in it that caused your issue. Heavy lye soap (also laundry soap) will do what you described as well. The popular kids liquid soap would have been nothing more then SLS, and chemicals too.
        Oh and no reputable soap crafter would use a fragrance oil with phthalate or ingredients such with Parabens. And no, not all fragrance oils have Phthalates. This article is riddled with misinformation and basically an advertisement.

      • A real artisan soap crafter says

        No reputable soap crafter would use a fragrance oil with phthalate or ingredients such with Parabens. And no, not all fragrance oils have Phthalates. This article is riddled with misinformation and basically an advertisement.
        Also, you would have to be a complate idiot to believe there is an essential oil called Cotton candy. It’s a fragrance oil, and if phthalate free it should be safe. Essential oils come from plants and natural materials, not Cotton or Cotton candy or Creamsicle. Lol. Come on people, you can’t be that naive.
        Also ANY store soap is basically harmful chemicals. SLS, Parabens, Phthalates are a few ingredients they may contain.
        Also Citric acid and borax are used to lower the PH. Levels of liquid soap by many soapers. The wrong amounts can do more as much harm as leaving the PH. High.
        Just my professional two cents.

        • Arva says

          You should not use any soap or washes in the vulva or vaginal area, period. Even if they claim to be pure, or gentle, or pH balanced washes. Water and friction are all that is needed. Or a bath with epsom salt. Washes/soaps can change the pH balance, even if they claim to be pH balanced themselves, frequently making the vulva and vagina more alkaline instead of acidic, and leading to irritation, yeast overgrowth, or bacterial vaginosis.

        • Simplí Soaper says

          Thank you, A REAL ARTISAN SOAP CRAFTER. I am also a professional soaper and the term “fragrance” is not necessarily a bad thing and depends upon the supplier. MOST soap-safe fragrance oils are now phthalate free—particularly from legit vendors. Generally speaking, handmade (from scratch), artisan soaps do not contain SLS, parabens, synthetic detergents and foaming agents, etc and should have clearly marked ingredients…important for those with allergy/sensitivities, also. Additionally, a reputable soaper will typically disclose on their website and marketing materials that their ingredients are responsibly sourced, phthalate- and paraben-free, organic (when applicable), Non GMO….if that is part of their branding.

  1. Megan says

    Hello!! What are your thoughts on Dove sensitive skin bar soap? Thanks for all of your research and ability to translate into layman’s terms! Your website has been very helpful to our family.

    • Maia James says

      I don’t like the ingredients in Dove soap; it’s so easy to make a safe, effective natural bar soap, but Dove’s contains lots of synthetics of questionable safety.

  2. Lisa Argyle says

    When a soap lists “essential oil”, what brand/type/who makes them? Does the label show that information? (Disclosure: I’m an independent distributor for Young Living and that’s why I ask – I like to know how pure the oils are).
    Thanks!

  3. Janet says

    I am extremely frustrated looking for a nontoxic with NO tea tree, lavender, hemp or grapefruit essential oils due to medications I am taking. Are there any soaps, shampoos or conditioners like this?

      • Rebecca says

        I LOVE Alaffia’s Good Soap!!!!! Just took advantage of Whole Foods ! a bar on Alaffia”s Good Soap. I purchased a few varieties though and now I am left wondering what the best way to store them is. Thoughts?

  4. Beverly Lovett says

    I’m so tired of looking through the stores at all the “natural” selections just to read a gazillion ingredients in the back, half of which I have no clue what they are or if they’re really safe. Thank you so much for this information!! I may have to order online but I’m definitely going to start getting better soap than what I have!

  5. Tara says

    I’m currently detoxing and this was so helpful! I was looking for a bar soap to make my own laundry detergent & this is perfect!

  6. Mary says

    When I was getting rashes in the shower long ago, I was not sure what was going on. I thought maybe the water was too hot. Then I figured out the shampoo and soap I was using were to blame.
    When I found Dakota free soap , that fixed half my problem. It is made by someone who was also having multiple sensitivities. The other bar soaps she has on her site, came out fairly recently.

    I am still struggling trying to find a shampoo. I will find one, that I do not seem to react to, then I read if it lathers it is a chemical, so I quit using shampoos that lather. I hate shampoo bars. So I just gave up and using honey to shampoo with. I person just recently told me about Rhassoul Clay. His wife is severely sensitive, so she can not live in a house. She lives in a teak boat. I still have not tried the clay.

    • Sue says

      Hi Mary,
      Did you ever try the Kirks with aloe?

