Sodium Lauryl Sulfate

Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) is catching heat within the natural living communities and many folks have sworn off using products containing it, but is it really something to be cautious of?

SLS is a naturally derived (from coconut and/or palm kernel oil) foaming agent which is used in car wash soaps, engine degreasers, and floor cleaners. It can also be found in many cosmetic items such as shampoo, soap, and toothpaste and in household cleaners like laundry detergent. It is popular with many manufacturers because of the cheaper production cost and effective cleaning process. Per The Children’s Health Environmental Coalition, The Cosmetic, Toiletry, and Fragrance Association discourages use of sodium lauryl sulfate in products intended for prolonged use, unless in low concentrations. There are studies (according to this website which states Linda Chae as a reference for these facts) that suggest SLS penetrates the eyes and tissue (like organ tissue), and causes retention which can affect a person’s (especially infants and children) growth and vision. The website also states that SLS creates nitrates which enter the blood and cause problems such as hair loss, skin rashes, dandruff, etc., and causes the production of nitrosamines. It is also reported that the use of SLS in toothpaste can cause canker sores, though the connection to mouth ulcers is so far unfounded. The inhalation of SLS can lead to extreme choking, and thus is a hazard.

Tom’s of Maine, a popular natural care manufacturer, is very adamant that SLS is completely safe and rebukes the assessment that SLS can cause canker sores or is linked to cancer, liver disease and other medical problems. These statements are also reinforced by Snopes.com whom relays that “…three different agencies — the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the National Toxicology Program (NTP), and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) have all rated SLS as being non-carcinogenic.” The Cosmetics Database lists the toxic level of SLS as 2 (low hazard), but also states the compound to be linked to cancer and other medical problems.

So it seems that there is no definitive answer concerning SLS. While the government offices and other reputable sources say SLS is harmless, there are studies and voices which state otherwise. Of course, that is just what the studies now show and we all know that sometimes chemicals and drugs deemed perfectly fine one year can come back in later years and be attributed to all sorts of nasty things or vice versa. I’m by no means suggesting people should be afraid, but I do believe in keeping informed and knowing the risks.

There is also a component called sodium laureth sulfate, or sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES) that is considered the weaker cousin of SLS. It seems many people confuse the two, which may be able to explain why there is such a lack of solid evidence on whether SLS is harmful. The two compounds are similar, but different enough. A concern with SLES is that is can be contaminated with 1,4-dioxane which is considered to be a probable carcinogen by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (and leads me to wonder why the Cosmetic Database rates SLES as a 3 or 4 on the hazard scale, while SLS is only a 2).

It is the advice of this blogger to stay away from both chemicals, and their counterparts (the websites linked to in this article give lots of alternative names for SLS and SLES as well as products which use them). When it comes to chemicals with this much uncertainty I would rather play it safe than sorry.

Natural Disinfectants for the Home

I have been trying to create a more natural life, one that harms the environment less and yet still provides me with everything I need. One of the first steps I took was to start recycling. Since I’ve spent most of my life in a town of less than 3,000 people, recycling has never been the forethought in people’s minds. Moving to a bigger city allowed me to embrace recycling and the enjoyment I received from it was beyond description. Every week when I took the recycling out, I just stood there and acknowledged the sheer amount of items I was saving from being shipped off to the landfill. It amazed me how much trash a two person household could create. Unfortunate events lead me back to living in a small town recently, so I haven’t been able to recycle the way I want, but it has inspired me to apply this concept to other parts of my life.

Another benefit of moving to more natural endeavors is that I can save my family a lot of money. One of the largest unnecessary expenses, as I see it, are cleaning supplies. I must have bought 20 different cleaning products for my home, most of which I rarely used (being a homemaker has never been my strong suit) and the expense was nuts. At at least $3 a pop, that’s $60 in cleaning supplies that needs to be bought at least once a year. That doesn’t include things like laundry detergent, dish soap, dishwashing liquid, and hygiene products. Of course, with cleaning products a concern is always whether natural products can clean as well as the commercial ones. Vinegar, which is natural and really inexpensive, is reported to kill 99 percent of bacteria, 82 percent of mold, and 80 percent of germs (viruses). This is the same vinegar that can be purchased in any grocery store and is easily accessible to most anyone. So it doesn’t take a lot of money or privilege to keep a house sanitary.

Vinegar isn’t perfect, as reported by CNN this natural disinfectant didn’t do as well as commercial products like Lysol, Mr. Clean and Clorox. To some people this may not dissuade you because you know that our Society’s obsession with killing germs will eventually lead all of us to living in plastic bubbles because our immune systems will be unable to handle contact with the outside. For others you may be concerned for your kids and personal health, especially if you already have a disease which compromises your immune system. Well, you don’t have to go back to commercial cleaners. In addition to Vinegar, Hydrogen Peroxide makes an excellent natural disinfectant. Hydrogen Peroxide is just an oxygenated bleach^*, similar to the Oxiclean product that is being sold nationwide. Used in conjunction with Vinegar, Hydrogen Peroxide can help bridge the gap between natural and commercial cleaners. Just remember not to mix these two together into one solution, as it creates Peracetic Acid which is toxic; apply them both separately to the needed area. Peracetic Acid is toxic through inhalation, absorption through the skin and ingestion.

The vinegar most often used for this sterilization process is plain white, but there have been reports of success using apple cider vinegar as well. The hydrogen peroxide is the same 3% solution found in most stores. For those who dislike the smell of vinegar, or have loved ones who do, a dash of lemon juice, or essential oil, can nip that in the bud.

Another great disinfectant that is natural is Tea Tree Oil. The disinfectant was first researched in the early 20th century. Tea Tree Oil is also used as an essential oil, though some find the aroma too potent (like my dear husband), and Tea Tree Oil, like most essential oils, can be lethal to cats. Tea Tree Oil can be applied directly, or diluted in water. It can also be mixed with soap or lotion for beauty regiments.

I don’t know anything about commercial natural cleaners, but I figure why pay for the label when I can get the same results for much less

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^* In every-day culture, the word “bleach” is almost exclusively defined as the sodium hypochlorite, A.K.A. chlorine bleach, but that’s not technically correct