I often see instruction for mothers to wash wounds or nipples with "mild" soap and water. Since I do not use mainstream bodycare products, I googled "mild" soap to find out what that means. I read a lot of comments, opinions and reviews and found that most commonly it either means a basic glycerin soap or, far more commonly in the US soaps such as either Ivory, Dove or Jergens. 

Here are the ingredients listed for these products, which by the way are not easy to find. For example on the Jergens website, they simply list "soap, fragrance". Seriously. 


The Dove soap ingredients for the "white bar" are:sodium cocoyl isethionate, stearic acid, coconut acid, sodium tallowate, water,sodium isethionate, sodium stearate, cocamidopropyl betaine, sodium cocoate orpalm kernelate, fragrance, sodium chloride, tetrasodium EDTA, trisodiumetidronate, BHT, titanium dioxide and sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate.
 
The Ivory soap bar (classic) had contained: sodiumtallowate, sodium cocoate or sodium palm kernelate, water, sodium chloride,sodium silicate, magnesium sulfate, and fragrance.[7] The soap bar had adetermined pH value: 9.5. [2]
 
New varieties of Ivory soap contain altered ingredients,such as in "Simply Ivory" (or "simplement ivory"): sodiumtallowate and/or sodium palmate, water, sodium cocoate or sodium palmkernelate, glycerin, sodium chloride, fragrance, one or more of the following:coconut acid, palm kernel acid, tallow acid or palm acid and tetrasodiumEDTA.[3]
 
Jergens:
INGREDIENTS: Soap, Fragrance.
Ingredients:
Sodium Tallowate and/or Sodium Palmate, Aqua, Sodium Cocoateand/or Sodium Palm Kernelate, Glycerine, Sodium Chloride, Parfume, CoconutAcid, Tallow Acid, EDTA.


Johnson's baby soap:
Baby Soap Bar:  Sodium Tallowate, Water, Sodium Cocoate or Sodium Palm Kernelate, Glycerin, Titanium Dioxide, Fragrance, Pentasodium Pentetate, Tetrasodium Etidronate.


IMO, a mild soap would be one made from pure olive oil or something like Dr Bronner's--not what most people use. I do not see the benefit of telling women to wash their nipples with these other toxic products. What are we trying to wash off? Why not just water? Apple cider vinegar and baking soda are anti-bacterial. We could just suggest those if something other than water is preferred for such a purpose. 


While soap may be better than steriods, abx and the petroleum toxins in pharmaceutical creams, I think we do women no favors in telling them to use "mild soap" and water for treating damaged tissue. 


Again, coconut oil is my first choice. If more is needed, there are many, many safer options.


 

Jennifer Tow, IBCLC, France
Intuitive Parenting Network, LLC
 

 

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