Dirty, Filthy Truth about Hand Sanitizers! Disease in a bottle?

Directly from WebMD!!!

As long ago as  2007 -- Antibacterial soaps are no more effective than plain soap and water for killing disease-causing germs, but the jury is still out on whether they promote antibiotic resistance in users, a newly published research analysis shows.
Researchers from the University of Michigan School of Public Health reviewed 27 studies examining the safety and effectiveness of antibacterial products containing the active ingredient triclosan.
That includes most commercially available soaps, detergents and other products with the word 'antibacterial' on their labels, with the notable exception of alcohol-based hand gels.
Soaps containing triclosan at concentrations commonly seen in products sold to the public were found to be no better for killing bacteria and preventing infectious illness than soaps that did not contain triclosan.
"Antibacterial soaps do not provide a benefit above and beyond plain soaps for generally healthy people living in the community," researcher Allison Aiello, PhD, tells WebMD.
"Washing your hands is extremely important for preventing the spread of infectious illness, especially at critical points like after using the toilet, changing the baby, or handling raw foods. But consumers can't assume that antibacterial soaps are better for this than other soaps."

Antibacterial Soap, Antibiotic Resistance

Along with University of Michigan colleagues Elaine Larson, RN, PhD, and Stuart Levy, MD, Aiello has conducted some of the largest and most rigorously designed studies examining the safety and effectiveness of antibacterial products.
Studies in their own laboratory first showed that triclosan can cause some bacteria to become resistant to widely used antibiotics like amoxicillin, but this has not been shown outside the lab.
In another of their studies, 238 families were told to either use triclosan-containing cleaning and hygiene products for a year or similar products without the antibacterial agent. Skin testing conducted before, during, and after the intervention suggested that both cleansing regimens were equally effective for killing germs.
There was also no evidence of an increase in antibiotic-resistant bacteria on the hands of people who washed with the antibacterial products.
A spokesman for the soap industry tells WebMD that no evidence exists outside the laboratory linking the use of antibacterial soaps and cleansers to the promotion of antibiotic-resistant superbugs.
"It is egregious to continually hype the hypothesis that these products are contributing to antibiotic resistance," Brian Sansoni of the Soap and Detergent Association (SDA) tells WebMD. "These researchers keep raising the specter of what could happen, but it is a ghost story without a ghost."

FDA: Antibacterial Soaps Not Better

Sansoni called the review "predictable repackaging of old studies and old opinions," adding that the issue of whether antibacterial soaps and cleansers promote antibiotic resistance has been put to rest by "study after study."
Aiello disagrees. While antibiotic resistance is routinely tracked in hospitals and other health care settings, tracking resistance trends in the community remains a huge challenge, she says.
"These [community-based] studies are very hard to do," she tells WebMD. "We haven't been able to study this in the way we would like, and I don't know if we will be able to in the future."
An FDA advisory panel considered the question of the effectiveness of antibacterial products in the fall of 2005; the panel overwhelmingly concluded that there was no evidence proving that antibacterial soaps were more effective than regular soaps for preventing infection.
There was talk at the time of restricting the labeling or advertising of new antibacterial products, but the agency has taken no formal action.

I suggest using a natural, handmade true soap!

Phylates

Chemical Found in Cosmetics, Soaps and Lubricants is Hazardous for Men

Scientists have been aware of the fact that exposure to phthalates is linked to reproductive issues. Recently they have discovered that this chemical, found in nearly everything including plastics, shampoos, cosmetics, lubricants, paint and soaps, is strongly connected to abdominal obesity and insulin resistance in adult males. This scientific discovery was made by the University of Rochester Medical Center.

Scientists think that even in low doses the exposures to phthalates and several other common chemicals might reduce the levels of testosterone in men. Richard Stahlhut, A Preventive Medicine resident at the University of Rochester said that the exposure to such chemicals leads to the increase of obesity rates and an epidemic of such related disorders like Type 2 diabetes. He outlined that some significant declines in both testosterone levels and quality of sperm have been spotted during the last several decades in the United States and some other countries. Stahlhut stated that phthalates should definitely be in the list of chemicals that require a careful study.

It is worth mentioning that phthalates have been actively used for more than half a century. However, only now did scientist start thinking about the possible health problems to which the chemical might lead. Studies made on animals showed that phthalates consistently depress the levels of testosterone. Recently, while performing their studies on humans, scientists have found that the hazardous chemicals are linked to poor quality of semen in men. This also refers to reproductive organs in boy babies.

Covenant Creek Farm uses only fragrances that are certified phthalate free!

What is Saponification?

Saponification in Soap Making

Definition: Saponification is an exothermic (gives off heat) chemical reaction that occurs when fats or oils (fatty acids) come into contact with lye (a base.) Saponification literally means "turning into soap" from the root word, "sapo", which is Latin for soap. The by-products of the saponification reaction are glycerin and soap.

Oils + lye (dispersed into water) = soap + glycerin

Oils and fats each have what is called a “saponification value”, which is the amount of lye needed to completely neutralize them into soap with no lye left over. Each oil has a different value, which is why it’s important to always run your recipes through a lye calculator. We recommend the one on the Majestic Mountain Sage website.
Once oils have been saponified with lye (sodium hydroxide) the lye is no longer available. This means that it is basically "gone"! So, if you are worried about it, don't be. The saponification process has altered the composition of the lye.

Antibacterial Soap

Antibacterial Soap, what's the buzz? I will tell what you need to know:

A friend's daughter did research for a school science fair project (of course she won!). She compared bacteria from her hands after washing with a leading name brand antibacterial soap and all natural goat milk soap with no detergents. After washing daily for a week with each soap and placing scrapings in Petri dishes, guess which ones grew bacteria???? Not the handmade natural soap, Yes, the name brand commercial soap. Most contain Triclosan. What about Triclosan? :

Triclosan Can Transform Into Something Even More Dangerous

The antibacterial agent added to many liquid hand soaps to help kill germs. Triclosan is suspected of contributing to the growing problem of antibiotic resistance.

Here's something else you may not know about that innocent-looking bottle of liquid hand soap sitting next to your sink.

When triclosan mixes with the chlorine in your tap water, chloroform is formed, which the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has classified as a probable human carcinogen.

And when combined with other disinfection byproducts (DBPs) in your tap water, this chloroform can raise the concentration of dangerous trihalomethanes (THMs) above the EPA's maximum allowable amount.

Trihalomethanes (THMs) are Cancer Group B carcinogens, meaning they've been shown to cause cancer in laboratory animals. Disinfection byproducts (DPBs) have also been linked to reproductive problems in both animals and humans.

Not only do you absorb them into your skin, these antimicrobial chemicals flow down your drain, contaminating the environment and food chain.

So, let me ask you… do you really want to use this on your skin or your children's skin?

In my opinion, you're better off switching to skin care products made of natural plant names you recognize, can pronounce, and could even eat (if you had to).