Friday, August 20, 2010

Soap Nuts

Soap Nuts come from a soap nut tree and are actually an alternative to soap when washing your clothes. I have not personally tried them, but if you google them, you may want to check them out.

One of our readers, Kim, is trying them out right now and will keep me posted. So far, she says , "The soap nuts work OK, but they are a pain to use. Our water is so hard that I have to boil the berries to get the soap out and add salt to the water. I may try grinding them up and see how that goes."

12 comments:

Maria said...

I have been using Soap Nuts for about 6 months now, and I have to say it's been a Godsend. The clothes come out VERY wrinkled if you don't use a dryer sheet, but as long as you use one it works just fine. I found soap nuts at a Green fair back in May, and I will never use anything else. I also read on their website that they can be used as shampoo. I haven't tried that yet though.

Maria said...

I have been using soap nuts for months now and it works great! They wrinkle your clothes really bad, so use a dryer sheet cause it really makes a huge difference.

I found them at The Green Street Fair in Plymouth, MI in May and their website even says that you can use it for shampoo! I haven't tried that yet though.

Liz said...

Hey. I just found out I have an allergy to coconut after reacting to eating a super dooper (has coconut flakes). I am not exactly sure how sever my allergy is, since my doctor won't have me tested. All I know is that when I reacted, my entire mouth was numb and tingly. I am wondering how closely people think I should start watching what I eat, since my doctor just wrote that I have an allergy in mey chart and said "avoid coconut products"?

Unknown said...

For those out there concerned about coconut allergies coming from things you use as products... Shampoo: 1 Cup water 2 TBSPs Baking soda Shake before use (this is an OLD OLD recipe used before shampoo as we know it was invented) Conditioner: 1 Cup water 2 TBSPs apple cider vinegar (it neutralizes the baking soda) Speaking from experience it works GREAT! with a little adjustment your hair will be soft and manageable and not need to be washed as often. As for laundry detergents, check out this site: http://tipnut.com/10-homemade-laundry-soap-detergent-recipes/ all natural laundry detergent recipes! My preference is the 2 gallons of hot water, a box of baking soda and a bar of grated soap. Since you already have a list of coconut free soaps here you should be able to find one to suit your needs!

Becky said...

Thanks, Maria and Abigail for your tips!
Liz- you don't necessarily need to be tested unless you think it might be something other than coconut (since tests don't always show the severity of an allergy, just whether you are allergic to something). Make sure you have benedryl and an epi-pen with you!

Anonymous said...

Awesome, I will have to try that. My allergy just got a lot worse after the last exposure, (Ate shrimp from costco, no additives or flavors, but from Thailand, and had an extreme coconut reaction) so my normal detergent is causing lots of hives and breakouts. I look like a scary version of a burn victim, and my poor new husband (less then a month married) is looking kind of worried.

Liz said...

Tahanks Becky! I found (actually my mom found it) a shampoo and soap bar that is coconut free. Its Babassu BAr soap from Dakota Free.

https://dakotafree.com/product.asp?Category_Id=2&Product_Id=145

THey have other products. My mom told them I was allergic to cocunut, and so they emailed my ta list of their products, with cocunut free ones highlited. I have been using it for awhile now, and my scalp is no longer itchy.

It is also all natural for people who are environmentally friendly!

I recommend looking into it. This site has chapsick, deoderant, moisterizer, etc all coconut free.

Liz said...

liz again. I just had a piece of my stster's 5 brand gum in the Lush flavor. I had to spit it out after less then 3 minutes. My cheeks went numb, and I had to take a Benadryl. I contacted Wrigley Company, and they said they will look into it and get back to me.

Zach Smith said...

I haven't heard of soap nuts before. But if this can be commercialized, it should be good in cleaning clothes. However, nut allergy sufferers should be cautious in testing this cleaning solution out.

irish bhoy said...

i checked out that dakotta free site and its Babassu Bar Soap which they claim ta be coconut free but babassu oil is actually made up of - Lauric 50% Myristic 20% Palmitic 11% Myristic 10% Stearic 3.5% and i dunno what da rest is but all them ingredients are found in coconuts and other nuts like they are all dangerous ta ppl wit allergies and there advertising it as nut free.. can anybody please tell me where i can get an actual nut and shell fish free soap and shampoo please and thanks

Anonymous said...

I use Molly's Suds. The powder formula has worked well for us. I usually get the 70 load pack for about $13 on Amazon.

Anonymous said...

Babassu oil is NOT made up of coconut oil, it is just that that soap includes the stuff in that list as ingredients IN ADDITION to babassu oil. Babassu oil is just babassu oil and it has no more coconut content than does olive oil.

Also items that contain coconut but no other actual nuts IS nut free. Despite its name, coconut is NOT a nut, it is a drupe (or fruit). You may have a coconut allergy in addition to a nut allergy but it isn't a given.

You can buy soapnut powder, check on Amazon. Also look for arappu and shikakai when using soapnut for shampoo. Amla is also helpful. All of these can leave your hair very dry. Make fenugreek gel to use as a conditioner. Hibiscus flower powder is also helpful for your hair.