Hand soap is a product we all use every day. When researching ingredients I discovered most contain parabens, sulfates, phthalates, and synthetic fragrances, all of which can be problematic for our health. I knew this was a change I needed to make. This blog contains paid links, I may make a small commission at no cost to you.
For awhile I was making my own with Dr. Bronner's soap. I liked this but it required buying other products, having them on hand and spending the extra time to mix it all up. It was a good solution for awhile but I needed something faster and easier when baby #3 was on the way, enter hand soap tablets!
These are made from plant-based materials and without harsh ingredients making it a no brainer for your family's health and indoor air quality. Your skin is your largest organ. Although soap doesn't stay on long, I avoid parabens for my boys because they are known hormone disruptors and exposure adds up over time.
We are a dye-conscious family and these tablets are dye-free. The harsh ingredients used in other soaps can dry out and irritate the skin as well. I no longer worry about the hand soap used in my home, wish I could say the same for when we are out and about! I can't believe how dry my hands get after a day at work and I shudder thinking about what's all in that industrial pink-foam my school uses.
The average family uses around 25 bottles of hand soap a year. That means at least 25 hand pumps in the landfill and more than likely 25 bottles in the landfill because recycling is non-existent in some places and iffy in most others. I've gotten this number down to zero by using soap tablets. I had plenty of foaming hand soap containers on hand and I reuse them over and over again.
Eventually when my kids are older I may invest in some cute glass ones but for now I'm excited to be saving so much plastic from the landfill. A bonus is the packaging that each tablet comes in is compostable! I haven't tried it yet but I am going to now! They all come packaged in a cardboard box. Zero plastic 🙌
Once you start using tablets, powders and concentrated products you realize how much money you were wasting by paying for water and packaging with your old products. Each of these tablets costs between 1-2 dollars. You can buy hand soap that cheap but it has the harsh ingredients I'm avoiding. More natural, free and clear hand soaps usually start at $4 and go up from there making the tablets a smart choice economically as well.
They are also quick and easy to use. I order about a years worth when I am back to school shopping for my kids. They don't take up a lot of space in the hall closet and once the soap is getting low I gather the bottles from all over the house because they tend to get low around the same time. I fill them with water (leave some space, it will foam up) and drop the tablets in. It takes about 10-15 minutes to settle and then it's ready to go! If you need to use it in the meantime you can just don't close the bottle all the way or it might foam over. If I have two bottles that aren't quite ready to be filled I will dump them both in one and then fill the empty one. Easy peasy!
Here is another brand I've ordered that has more scent options: I have not found a scent I didn't like and I usually shop deals when they have them. The variety packs are even cheaper so it's a great way to try different scents or stick with it if you like them all.
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