Caustic Soda in face cleanser

There are ifferent grade of caustic soda. It is a cleaner... and you want a face cleaner. It is in soap. Many people leaves their soap on a painted surface in the bathroom... like a window sill. Within a year or two... the soap has eaten all the paint away. Paint stripper is strong... because it needs to be in order for a painter to do the job quickly. It is pretty much a question of dilution and proportion. You have been washing yourself with soap your whole life... and it has not burned you yet. Try to put some paint stripper on your finger... and feel it burn after a few seconds.

In most cases, the AMOUNT of the ingredient is more important than the ingredient itself... caustic soda, soda ash and lye have been used in soaps forever, without ill effect. An alarmist attitude could leave us with nothing on the shelves to choose from... the bad guys use fertilizer to make bombs, but without it our food sources would be limited and food prices astronomical. I wash my face with gentle shampoo, and add a few drops vinegar to rinse my face and hair... simple and natural, and my skin is pretty good for an old lady!

I am bad about not loking at the ingredients...I just get name brand and hope it works..I have found a few that works for me and i stick with them..So far so good...I use a lot of olay products andd i have not seen any bad things so far because i looked when i read this message...

I dont really know what caustic soda is but it doesnt sound like something I want to use. Sounds scary to me

I think the best thing to do before buying a face cleanser is consult your dermatologist. Dermatologist know what are those product that is harshed to the skin. I personally dont use any face cleanser. I only wash my face with water. And if ever i have break out i went to my dermatologist first before buying products for acne since some product is harmful to the skin and it will just make the skin problem worst.

eeek. A good friend who has experience with skin care advised me to only use a cloth and warm water to wash my face so I don't do the face cleaners but the food thing is really scary

I read a warning about caustic soda in some of our products that it really shouldn't be in. I just assumed it wasn't in any of the products I had, but from then on I started to check. I can't believe we have to pay so close attention to stuff that really shouldn't be in our products anyway.

i agree that is a bit alarming to learn, but like the others have said, its all about the strength/proportions. course considering all the other misc chemicals in a face cleaner..there is a least ONE that you can actually pronounce lol!!

Most soaps have been made with sodium hydroxide/caustic soda/lye for centuries. A lot of foods are made with it or in it's preparation as well. Not scary at all unless used in pure form or high content solutions. It's simply a natural chemical on the very high end of the ph scale. Anything on the very high end (alkaline) or very low end (acid) of the ph scale will burn you in it's pure form. Nothing to fear though, especially in a facial cleanser, you've been using sodium hydroxide for years on your skin already. Most of the chemical you see listed on the labels of cosmetics and bath products aren't all that scary either. Some of their chemical names are long and scary sounding but very natural and useful in actuality. The biggest one I always warn people about is the one you'd think is the most harmless. Mineral oil. Nothing mineral about it. It's made from crude oil, the same stuff that gasoline and motor oil are made from. Not good for the skin, and people use it on their newborn babies every day. Baby oil is pure mineral oil with a little perfume in it. Same with Vaseline, not much different than axle grease for your car. Most commercial lotions and face creams are made with mineral oil as well as many cosmetics. It's cheaper than natural plant oils and doesn't "spoil" so the cosmetic companies make more money. It's awful stuff. Not to mention that since crude oil is mostly imported foreign oil, I'd personally rather not use it. I give them quite enough of my money when I put gas in my car!

Well, sure. It is another name for lye. It is used to make soap.

Hi dear go for herbal face cleanser well caustic soda in small amout is use to get the hard food soft, but why take chance, go for herbal one take care

Well, that indeed sounds a bit scary but if the product was initially tested during the experimental stage, it might just be ok to use it. The best thing that you can do is to look for BFAD seals or some government seals or even laboratory analysis stickers, and the like so that you would feel more confident in using the product.

Now that is a scarey thought isn't it?

