I don't normally coo over 'everyday' hand soaps, but indulge me for a moment to share with you how thrilled I have been with my recent purchase of EO Peppermint & Tea Tree liquid Hand Soap. I bought a couple of EO soaps not too long ago, having read good things about them and, as always, appreciative of anything both eco-friendly and indulgent. They have all kinds of lovely organic ingredients, and are pretty reasonably priced (very much so when compared to high-end lines!). I put the Peppermint Tea Tree soap in the guest bathroom, thinking it would be good disinfectant for people coming in from outside (especially gardening), and the Rosemary Mint soap in the kitchen, thinking the herbal scent would work well in there.
It was a while before I got around to trying the Peppermint soap. The Rosemary Mint is pleasant enough, mostly herbaceous and slightly menthol, a bit weak on the lather but nice enough for the kitchen where it does not conflict with any cooking smells. It's perfect for getting hands clean and disinfected before cooking. But one day I happened to be in need of handwashing while near the guest bathroom, so I finally got to try the Peppermint Tea Tree soap, which I assumed would be somewhat similar to the Rosemary Mint. It's not. EO seems to markedly favor the scent which comes first in the title, and so the Peppermint soap is an intense mouthwatering peppermint; cooling and utterly delicious, balanced by a mild hint of tea tree astringency.
For some reason, the Peppermint & Tea Tree foams much more than the Rosemary, and it fills the bathroom with a delightful frosty feel — which is most welcome in my house since it's August and we don't have air conditioning. My hands feel soft, cool and refreshed after I've used it. For some reason, I also find peppermint to be a very cheerful fragrance (maybe because my favorite ice cream flavor is mint chocolate chip), and so lately I've been making excuses to wash my hands in the guest bathroom. It's a fabulous way to keep hands clean, and beat the summer heat.
EO Peppermint & Tea Tree Hand Soap is available at drugstore.com, $8.19 for 12 oz.
I like good soaps and I am thoroughly addicted to Molton Brown
Thai Vert Fine Hand Wash. But at three times the price of the EO that you just reviewed, I feel guilty every time I pump the bottle! Seems so indulgent just for cleaning dirty hands! The Peppermint does sound refreshing and the price is certainly not as guilt-inducing.
I haven't tried the Thai Vert, but I have tried (and enjoyed) Naran-Ji and Rose Granate (sp?) from MB. Yes, the price is hard to stomach on those, even though they are truly lovely! Maybe this, or others from this brand, might be a good 'every day' substitute, to make the MB last a bit longer? If you average the two prices, it's not as bad! LOL
Isn't Tea Tree Oil an estrogen analogue like Lavender Oil?
There's an article in the New England Journal of Medicine that links it to gynecomastia. Bonus for those seeking extra boobage!
The Peppermint Tea Tree sounds lovely. I like chocolate mint ice-cream too….Wish they would make a creamy mint one….
I love EO's products and have used their liquid hand soap, shower gel, shampoo/conditioner and bar soap. I love the Rosemary hand soap in the kitchen, and never noticed that it does not lather very well. No matter–the fact that it does not interfere with cooking tastes and smells makes it worthwhile. Other rosemary or foody soaps (grapefruit, etc.) smell very chemical to me in comparison.
It's interesting you should mention that, as I just recently heard something to that effect about lavender oil. I have heard aromatherapists claim that lavender is particularly effective in use for issues surrounding the female reproductive organs, but I had never heard that it has estrogenic properties per say until now.
I know tea tree is highly prized for it's antiseptic and anitbacterial properties, but I would definitely like to learn more about how both these oils might otherwise effect the body–and I wonder if the two (lav and tea tree) working together create a synergy that is more powerful than either alone? (Thanks for the link, btw!)
I do suspect though, that the amount of tea tree in this particular soap might not be sufficient to create any noticeable difference…at least it hasn't in me!! LOL
You know, I always go into the ice cream parlour saying I will try something new, and I always walk out with mint chocolate chip on a cone. LOL I just love it too much! 🙂
I read somewhere that people have occasionally complained about their pumps not working on these soaps, and I'm wondering if the lather effect of the rosemary might have more to do with how it pumps than the soap itself? So it might be a one-time thing….
It is a very nice kitchen soap, and I also appreicate that it's not at all laden with chemical smells.
EO Products are lovely, their hair products are a favorite of mine. The lavender hand soap and rose geranium/citrus body wash are great too! Much gentler on your body and the environment.
