If you've been a reader of my blog, you may know that the past few years have been transitional for my family.
Over time, with some cajoling and convincing, we gradually made the change to a plant-based lifestyle. It started with an awareness of the foods we consumed, and it took time for us to find alternatives that were gastronomically appealing and filling. As we became more comfortable with this shift, our family was committed to only using skin care products and household cleansers which also honored that commitment. This decision was life-altering! Not only did our menu change, but our lifestyle also changed. In fact, we chose to minimize our use of disposable dishes and cutlery and chose sundries that supported our vegan and environmentally friendly lifestyle.
THE CHALLENGE
Finding household products that were sustainable, cruelty-free and free of animal fats and synthetic ingredients were challenging! Believe it or not, we researched and learned about labeling and hidden ingredients. Our eyes were opened to the lack of commercially available products that fulfilled this criteria. When it came to soaps and cleansers, here were the criteria we had established (along with a quick vocabulary lesson):
Vegan - 99.44% pure just wasn't good enough! If there was “sodium tallowate” on the ingredient list - it had animal fat!
Cruelty Free - Just because an item is not make with animal by-products, does not mean that the product had not been tested on animals
Palm-Oil Free - Palm oil is used in soaps - worldwide. Our priority is to keep our environmental footprint small and not consume products that contribute to deforestation or trigger animal extinction
EWG Verified - EWG verified means that these products and packaging are focused on chemical safety
Organic - Companies should be held accountable by choosing products and ingredients that address natural physical, or biologically based farming methods
THE SOLUTION
Necessity is the mother of invention
My dear readers, it should come as no surprise that we were unsuccessful in finding a cleanser that satisfied all of our needs. Finding Vegan, organic and cruelty-free products was significantly easier than finding Certified Palm-Oil Free products. Palm oil is inexpensive, and is often labeled as "vegetable oil" which made it even harder to really get to its source.
We decided that we were going to be the catalyst for change. Instead of complaining about the lack of products, we're going to create our very own. We were determined to make a versatile, economic, and all-purpose cleanser. We knew that we were not just ONE family searching for the ideal product, but we were addressing the needs of consumers worldwide. What type of household cleanser? Welcome to WholeNaturals® Castile Soap.
FROM RESEARCH TO PRODUCTION
Our family-based business was focused on creating skincare products that were natural and environmentally friendly. We knew creating that all-purpose Castile Soap would be the answer to our quest. How do you make a product that is vegan-friendly, organic, cruelty-free, and certified palm-oil free? Research, trial and error, internet searches, emails, and phone calls. Our Castile Soap is made with certified USDA Organic ingredients, is Vegan, and contains non-GMO products. In the quest to ensure a high-quality product, we began to appreciate the importance of ensuring that our Castile Soap was also Certified Palm-oil Free. But what is Palm Oil, and why is awareness so crucial?
CHOOSING TO BE CERTIFIED PALM OIL-FREE
Here are some revelations about the continued use of Palm Oil
Climate Change: The only way to produce palm oil, is to cut down rainforests. Deforestation is a major contributor to climate change.
Environmental Impact: Burning forests cause extreme air pollution levels forcing communities to stay indoors to protect themselves from smoke
Wildlife: When you think of palm oil, you may envision the orangutan on the logo of Palm-Oil Free products, but deforestation of habitat has also critically endangered other mammals such as elephants, rhinos, and tigers.
With these ethical considerations at the forefront of our minds, we were confident in our ability to create a product without the need for Palm-Oil. We worked with manufacturers of essential oils to produce an amazingly unique and revolutionary Castile Soap. We also carefully selected other organic oils such as Coconut, olive, almond, prickly pear and Apricot. Whole Naturals is the first and only Castile Soap Company in the World to be third-party Certified Palm Oil Free.
Every ingredient in our Castile Soap has been carefully thought out to maximize its benefit for your household's use. Castile Soap is a gentle, yet efficient cleanser that can be used throughout your home, and on every family member - even your pets!
Can Whole Naturals save the world? We are passionate about our environment, and producing our Castile Soap gives us tremendous pride in knowing that we were tenacious and would not give up our commitment to make a product that was certified palm-oil free. If you're dedicated to being conscientious about environmental impact, we encourage you to carefully read all product labeling. Make intelligent choices. If you've decided to make ONE small step to make a subtle change to your lifestyle, start with Whole Naturals Castile Soap. You'll be happy you did!
Cheers!
