What makes bubbles toxic?

Bubbles are something we usually associate with being clean. Dishwashing liquid, liquid soaps, shampoos, bubble baths - these are all cleaning products for ourselves and our homes that we like to be sudsy. But what is making those bubbles?

Most non-natural products contain Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) or Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES), as they are cheap and great at making things bubbly and sudsy. In short, they're making our bubbles toxic. SLS and SLES are chemicals that are known as surfactants - foaming agents. SLES is the lesser of the evils, as it is a known skin irritant, and SLS is considered carcinogenic. Once you put it on your skin, it gets absorbed into your body. Once it is in your body, SLS can mimic the effects of estrogen, which can lead to all kinds of bad things including infertility or breast cancer. AAAH!!!

Natural products that don't have SLS or SLES do not foam up as much as those that do. So you may notice that when using natural and organic dish soaps or baby shampoos, you have to agitate the water more to get some bubbles. But isn't that a small bit of effort on our part to avoid getting contaminated with those nasty chemicals? I think so!

Some of my favourite natural soaps that still make suds:

What are your favourite natural bubbly products?

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