I had an interesting experience at the Handmade Fair this weekend. Let me explain. When we hold our Green Living workshops, the people who attend, are usually already leaning towards a more natural lifestyle. They find us, because they are looking. So, when we talk about how natural products behave and how they don’t behave, everyone is open to the idea of changing their perspectives: it might not taste, feel or act the same as some conventional products – and that’s ok!
But, at the fair we were faced with a few people who liked the idea of using more natural products – but had some reservations. What I loved though, was that they talked about it – which is really promising! Once you voice your fears, concerns or problems – then everything can be figured out!
I was left thinking about one “problem” with natural products that I heard on that day:
Natural soap & shampoos don’t foam!
It seems funny, but I totally get it. We love big, bubbly, foaming products. It makes us feel more clean! You can pile it up on your head, make a bubble hat and matching beard in the shower. It’s fun.
Why would we ever want to give that up? To help us get a better understanding, I’ve asked my Green Living partner, Del to weigh in. She is part of a family who hand-make a line of natural baby skincare, including a castile soap which is beautiful, and, doesn’t foam. I asked her to share from the perspective of a maker – why it was important for them to leave out the chemicals which create those big bubbles we so love!
Lots of commercial skincare contain strong detergents and foam-boosters to create those big bubbles. So big bubbles means a harsher shampoo or soap that’s actually stripping your skin of its natural moisture! Not the best thing for baby (or any!) skin!
So, to all of our bubbly personalities out there, I have a Quick Green Tip for you, on how you can use the natural products that are good for your skin and get the bubbles that are good for a laugh. Who ever said that you can’t have it all!
TIP: Go buy yourself a foaming pump. Like magic, it makes natural ingredients bubble and foam. No chemicals needed. You can use it for your body wash and shampoo to create that nice rich lather. I bought mine from Muji but I’ve seen similar ones around Singapore – I think Watson’s offers one too. Let me know if you try it!
