SLS

An excerpt below was taken from Organic Consumers which has a wealth of valuable information in various topics.

Do you enjoy a shampoo with a rich lather? A shaving cream that really foams? Relaxing in a tub full of bubbles?


These may seem like some of life's simple, innocent pleasures -- until you look at what is causing all that foam and lather. Once you find out, you may decide it's not so simple or pleasurable after all.


Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES), and their cousins like Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Myreth Sulfate produce a lot of foam very inexpensively. But SLS is so strong that it's also used to scrub garage floors. And it has been proven to cause cancer in the long run.


SLS stays in the body up to five days. Other studies show it easily penetrates the skin and enters and maintains residual levels in the heart, liver, the lungs, and the brain. Yet SLS is found in most cleansing, foaming products -- and even in some toothpastes.