Ever since I could remember I have been unfortunate enough to suffer from a relatively minor but still irritating ailment. Since I was about 5 years old I started getting small and painful little mouth ulcers. My family GP did not offer much advice and the chemist could only offer soothing ointments that might numb the area for a short while but tasted horrible and didn’t seem to do very much good. For years I just thought that it was my fate to endure these. I can’t complain too much, especially when they are compared with much more serious illnesses, but they were just unpleasant.
Eventually and quite by chance I read on the Internet that one of the contributing factors causing these little sores was SLS, or as it is properly known, sodium lauryl sulphate. It turns out that this stuff if everywhere. I’m not a chemical engineer so my school chemistry is really the only rusty knowledge I have when it comes to this, but SLS is used to help make water foamy, so it ends up in a lot of soaps, shower gels and shampoos. Take a look at some of the bottles on your shelves and you will probably find it.
I don’t really know if this stuff is as bad as they say, but I tried out some SLS free organic toothpaste and it really did seem to help. The number and intensity of the attacks died down completely. In fact I struggle to think when I last suffered from one. I would not go so far as to say they have completely gone away because I do still get them now and then, but the number is completely reduced. The other thing that I noticed is that the natural toothpaste I tried tasted great. It was a lot less sweet and a lot more “herby” than the stuff I normally use. It turns out that regular toothpaste is filled with artificial flavours and sweeteners. I would never have guessed. Since making the change I really like the new taste a lot more, though I guess it could take some getting used to.
Since then I’ve changed to a whole lot of other natural products such as organic shampoo for much the same reason. And since making the change I can’t say I have looked back with any regret. It is a bit more expensive and people on a really tight budget may pause because of the cost. But I’m not buying the very top of the range stuff, just good and wholesome organics and so far I feel like it is doing me some good.
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