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Dial Up Your Dose Of Antioxidants… and Chemicals

cran_bw_lrgThis new Dial body wash has everything you want in a soap, plus a few things you don’t…

Their website says:

Environmental stress and drying can prematurely age your skin. Dial® AntiOxidant Body Wash helps reinforce your skin’s defense system while its moisturizing formula, infused with natural cranberry extracts, provides a healthy clean.

First off, it lathers up really nicely providing you with lots of nice soapy suds to get clean in, which is something we all want. However, what makes those rich soapy suds is what you don’t want…

I was disappointed to find that Sodium Laureth Sulfate was the second ingredient in this body wash! It’s a little known fact that soaps and shampoos containing sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and sodium laureth sulfate (SLES) are exactly the same chemicals you’ll find in the dish soap you use to degrease your dirty dishes… In the same way as it dissolves the grease on fry pans, sodium lauryl sulfate also dissolves the good and natural oils on your skin and scalp, which can leave you with dry itchy skin.

People who frequently use products containing SLS or SLES can end up with chronic dry skin. While SLES doesn’t cause cancer like some rumors have stated, it still isn’t the best thing you can be putting on your skin. This is why many companies are now making sulfate-free products. Take for instance the recently introduced EverPure Sulfate-Free Color Care System from L’Oreal.

The truth of the matter is, 90% of shampoos and body washes contain these ingredients, so I’m not going to tell you that Dial’s new Antioxidant Body Wash is bad, because it isn’t. In fact it smells pretty heavenly and cleans your skin off quite well. Dial has added some extra ingredients into their formula to help combat the drying affects of the suds-creating agents, so this particular body wash is ahead of the rest.

Now that you know about the affects of SLS and SLES, you can help fight dry skin by making sure you use lotion after every shower or bath. This will help put back some of the moisture that the soaps have stripped away. If dry skin is a frequent problem for you, consider trying a sulfate-free body wash like my personal favorite, Shea Terra Lavender of the Khoisan Indigenous Silk & Shea Butter Shower Elixir.

An 18-ounce bottle will cost you $5. If a bar of soap is your weapon of choice when it comes to scrubbing up, you can get a three-pack of Dial AntiOxidant Bar Soap for only $2.49. Don’t forget to print the $1.00 off coupon if you’re going to buy!

P.S. I’m not the only one who thinks Sulfates SUCK…