I will have to try their hair products! I tried their grapefruit/mint bodywash some time back, and thought that was quite nice. Rose/geranium sounds lovely, and will have to check out the lavender soap as well. They really do seem to be a very nice brand…
The article in the New England Journal of Medicine is based on the finding that three boys grew boobs, and after many interviews the thing they all had in common was the use of lavender/tea tree body products.
I would agree with you that the quantity of essential oil is probably low, but our own levels of hormones are miniscule – a little goes a long way. Additionally, hormones are fatty things made from cholesterol, and hormone analogues tend to accumulate in our fatty tissue.
I'm not saying the soap is unsafe. But I will point out that my local natural food store has placed some delightfully scented Tom's of Maine Natural Lavender Bodywash in the clearance bin.
That's very interesting. I am going to see if I can find a good book/resource on essential oils and medical/scientific findings about them. I have a number of resources on their application, and have used them often myself , with no (noticeable) adverse results, but I do know they are powerful little agents in their own right (as this article goes to show) and worth learning more about!
I just did a bit of snooping on the internet, and the NIH has a dept dedicated to Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM). Using that website, I found the following link which mentions the study you also mentioned, and has some general questions/answers about aromatherapy, in case anyone is interested!
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/cam/aromatherapy/Patient/page2
I'm another one who loves the EO products — the Rose Geranium & Citrus shower gel & lotion are my favorites. Great fragrances.
I'm not big on “minty” soaps, but in that vein I just sniffed their Grapefruit & Mint product the other day and I may need to buy some of that. So refreshing.
I enjoyed the grapefruit & mint shower gel when I tried it–definitely refreshing and nice and zesty for the morning if, like me, you have a hard time being a morning person! Hope you enjoy it!
I use and thoroughly enjoy the Lavender EO hand soap. It can't be beat for a strong, true lavender scent in my opinion. I have also found that it not only cleans small cuts on my hands thoroughly but also somehow aids in the healing process! It also is beneficial in curing infection and proud flesh on horses. I look forward to trying these new varieties!
I love the scent too! Lavender is so bracing and delicious. Just please be careful, lavender hand soap means you're exposed to the essential oils several times a day, and the safe dose hasn't been established yet.
Lavender is truly amazing. I had a 2nd degree burn on my hand, and soaked it overnight in a mixture of cold whole milk with lavender oil in it, and by the next day the pain had gone entirely, and the whole thing healed in a few days with no scarring. I never had to use the cream the doctor gave me for the blisters–because I never got any! I have also found it beneficial for bee stings, applied neat.
I think the word 'lavender' itself comes from 'lavare' which was latin meaning 'to wash'…my understanding is that the Romans put lavender in the hand washing bowls as it was believed to bring cleanliness….so perhaps lavender handwash is a longstanding tradition!
PS I do second obliteratti's concern–as I can definitely attest to the innate power these oils have. If strong estrogenic properties are one of them, it seems worth taking into serious consideration! Hopefully more studies will come out on this–esp given how popular both lavender and tea tree oil are. I wonder if perhaps they are especially potent (in that particular function) in pre-pubescent development stages as opposed to in adults?
The use of chemicals in every-day personal-care products (phthalates & parabens), contaminates in our food chain and wide spread use of bromine-based flame retardants (present in your sofa, carpet and mattress) is far more pervasive and frightening than essential oils. Studies have shown these chemicals are persistent in the environment and bio-accumulative, meaning, they build up in one’s body over a lifetime. Brominated fire retardants impair attention, learning, memory, and behavior in lab animals at surprisingly low levels. The most crucial period for toxic effects is during periods of rapid brain development. Fire retardants in breast milk are one measure of the chemicals that a mother passes on not only to her nursing infant, but more importantly, to the unborn fetus, which is most vulnerable to neurotoxic chemicals.
http://www.chemicalbodyburden.org/
http://www.oztoxics.org/cmwg/body%20burden/load.html
The use of fragrances and essential oils are of some concern, but it’s possible that the boys suffering from gynecomastia could have exposures other than essential oils that contributed to their condition.
Thanks for the links! It's hard to keep abreast of all the latest developments sometimes, but it does make sense that one area to be extremely/extraordinarily/super-duper cautious is when pregnant or nursing, and even with children and pre-pubescent teens whose bodies are all still developing rapidly. I imagine that holds for both chemicals and oils.
You're welcome. One can go crazy with keeping up with everything.
I was worried that I might come across as a bit nutzy, but often, the highest exposure scores are in children, it's very important to limit their exposure as they are still developing.
Nothing wrong (or nutzy) at all with being cautious, especially regarding children, imho! 🙂