Delicate skin and poor choices: Society gone mad!

As most of your know, I recently had my second baby. When I was preparing for the big arrival I did what every expecting parent does--get tiny clothes ready, buy nappies, bum cream, skin care and also stock up on gentle washing detergent to protect her skin against the nasty chemicals used in regular everyday washing detergents, you know, the kind "suitable" for everyone else.

With my first baby I basically did what my mum had told me to do insofar as things like that go. I have much younger sisters so I plodded along doing what Mum had done with them. With baby number one I used Lux Flakes, which the box told me is a perfect choice for delicate skin because it's gentle. It's also endorsed by the Australian Breastfeeding Association so how bad can it be?!

Being more confident and knowledgeable this time I decided to look into it. Is Lux Flakes were so gentle and perfect for delicate skin, why did the ingredients say "soap, perfume"? What kind of soap? Why does it need perfume?

At that point I tossed that idea in the bin and went with what I now use for everything in our house--soap nuts!

Yesterday though, after a "which detergent do you use" thread on the green4me Facebook page I was thinking about it again so thought I'd email the company and ask. This is the response I got:

Dear Lisa,

Thank you for contacting us.

Fragrance in Lux Flakes is supplied to us by another company and unfortunately they consider it is proprietary and do not give us an ingredient list; however their MSDS for the fragrance states that it is classed as an irritant.

Following is the list of ingredients for the Lux flakes.

Lux Flakes

Sodium Tallowate, Water, Sodium Cocoate, Glycerine, Sodium Chloride, Etidronic Acid, Tetrasodium EDTA, Fragrance.

Hope this helps.

Best Regards,

...

Isn't that comforting?!

Let me get this straight... the product I am encouraged to wash my baby's clothes in, and therefore have in contact with her bare skin 24 hours a day, is made of a secret "irritant" and a list of chemicals that I wouldn't put on my dog?!

Here's what I know about Lux Flakes:

Sodium Tallowate - is a derivative of fat, most likely beef fat as that's the easiest to obtain and render but it can also be made from palm oil (and we know that's not a good thing!), vegetable oil, coconut oil and a number of other things.

 
Sodium Cocoate - a fatty acid derived from coconuts and will dry out the skin. Often linked to skin conditions such as dermatitis and eczema. Just what you want on your baby.

Glycerine - glycerine is made from an alcohol and used in washing products to help dissolve the other ingredients. Glycerine or Glycerol is also used in pharmaceuticals, anti-freeze, fuel and lots of other industrial products and processes.

Sodium Chloride - also known as common table salt, this is in there to soften the water and make the other chemicals more effective at "cleaning" (though I'm tempted to use the word "contaminating") the clothes being washed.

Etidronic Acid - is a compound used in Osteoporosis drugs but also put into Lux Flakes to soften water. It is a pretty hard chemical and the manufacturer recommends thoroughly rinsing and not putting into contact with the skin. (What about baby skin? Does that count?)

Tetrasodium EDTA - THIS IS THE PROPER SCARY STUFF! - Tetrasodium EDTA is made from combining Formaldehyde and Sodium cyanide (that's right, I said cyanide!). This is used as a preservative and is a known carcinogen. Given its compound Tetrasodium EDTA breaks down quickly and enters the bloodstream. Tetrasodium EDTA is ban in many countries. In Australia we put it in our baby products.

What to do about it

As you all know I run a store with a green initiative. We only sell products that are tried and tested by myself and my family and that are as green as possible in terms of their impact on the environment and the body. Of  course I DO sell products which DO NOT contain any of these nasties and you can have a look at our chemical-free laundry alternatives on the green4me website.

As a quick run down:

Soap nuts - are a whole "nut" from a tree which contains a natural cleanser. The cleanser is released from the fruit when it's put in water. Soap nuts are hypoallergenic and very safe to use on any skin. 

Oxygen bleach - is made from 100% sodium percarbonate so is safe for use on stains. You can use it as a soaker or in wash.

Soap nut powder - this is made of the soap nuts but they are ground. You simply put the powder in the wash as you would a supermarket detergent and it rinses during the rinse cycle. They are simply an alternative for people who can't be bothered using the little bag and drying the nuts after use.

Ultimately, whether you choose to use soap nuts or not, just make sure what you ARE using is safe. Don't take what everyone says as truth--always read the label and do what's best for your family!