Hi coffeeshot, That is so frightening, its terrible what they put in food and make up, no wonder we suffer from bad health and what goes on in our insides and our skins, its scarey just thinking about it. Tamara

Yeah, you'd be amazed at some of the things we let come in contact with our skin/digestive system. Over the past 2 years I've pretty much removed all those elements from my home. I've gone just about as green as I can get, which includes getting the chemicals out of my house too. I'm back to products that have natural elements for cleansing and organic foods. It's amazing how healthy I've been!!!!

There are many products on the store shelves that in my opinion shouldn't be there at all....The J & J baby shampoo and just about any baby wipes you can buy all have formaldehyde in them, is that really what we want on our babies skin??? This is just the tip of the iceburg. Even though it doesn't produce any short term affects, what about years down the road?? Why do you think the rates of cancer have skyrocketed?? Just something to think about.

If it was the last ingredient than that means it was the least amount in the bottle. Now that might mean it is just so minute amount that you do not even know it's there but they have to print it on the label. Then again we do not know how much % the other ingredients where in the bottle. They also may have to count it because they may have used it to make the soap that is used in the face cleanser. I am not sure I would have bought it either.

I've written abut this before...all of the scrubbers and soaps out there today are made from poison. It's about adding the cheapest stuff to the fanciest jars/bottles...they are all worthless. and so Expensive. However there are products, that are probably right under your bathroom counter that you won't believe...at least until you try it, these 'all natural products', will clear and cleanse your skin. I am not trying to sell you anything here just giving away my beauty secrets and my advice.... I am a true believer in all products that are natural. I have been known to join on-line Beauty clubs like "HYDRODERM" which ladies is pure "Bul Sht" I actually had to change my checking account number so they wouldn't keep charging me 50-70 bucks a month and for WHAT? I for one saw no improvement at all. it was all Hype and Air brushing in the magazine. and they refused to cancel my order and kept sending it. I have experimented, (On myself, read and reread...all about Natural products, for the skin my favorite; very, very, favorite, is plain old 'Arm and Hammer baking soda' for the scrub, vinegar or real lemon for the toning and then organic coconut oil/ or sesame for moisture... start by wetting your face...then take a couple of tablespoons of the baking soda and make a paste in your hand with a few drops of water...shmear all over your face.....always in circular motion upwards so as not to drag the ever aging skin down. it's awesome, in the fact that; you don't feel the scrub on just a couple of spots(some very expensive scrubbers lay on the bottom of the jar while some sort of oil rises to the top, or it gets moldy and you don't even know it)...Yuck-O! On the other hand, baking soda is so fine that it gets off all the dirt and opens and clears out the pores...if you are into 'toning' the only thing to use is Apple Cider Vinegar,(daubed on with a cotton ball) or if you have brown spots cut a lemon in half and again just holding the lemon in your hand... shmear all over your face.(YOU KNOW HOW THEY SELL THOSE TEENY BOTTLES OF "ESTER C" FOR 30 dollars or more? I WOULD NEVER PAY THAT AMOUNT!!! not in this economy.... "a half" of a REAL lemon will work unbelievably well....it works by fading brown spots and adding the needed vitamin c to your face, that produces collagen and is so good for elasticity. In fact you can use the half lemon a few times if wrapped in plastic and kept refrigerated. after you have rinsed off the baking soda, and toned with the vinegar or lemon (allow to dry)....moisturize your skin with a dollop of coconut oil or sesame oil. your face will shine....you can do this in the shower too and on your feet! Or use the baking soda all over your body. It will remove flaky dry stuff and allow the skin to breathe. If you do this on your body, don't forget to " ALWAYS moisturize" your body too. Nothing worse looking than dry legs,feet ...or elbows. Try this! what have you got to lose? It is the least expensive, most natural way to get beautiful skin without costly skin peels, lasers etc, that cost a fortune. shiny, clean and moisturized skin will make you look years younger. Your's in staying young, Stella