      I seem to be having the same problem. We get a bad rash when we use Kirks or Dr Bonner’s. Have you ever heard of anyone else having this problem?

      Castile soaps are recommended for people with skin issues so it’s odd that I’d develop a skin issue when using one. I can use any other soap, including Dial, and have no problems.

    • A real artisan soap crafter says

      Hand made soap made with coconut oil or castor and many other healthy oils will generate a wonderful full lather. So what you read is wrong. Using Kirk’s or Dr Bonners, they are factory produced chemical soaps. Also not 100% olive oil. Olive oil does not lather in bubbles, more so then a slimy like lather. If you want real information talk to a authentic hand made soaper. Talk to several. Never take info at the only truth by reading one thing. Read everything, then pick the real out of that. Also the ingredients must be listed in full on everything, even small time crafter’s soaps. SLS, Phthalates, Parabens, are all bad. Citric acid is not needed in soap at all, and unscented is the way to go if your unsure whether it’s really an essential oil or fragrant oil.
      Oh and for the record. I have been tested for allergies and am allergic to pretty much everything. I live in a real house with real pets and real kids and real dirt, that must be cleaned. I make all of our soaps, shampoos, deodorants, cleaners etc. So I know the difference between good and bad chemicals.

      • Sarah says

        What soap bar would you recommend? Is 100 pure Olive oil soap what I should look for? Is kiss my face okay? I’m very interested in what you said and would like your opinion or ask if you sell your soaps??

  7. Drew says

    What are your thoughts on Tom’s of Maine bar soap? Specifically the Daily Moisture with Olive Oil and Vitamin E?

    Thank you very much!

  8. Robin J. says

    Hi Maia,
    Noticed you have some goat milk soaps on the Good Stuff list, what do you think of this Goatboy brand? They are local to my state, and seem reasonably priced. We love the unscented. Would you consider this Good Stuff?
    http://www.goatboy.us/ – shows goats milk, sodium hydroxide, olive oil, palm oil, coconut oil and shear butter.
    Thanks!

  9. Jake C. says

    How about Tom’s of Maine Moisturizing Bar: Sensitive (or otherwise), is this a safe, effective bar soap to use?
    Thanks, great article!

  10. Sue says

    I love your website!

    Regarding Ivory – the sneaky stuff you list is fragrance. Clearly unnecessary and not ‘good stuff’ but here is my question – how bad is it?

    I am on a tight budget and can’t spend much. I need the fewest/safest ingredients for the cheapest price. Ivory seems to be a balance of cheap with ‘almost’ pure ingredients. The tallow part doesn’t bother me with regard to animal products. I tried Dr Bonners and Kirks and we seem to have a reaction to those both, though I am not sure why but we get rashes – similar to the poster above “Mary”. I’ve seen a few websites mention some people can’t tolerate coconut oil soap – all I know is we have rashes that come with the soap and oddly….go away wen we use Dial. My goal is to reduce our chemical exposure, it’s not imperative for us as it would be for those with skin issues, but for obvious reasons I’d rather not lather up with chemicals, or at least not very many chemicals – even though those chemical soaps seem to make the rash go away. We’ve used Ivory in the past when on sale and have no reaction to it (again, we don’t have sensitive skin…I used to just buy whatever soap was on sale, usually Dial).

    Any thoughts on the best balance of the fewest chemicals and the lowest price?

    I was thinking Ivory until I found your website, now I’m not sure but I can’t afford more than 45 cents per ounce on a bar soap.

  11. Thomas Oger says

    My family has been using Aspen Kay , we really seem to like the goat milk with oatmeal. Just wondering what you though of the Aspen Kay brand bar soap? Thanks

  12. Rosa says

    Hi Maia! I have sensitive skin and have noticed that products like Neutrogena irritate my skin immensely. What would you suggest for someone like me to use on my sensitive skin? I was looking into Tom’s of Maine but was unsure. Thanks!

  13. Allana says

    I’m looking for a reasonable natural soap but as I was reading through the comments I saw more than one person talk about Castile in Dr Bronner’s soap causing skin irritations and I was actually considering trying that one out. What should I do? Should I still try it or try something else?

  14. A real artisan soap crafter says

    No reputable soap crafter would use a fragrance oil with phthalate or ingredients such with Parabens. And no, not all fragrance oils have Phthalates. This article is riddled with misinformation and basically an advertisement.
    Also, you would have to be a complate idiot to believe there is an essential oil called Cotton candy. It’s a fragrance oil, and if phthalate free it should be safe. Essential oils come from plants and natural materials, not Cotton or Cotton candy or Creamsicle. Lol. Come on people, you can’t be that naive.
    Also ANY store soap is basically harmful chemicals. SLS, Parabens, Phthalates are a few ingredients they may contain.
    Also Citric acid and borax are used to lower the PH. Levels of liquid soap by many soapers. The wrong amounts can do more as much harm as leaving the PH. High.
    Just my professional two cents.

