Tiny Bubbles

What's better than washing your beard with a cleanser that makes tons of lather, right? I get it. It's great and makes you feel like you're cleaning all the dirt and crud out of your beard. There's only one problem - it's marketing hype. The amount of lather a product makes has nothing to do with how well it cleans. So, why the hype? Simple - cost. Manufacturers know that you want tons of lather to feel like your cleanser is doing its job. It's a double win for them because they can fill their bottles with cheap, synthetic ingredients and save boatloads of cash. Everybody's happy, right? Well, yeah unless you're looking for natural products that won't harm you or the environment. 

First, some background. How does soap work? (We'll get into the difference between soap and detergents later on) Simply put, soap separates dirt and oil from water, allowing you to rinse away all the bad stuff. Most mass produced products accomplish this with synthetic chemical surfactants. On the bottle, look for ingredients that end in "-ide" or "-eth." Good news - they work great. Bad news - we don't know a lot about long term exposure to your body or the environment. In general, it is my belief that chemical exposure is not great for your health. Also, Big Soap has worked a deal with Uncle Sam where they don't have to disclose to consumers what's really in the bottles, or how long term exposure will affect your health. Still feeling good about those bubbles?

So, what to do? Damn Yankee's Eraser Beard Wash is Castile Soap. It's as close to natural as you can get in a wash. What's Castile soap? Three things - water, fat, and lye. In our case, olive oil, potassium hydroxide (i.e. liquid soap), sodium alginate (natural thickener) and a touch of coconut oil (to make a few suds). That's it. No -ide or -eth. Since it doesn't contain the synthetic chemicals and questionably sourced oils, it doesn't later a lot, which is pretty unsatisfying in the shower admittedly. But, it's still soap. It's still separating the dirt and crud from your beard so you can rinse it down the drain (which is also safe for the environment). In other words, you don't need tons of lather to clean your beard. It's nice to have, but at what cost? Personally, I'd rather use a natural product than one with unknown effects on your long-term health. 

So, that's our stance as a company. Our Eraser Beard Wash doesn't lather up the way we all want, but it definitely works to clean all the crap out of your beard. We choose health, safety, and environment over synthetic chemicals shoved down our throats by Big Soap. If you agree, then give our Eraser Beard Wash a try. 

Next time, we'll talk about the difference between soap and detergent. Also, we'll get into the unclean history of century-old efforts by Big Soap to make you feel like America has a hygiene problem. Spoiler Alert: We don't. You're probably showering too much.