Kymm Hinterberger

As a general rule I try to eliminate excessive chemicals in my life.  I’ve started questioning all the products that I use.  I’ve discovered that some of the chemicals in shampoo can cause hair loss.  So I asked myself, do I *NEED* shampoo.  The answer to that question is no.  Since January of 2014 I have not used shampoo (except when I go to the salon and have my hair dyed). This article inspired me. “How to clean your hair without shampoo” I started out using the watered down baking soda and vinegar. Now I just use water in the shower. I found that when I get shampooed at the salon my scalp temporarily produces too much oil. So shampoo actually creates the need for shampoo. Great marketing idea.

In my quest to eliminate unneeded products from my life I started looking at castile soap. But when I went to New Seasons to buy some I had to question the prices. Is one really better than another?

Castile Soap Comparison

The ingredients are about the same.  The Kirk’s is: coconut soap, water, vegetable glycerin, coconut oil and natural fragrance.  The Dr Bonner’s is organic and free trade: coconut oil, palm oil, sodium hydroxide, water tea tree extract, olive oil, hemp oil, jojoba oil, sea salt, citric acid and tocopherol. Both are vegan.  Both are made here but source from other countries.

When I tried them they both felt exactly the same in the shower.  The Dr Bonner’s had a scent, but I could live without it.  Soap is for cleaning.  I use lotions for moisturizing and perfumes for scents.  So one did not clean better than the other.

Here is the price breakdown per bar.  Dr. Bonner’s $4.79 — Kirk’s $1.99.  Price breakdown per ounce. Dr Bonner’s $0.958 — Kirk’s $0.497

So Dr. Bonner’s is almost twice the price, but what do you get for that?  It comes in a variety of scents.  It’s organic, vegan, and fair trade.  Their palm oil is produced ethically from sustainably-harvested palm fruits.  If you give a fuck about climate change you know this is important.  I looked up tocopherol.  It is a fancy word for vitamin E.  Sodium hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda.  Traditionally soaps were made with it.  Dr Bonner’s also does a lot of philanthropy and campaigns for labeling GMOs.  I’m liking this.

I went to Kirk’s website to see where they stand.  I certainly like the abbreviated ingredient list.  On their website they do say they are vegan and that the fragrance is less than 1% of the product. The fragrance is a combination of essential oils from the pine and citrus family and is Phthalate-Free.  As it is with Dr Bonner’s, there is lye used in the manufacture. It does not say anything on the website about where the ingredients are sourced from.  I wrote them an email.  I’ll let you know if I get a reply.

So there you have it.  Both are vegan.  Both clean.  One is twice the price.  My sticking point is where the ingredients are sourced.

But then like the shampoo, I may someday decide that I don’t need it and water is just fine.

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PS… I did hear back from Kirk’s.  They said they are working on sourcing the palm fruit.  This is good to know.  I appreciate that they did get back to me quickly.