  15. Michelle says

    I am trying to get the chemicals out of my family’s daily use. We only use kirks I add it to my laundry as well as make my own dish soap, hand soap and bathe with it. It is used in everything possible. I was under the impression that it was a safe soap, what is your opinion on this. Please help with this as much as we use it, I need to change this if it is not good.

  16. Nancy Wisehart says

    Really like the Castelbel line of bar soaps……Do you think the ingredients are Okay? Probably the best soap I have ever used…The skin feels wonderful…Please tell me what you think… 🙂

  17. Nancy says

    Really like the Castelbel line of bar soaps……Do you think the ingredients are Okay? Probably the best soap I have ever used…The skin feels wonderful…Please tell me what you think… 🙂

    • melissa says

      I am sorry to say Castelbel contains fragrance not reco’d by EWG + they lie about the ingredients and production methods. I was given their “goat’s milk triple -milled french lavender fragranced” soap — no goat’s milk (obviously no real lavender with the use of “fragranced”). Using it to freshen the basement.

  18. Tina says

    Thoughts on Clearly Natural brand glycerin soaps? Someone stated earlier that they can’t afford pricey soaps. I am in the same boat. Trying to go more natural, but it’s very expensive….

  19. Robin J says

    Hi Maia, curious what you think of Goatboy soaps (www.goatboy.us/) – ingredients of the Unscented bar are goats milk, sodium hydroxide, olive oil, palm oil, coconut oil, and shea butter. I just wasn’t sure of the sodium hydroxide.
    Or Dr Jacobs Castile? The latter is carried in grocery stores where we just moved. The goatboy we’ve loved for years. Thanks as always!!

  20. Martha says

    I started making my own soap after reading a diy article on it by Maple Holistics, I like making my own because it’s much healthier.

    • R P says

      Update on Nature’s Plus Beauty Bar, the ingredients list customer service gave me is far longer, but still looks relatively ok from my point of view, here it is:
      tapioca starch, vegetable glycerin and oils (olive and sunflower), potassium sulfate (EWG score 1), water, bentonite (EWG score 2), betaine (EWG score 1), essential oil (lemon), iron oxide (EWG score 2, used as colorant), non milk lactic acid, citric acid, allantoin, vitamin E, phosphate (no EWG score).

  21. Paul says

    First, I’d like to thank you for all the research you’ve done on our behalf!

    My question is regarding, ‘Makes 3 Organics’ soap. What are your thoughts in this brand?

    Thank you!

  22. Dar says

    Very informative website! We
    used Miracle 11 soap for twenty years buying two gallons at a which usually lasted several years for bath, shower, shampoo. This last gallon has changed from its green (coloring has been the one questionable item in their recipe). we recently hanged to pascalite bar soap and do like it as well as other skin care products. But open to economical gallon size products. Thought EO Products was the new line for us but they seemed not to list a lot of organics as they last year when was scouting around for new options.

  23. Robin J. says

    Maia I did not know where to post this on your page since it’s regarding hand soaps, but I noticed Better Life hand soap has PEG in the ingredient list. I was shocked, and deflated! I’ve always trusted their entire brand and never noticed nasty ingredients in their dish soap or cleaning sprays. Has anyone else noticed this?

    • Maia James says

      yes, unfortunately Better Life is one of those brands where you have to pick and choose. Some products are great, and others have some less-than-great ingredients.

  24. Stephanie says

    Thank you for continuing to wade through the sea of products out there to pull out the good ones, you it so much easier to choose great products!

    I was wondering what you though of Meliora soap bars?

    Thanks!

  25. Alison Buchanan says

    Hi Maia,
    Does Dove still use palm oil in their products? We should also consider the eco sustainability factor when buying products.

    • Sara says

      Hi Maia nice to meet you!

      I live in Japan, so I can only buy products through iHerb. Unfortunately I didn’t find any soap on the list. But I saw an organic soap brand is Dr.Woods, could you tell me if it’s Good Stuff? Or if you have a brand you recommend and I can buy from iHerb? I just need the soap to complete my collection of good stuff. If you can answer me I will be immensely happy, thank you very much.

