Question
We live near the beach and will be building an outdoor
shower in our backyard with a drywell. What soaps can be
safely used to shower? We have trees and plants in
surrounding areas and don't want to use any soap that would
be harmful to lawn, folliage or flowers. Would castile soap
be safe?

Answer
It's the bubbles and foam in shampoo, soap, dishwashing liquid etc that are said to have the greatest negative impact on the environment.  But just because a label calls itself 'castile', don't think only good people have the right to use that label.  In fact, the way the law is written, unless you are going to use a product as a drug, they don't have to tell you ANYTHING about the product.  That's right -- manufacturers are NOT required to list ingredients cleaning products.  Of those that do, none are required to be honest.

Remember, even 'Half and Half' doesn't have to be half milk/half cream.  100 percent beef is not, well, one hundred percent beef.  By law, there are minimum standards, and that's just our food.  Imagine what they get away with when you don't eat the stuff!

So...

Find products that look safe, and then write to or call their Technical Department.  Ask for a comprehensive list of the ingredients in product X.  Look CAREFULLY at the label of your castile soap (and everything else that's going down the drain and into the sea).  Some of the most common:

Sodium lauryl (laureth, dodecyl) sulfate, aka SLS
Propylene (ethylene, butylene, polyethylene) glycol
Diethanolamine, aka DEA
Monoethanolamine, aka MEA
Triethanolamine, aka TEA (this chemical has been traced to more allergic reactions than any other cosmetic ingredient)
Methylene chloride
Toluene
Triclosan
Methyl ethyl ketone
Methyl isobutyl ketone
Ethyl alcohol
Benzyl chloride
Butyl-, Ethyl-, Methyl- and Propyl-paraben, aka Parabens (one of the most common preservatives in cosmetics)

Castile soap is named after the Castilla Region, an area in Spain where they used to make real soap, as opposed to the detergents laed with preservatives and artificial fragrances that are labeled 'soap' in this country.

Castile soap often contains stuff like olive and coconut oil.  But it doesn't stop there, as you know.

Sometimes you'll find a multinational corporate marketing department that wants to do something smart and capitalize on Things Green; they carefully select illustrations and language, the colors and graphics on the packaging to present a politically correct product that is anything but.  Again, scrutinize that technical label.  Check it twice.

Trouble is, huge companies make their profits in volume.  There is pressure to keep costs down.  There is competition from cheaper brands.  And the public is unsophisticated.  When a product comes along that's profitable and packed with artifical fragrance, it is cause for celebration.

You can find something Green, or make your own (bear in mind when you see the ingredients list, Lye is just another name for NaOH - Sodium Hydroxide):

www.wsac.com/soaps/castile-ingredients.htm

Ingredients that are approved for a product to be labelled 'Organic' are probably going to comply at least part w/ the Green guidelines you are asking for.

I'd love to stop here.  But this is a little more complicated.  And I'll tell you why.

Even in Nature, there are naturally produced chemicals designed by plants to repel or discourage competitors and predators.  Some of these are highly aromatic, and many are used in personal care products.  These, too, may cause damage on the same level as any of these laboratory compounds that make up cheap shampoo and soap, especially when it comes to fragrance.  But you have to start somewhere.  And then there's the unknown -- the things we know we don't know...

Simplest guidelines:

1. If it's cheap, they're not telling you something.
2. If you trust the company that made it, you can probably use it without much risk.
3. When in doubt, make your own.

Bravo for your best intentions.  This country needs more people like you.

THE LONG ISLAND GARDENER