Handmade Soaps and the Guaifenesin Protocol

I've been thinking about Handmade soaps since I created my Soap Tote. Unfortunately I probably can't buy them. This is because I've been on the Guaifenesin Protocol for fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue for about two years, now. After having full-blown fatigue for 4 years, its nice to be feeling normal again. Well, mostly normal. I still have my limits and mostly short-lived spells of fatigue and/or pain. Thanks to the Guaifenesin Protocol, I have renewed energy, and so I was able to start this SewnAgain venture.

The protocol requires strict adherence to a few prohibitions, otherwise the guaifenesin will be blocked in the docking sites in the kidney and prohibit phosphate excretion. So, things like mint, castor oil, coconut oil are all forbidden. These salicylates are readily absorbed into the body via the skin and no amount of exposure is safe.

For soapmaking, the oils that provide the lather, such as coconut oil, are not allowed on the protocol. That's where the dilemma is for Etsy soap buyers who are on the guaifenesin protocol. Soapmakers work with a 5 - 7% superfat so there is 5 - 7% of those oils NOT saponified. That unsaponified residue will block our guaifenesin and keep us sick.

However, I'm looking forward to Joyce, a soapmaker who is on the protocol. She's done a lot of research on protocol-safe soapmaking and is planning to open up an Etsy shop and sell salicylate-free soaps and lotions. I'm lining up to be her first customer. I'm looking forward to it, Joyce!