  26. Danielle says

    Dove has a fragrance-free bar soap, what is your take on that? Also you are talking about earth friendly , but in general everything on here that’s “good” I’d have to order online. That hardly seems eco-friendly (packaging, gas, etc.) any suggestions? So far all hand soaps, shampoos, dish soap, deodorant and toothpaste have to be ordered online. Thanks!

  27. Debbie says

    I was wondering about Bar Shampoos and if you had any experience or suggestions for one that is safe and effective. Looking to minimize waste and also for travel.

  28. Maria says

    Hi, I love your blog. So much good info. I have been trying different laundry detergents based on your reviews.
    Regarding soaps, have you ever tried chagrin valley soap? chagrinvalleysoapandsalve.com
    I ordered a few and I really like it. I was looking for a soap without coconut oil and they have a couple of options without it. I was wondering if you had and what you thought about it.
    Thanks

  29. Sara says

    Hi Maia nice to meet you!

    I live in Japan, so I can only buy products through iHerb. Unfortunately I didn’t find any soap on the list. But I saw an organic soap brand is Dr.Woods, could you tell me if it’s Good Stuff? Or if you have a brand you recommend and I can buy from iHerb? I just need the soap to complete my collection of good stuff. If you can answer me I will be immensely happy, thank you very much.

  30. Lauryn says

    Dove Beauty Bar Sensitive Skin is recommended by many doctors because it’s one of the only safe soaps for people with certain medical complications.

    For example it’s one of the only options for women with disorders like vestibulodynia and or vulvodynia. All the soaps on the approved list have ingredients (primarily the added fragrances, it doesn’t matter if it’s natural) that have the potential to cause SEVERE vulvar pain and burning. I’ve tried most on that list. The dove soap is one of only two bar soaps I personally can use without even a small amount of soap run off casing intense pain. Vestibulodynia And vulvodynia may be poorly understood by doctors, but it isn’t actually as rare as they used to think.

    I think it’s important to keep in mind that certain people have different needs based on their personal medical history, and not to dissuade people from using what may be their only viable option.

    (For anyone reading this who would like the other VV safe bar soap recommendation, Sappo Hill has two. Their Natural Fragrance-Free and their oatmeal fragrance free.)

    • J says

      Lauryn,
      I came across this article trying to figure out if the Dove Sensitive Skin Bar Soap I’ve been using the past 3 years might be causing some vulvar (I believe vestibule area), pain, irritation, and bumps. I have been getting bumps on my wrist/lower arm area when using this soap for hand washing which hasn’t happened before, as well as reacting to ECOS dish soap which also was fine for me before.

      I was concerned as I’ve never had this much of a problem before and it keeps getting worse with more little bumps I can feel, I even have photographic evidence from 18 months ago when it first started that it wasn’t this bad. My gyno insists it’s normal (maybe a lot of women are having irritation from their soaps?), but it’s not for my body and is getting to be quite painful. Thanks to this article I’m going to give tallow soap and a few others a try and see if I don’t improve at all. Yes, I did have a lot of STD and yeast testing, nothing.

  31. Ellie Davis says

    It’s interesting to know that conventional bars of soap will contain triclosan which is an endocrine disruptor. My husband and I are trying to start a more healthy and eco-friendly life, and we are looking for advice. I will let him know about your article to find the best bars of soap for our house.

  32. Karen West says

    I notices that Dr Bronners now uses palm oil in their soap which is a no-no because of rain forest destruction and the impending extinction of the orangutan primate.
    Most soaps now contain palm oil, so wise to check labels.

  33. Rob says

    I am a guy who is just looking to make the switch from commercial brands that may have more chemicals to a natural soap that is better for my body. I typically like unscented and used Dove sensitive skin soap/or body wash for years. Can anyone point me in a direction of a company? I have recently tried Marlowe no. 102 and Pre de province no.63 soap, but have scents that I would not prefer.

    Thanks!

  34. natural handmade soap says

    Hey thanks for posting this useful content on bar soaps presented here, I really hope it will be helpful to many. I hope you keep update us with such great tips and information in future too. This is a great post; I will share as much as I can. Appreciative content!!

  35. Amanda says

    I was wondering about trader Joe’s bar soaps. They give the appearance of being natural but I’m wondering if they are sneaky.

  36. Donnelly says

    Is Sappo Hill bar soaps good stuff? It’s relatively cheap, and easily found at Whole Foods too! Thanks! 🙂

  37. Beverly J Crookham says

    I am using Bend Soap Co. goat milk Soaps and Lotions – very pure and long lasting. It is the only soap I can finally use vaginally with no problems and soap and lotion that cleared my acne rosacea.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.