The Why

 Welcome back everyone. Alright, time for some truth. Isn't it always? Be honest now. Before Covid-19, were you a conscientious hand washer? For me the answer is...not always. I was a regular hand washer, especially after using the bathroom or before working in the kitchen. But I will admit to eating with dirty hands after working with tools all morning. I will admit to not being overly interested in hand sanitizer. I'll admit to forgetting to wash my hands sometimes and being too lazy to go the sink and give them a wash with soap. And I'll even admit to running my hands under the water to rinse them off...again, too lazy to go looking for soap. When we used to have pets at home, I didn't always wash my hands after playing with them, at least not right away. 

Now, of course, I wash my hands almost obsessively. I keep hand sanitizer in my car and have made a habit of using it every time I get into the vehicle. I'm now washing my hands several times each and every hour (thank God for Legit Raw hand soap). 

I read a great line recently as I was doing some research for this weeks' blog: hand washing is like a do it yourself vaccine. It keeps you healthy. Simple hand washing can eliminate everything from a cold and flu to pink eye, infections, stomach viruses etc. It really is like getting vaccinated without any added suffering or inconvenience. I've never been afraid of needles but I would rather not get one if it can be helped. If everyone washed their hands on a very regular basis, many of our illnesses would almost disappear. 

Here is a partial list of hand washing WHYs for you:

1. Germs get into the body through the eyes, nose and mouth. Once inside our bodies, they can and do make us sick. 

2. Feces=poop. Salmonella, e-coli, and norovirus are only some of the germs found in feces. A single ounce of human feces can have 1 trillion...yes TRILLION!...germs. That's a lot and it's disgusting.

3. Germs from our hands end up in our food and drinks. They also get transferred to every surface around us...door knobs, tables, cups, handles, smart phone screens etc. which means they get transferred to other people.

4. Hand washing reduces respiratory illnesses, diarrhea and some skin conditions. 

5. It saves you money. Fewer doctor visits, fewer prescriptions, less time off work due to illness. There is nothing fun about being sick and missing work or school. 

6. It prevents antibiotic resistance. Reducing the number of active infections in a society will reduce the number of antibiotic prescriptions that are issued. In turn, this prevents viruses from mutating and becoming resistant to antibiotics. 

As you can see, hand washing really is like a do-it-yourself-vaccine. If all of us washed our hands regularly and properly, many of these health issues would be much less problematic. 

Here are a few resources for you if wish to do some further reading on the importance of hand washing:

https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/why-handwashing.html

https://www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/topic/default?id=why-we-need-to-wash-our-hands-1-50

https://www.society19.com/reasons-why-you-should-wash-your-hands/

Legit Raw to the Rescue!

As you know by now, Legit Raw is a family business. We take great care in our formulations and we are very proud of our products. A lot of thought and care goes into our products. In my very biased but very humble opinion you will not find a better hand soap on the market, at any price. I really do stand by that. Here is why I say this:

1. We do not use chemical fragrance in our formulation. Any scent from any of our hand soaps (they smell great btw) comes from the essential oil blend we use and NOT artificial fragrances. This is very important. Essential oils will restore your skin, not damage it the way a chemical fragrance can. 

2. We use food grade preservatives and not harsh chemical ones (see last week's blog about my experiences with Formalin, a harsh chemical preservative used in some products).

3. We don't use sulfates or parabens. Again, check previous blogs for more information on those.

4. We use glass bottles. They are re-usable or re-cylable. When the bottle is empty, keep if. Re-purpose the bottle. Legit Raw refills will be coming to market in the near future.

And I would like to share one personal, anecdotal piece of evidence for you. My own hands have never felt better. I use only Legit Raw hand soaps now and my hands feel great. My skin isn't irritated or dry. My hands aren't cracked. I used to wash my hands with dish soap when I was in the kitchen and it was very harsh on my hands. This hand soap formula we developed really is the bees knees. 

One final thought for you this week. It is estimated that only 19% of the global population washes their hands after using the bathroom. I understand that in many parts of the world there is not proper access to clean water, let alone soap. I can't help but wonder how much world health would improve if this were not the case. It is heartbreaking really. So many people on earth do not have access to the basic necessities for healthy living. Let's be grateful for what we have here in Canada. Give to charity if you can. There are so many great causes out there that need your support. There are so many people out there who need our help. 

See you next week. Enjoy the remaining few weeks of summer. 

I'm Carlo Santin, co-founder of Legit Raw. I'm also an educator by day, a husband and a father of two sons and now a daughter-in-law. Welcome.