Thursday, April 9, 2009

Homemade Bubble Bath


You may have seen this post, The Toxic Bubble Bath Debate, from the Nature Mom’s blog. In the post, the author describes her frustration at the fact that major corporations, including Johnson & Johnson, put known carcinogens, such as 1,4-dioxane and formaldehyde, in their baby products. She makes a great point:
“One bath product may only have trace amounts of these harmful chemicals but how many baths do kids take? How many other products that also contain these harmful ingredients do they also use… lotion, shampoo, etc? Companies and regulatory agencies are not required to anticipate a total exposure level so it is no wonder that these products get a ‘safe’ label when they are anything but safe, IMO.”
I agree—we really don’t know how safe these products are when used for long periods of time, which is why I’ve started making some of my own healthcare products. Here is a recipe I use for bubble bath, from Janice Cox’s Natural Beauty At Home:
Mix 2 cups castile soap (I use Dr. Bronner's lavender-scented soap) with 6 cups of water and ¾ cup of light corn syrup. Let the mixture sit at least 4 hours before use.

This bubble bath doesn’t suds up like the commercial products, but my sons don’t seem to mind. Maybe it’s the soap’s lavender scent that mellows them out.

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10 comments:

Claremont First Ward said...

What a great article (your summation) and tip for homemade bubble bath. Thank you!

Lisa Nelsen-Woods said...

Does the corn syrup make it really sticky?

Maude Lynn said...

Excellent point about the number of baths kids take!

I'll try this!

Paige said...

I actually just use the Dr. Bronner's alone. it works well as a bubble bath! I like Rose, Lavender or Peppermint!

Maggie's Mind said...

Mmmm, lavender. Sounds like a wonderful bath, even not just for little ones.

the mama bird diaries said...

It just upsets me to think how many moms are innocently washing their kids in these chemicals and just don't know.

Greenbaby said...

This post just makes me want to sit in a hot, lavender scented bath! I have to say that the corn syrup is sort of a surprise ingredient. Is that to thicken the soap? I'm sure you'd have to be careful with little ones not to let them taste it or they may try to eat it on the sly! Thanks for joining us for Thrifty Green Thursday this week!

Rebecca said...

Yeah, I was surprised by the corn syrup, too! It does seem like you could just use the soap straight.

I stopped putting bubbles in my daughter's bath after she got a rash. I am not sure it was from the bubbles or not, but I stopped using it altogether and she doesn't mind. (I was using a few squirts of our natural/organic handsoap--so no harmful chemicals that I'm aware of.)

Thanks for joining us for TGT!

Mrs. Gray's Class said...

I love all Dr. Bronner's products (especially peppermint) ! Great idea.

Kathleen W. said...

Thanks for the recipe, and I never would have thought about adding corn syrup. I'd think that would be sticky.

We also use lavender-scented Dr. Bronners for bathing. I love that stuff.