By: Morgan Rudge
Now, more than ever, we are washing our hands.…
isn’t it crazy to think that there was a time where people weren’t washing their hands at all? Hand washing has only been normalized for less than two centuries. The credit to hand-washing often goes to Hungarian doctor Ignaz Semmelweis. When working in the maternity ward in his hospital, he made the observation that women were dying at a faster rate when giving birth in the doctor-run ward verses the midwife-run ward. Doctor Semmelweis found that when the doctors came to the ward after performing other procedures with their hands, infections were passed along to the patients. The midwives did not conduct any other procedures, and therefore did not pass along any of these germs to their patients. After his discovery, Semmelweis mandated all doctors wash their hands with chlorine. He was rejected by many at his hospital and around Europe for his decision. Years later, Florence Nightingale instigated a similar rule at the hospital she was working at in Italy during the Crimean War. Her proposal caused a dramatic decrease in infections. It wasn’t until the 1980s after several cases of food-borne illnesses had spread that the CDC critically began endorsing hand-washing guidelines.
We have seen this in the past year much more seriously with COVID-19. With coronavirus cases in many areas still on the rise, doctors are recommending we wash our hands for at least twenty seconds under warm or room temperature running water to properly clean our hands of infectious and potentially harmful germs. Doctors advise lathering the soap on all parts of our hands and to take our time scrubbing. The 20-seconds may feel like a long time, but that is the most important part! Research has found that any soap, from antibacterial to all natural, will work effectively when washing our hands to protect ourselves from the virus.
Our Wash Your Hands Kit provides a way for us to keep our hands clean while using the best all-natural and palm oil- free ingredients. Our soap is moisturizing, and won’t dry out your hands. It is colored and scented with essential oils. The soaps’ vibrant colors come from natural ingredients like turmeric, calamine, and paprika. Soaps that use palm oil are threatening our Earth’s precious rainforests, destroying habitats and inducing climate change. Palm oil is an ingredient found in many household items and foods. It is derived from the fruit of palm trees. Our soaps are just as beautiful as they are sustainability and naturally made!
The hand sanitizer spray is a great product for when washing with soap and water isn’t readily available. Made with the finest ingredients of organic ethanol and World Health Organization Formula 1, it also contains glycerin to keep hands soft and moisturized. The organic ethanol in our hand sanitizer is different from the traditional byproduct isopropyl alcohol most hand sanitizers use. It is just as effective in killing germs, but was derived from a much more natural source- plants. The hand sanitizer is available on our website in three scents, Lemon, Lavender, and Spice. Spice is a blend of clove, cinnamon, lemon, eucalyptus, rosemary, and lavender. This oil was used during the bubonic plague to protect thieves when stealing from the sick. These are three delicious scents that will keep your hands fresh and smelling great!
OY-L Wash Your Hands Kit
