Is natural really better and why? A breakdown.

First, let me say I am not sponsored by any company or any company I mention. I mention companies by name because I either have used their products or currently use their products and either do or do not recommend them. I don’t gain or lose anything by writing my reviews, I just want to give out useful information to all of you!

So, as you know, I obviously love natural products for any and all uses and while some brands are amazing at their claims of being mostly natural, going natural isn’t always the most affordable route.

Before I get in my product recommendations, let me take a minute to explain why I sometimes say “mostly natural” vs. 100% natural. Now, I prefer 100% natural all the time and if I could, I would absolutely buy products that are that way, but let’s face it, they are not only hard to find, but also pricey. I still look at labels to make sure the ingredients are what I’m looking for, but it is possible to find good quality natural products for an affordable price and especially if you make your own products.

Not only does making your products cost less in the long run, but you don’t have to worry about buying a product and then having a reaction or side effect and then you are stuck with a expensive product you won’t use.

Making your own products allows you buy in “bulk”. Not bulk as in 20 bottles of something, but more like a large bottle of one ingredient that you will use numerous times over for many different products. Another nice benefit of these products is that many of them are concentrated such as Castile soaps and essential oils. A few drops of Castile soap or essential oil can make a ton of products and save you a ton of money!

So, let’s get down to business. I am going to break down two product price comparisons to show you how you can save money without sacrificing your needs AND your wants.

Let’s start with a household necessity we all probably use and buy on a regular basis–Hand soap.

First, let’s use a basic generic store brand foaming hand soap as an example:

• The basic price for your Walmart or Target brand foaming hand soap is around 1.99 for 8 ounces. It would probably last two people about a month, estimating normal hand washing in, let’s say, the bathroom and I am only counting one room of the house. You probably know that most of us use soap in the kitchen and bathroom and possibly other places depending on our needs and/or number of rooms in our home.

 

For our other product, I am going to use castile soap as an example and since I use Dr. Bronner’s soap, I’ll use that as my example.

•  A 32oz bottle costs about $15, depending on where you buy, but this is the average cost that I  have seen. It can run higher, but if you do your research, you can find it on sale quite often.

 

Dr. Bronner’s is highly concentrated, which means you use a very little to make a lot of product.

I make hand soap out of mine and for that I use 2tbsp of castile soap which is 1 ounce of soap each time I make a hand soap in a typical foaming pump size mentioned above.

In a 32-ounce bottle, that would equal 32 uses. If we are using one foaming hand soap per month, then a 32ounce bottle of Castile soap can possibly last 32 months vs. the store brand foaming soap which lasts a month each time. So the basic breakdown is:

• 12 bottles of the store brand are going to cost roughly $24 for a year of soap. Remember, this is using one bottle a month.
• For one 32-ounce bottle of Castile soap, in this scenario, is going to cost $15 for about 2 years and 8 months of use, if making one bottle per month, estimating a little over $5 a year. That’s around .41 cents for each bottle of soap you use.

 

I think that’s a huge difference!

 

Now, let me answer some FAQ’s about these soaps that you may be asking as you read this.

Q: What are the real differences in these soaps?

A: First, ingredients.

The store brand hand soap may/does contain the following followed by a typical Castile soap.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The ingredients listed in the store brand soap are mostly chemicals, that aren’t even necessary for it’s intended uses. Two of the ingredients I know offhand (glycol stearate and cocamidopropyl betaine) are used as either skin conditioning agents or for aesthetic purposes such as a pearlized appearance and both are synthetic which is a chemical way to imitate and natural product. Both can potentially cause irritation, allergic reactions or other negative side effects.

Q: Okay, but making my own soap seems complicated and a waste of time. What is the process to make my own soap?

A: Actually it’s super easy. Get a foaming soap bottle (use an old brand soap you bought or buy some here

Just add 2 tbsp. of Castile soap and fill the rest with distilled or filtered water. You’re done. It’s really that simple. It’s foams up wonderfully, cleans nicely and you can add a squirt of moisturizing oil such as vitamin E, coconut, or apricot. I even add essential oils to make scents I love or you can choose a scent Dr. Bronner’s available. I actually found some at the dollar store, but buying a 4 pack at 10.99 will cost roughly $2.74 a bottle and can be reused over and over and over again.

Q: Okay so I just am making hand soap, what about other uses?

A: Oh don’t get me started! There are more benefits of Castile soap that you wouldn’t believe, including household cleaning, baby and pet bathing, brushing your teeth, washing your face, laundry, cleaning hard surfaces and floors, body wash, shampoo…whew! I could go on and on.

So, are you convinced yet? Well, it’s okay if you aren’t, but I encourage you to try a Castile soap. There are many awesome brands out there and Dr. Bronner’s doesn’t sponsor me or give me free product, I just love their soap and use it for just about everything.

It makes me feel seriously good knowing I am saving money and not using chemicals for my family and buying one single bottle of a natural product for about 18 uses, is worth it in my book rather than having 18 different bottles of random, chemical laden items.

In the next blog post I will go over a natural rescue skin spray and that post will be shorter!

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Disclaimer: Sweet Honeybee Health and it’s owners are not medical professionals. Content on this website is intended for informational purposes only. I research and write on numerous health topics and companies. Do not use the information you find on this site as medical advice. You are encouraged to seek the advice of a medical professional prior to trying any health remedy, no matter how safe or risk-free it may claim to be.