TIL Washing your hands with plain soap is probably better than using antibacterial soap in the long run
TIL Washing your hands with plain soap is probably better than using antibacterial soap in the long run
This aligns with what I've always been told. The mechanical action of thoroughly washing your hands for 20 seconds + the surfactant in the soap is enough to allow the subsequent rinse and dry to physically remove shit from your hands.
Same with your pits and junk. Just a normal bar of unscented soap is all you need to not be stinky and prevent bacterial growth particularly during the summer. Unless you have special needs based on skin conditions or gland conditions of course.
hair too, most people most of the time will do just fine with a simple bar of soap in the shower, all shampoo does is detonate a nuclear bomb on your scalp so you then have to put oil back with conditioner, it's the textbook definition of making you dependent on a product.
you only need shampoo if you have some specific scalp condition or you decided to rub shit on your head, otherwise soap is absolutely fine and frankly you'll probably do fine with just water and rubbing yourself down thoroughly.
The antibacterial soaps also help create supergerms that can survive the antibiotic used. They should only be used in medical settings when necessary. The overuse of antibacterial soaps and antibiotics are going to help create more pandemics should enough bacteria become antibiotic-resistant.
That's very true, but also, the overuse of antibiotics on livestock dwarfs any overuse normal people are doing. We need to make the farmers stop, too.
Is antibacterial soap using antibiotics though? I thought it was just using something like alcohol to kill off bacteria and not an actual antibiotic.
They don't seem to use the same active ingredients as antibiotics, but the concern of bacterial resistance still apples.
"The [FDA] issued a proposed rule in 2013 after some data suggested that long-term exposure to certain active ingredients used in antibacterial products — for example, triclosan (liquid soaps) and triclocarban (bar soaps) — could pose health risks, such as bacterial resistance or hormonal effects. "
There's another web page from the FDA entitled "Antibatcerial Soap? You Can Skip It, Use Plain..." however I can't open the link to see if there's mote talk about bacterial resistance.
They use antimicrobials and don't always kill everything when washing hands.
You don’t need antibacterial soap at all, if anything it hurts your immune system in the long run.
I've seen less and less anti-bacterial soap available at retail anyway.
Covid probably helped sell a few extra bottles. Now that concern is lessening people want their hands to smell like cinnamon.
I was trying to buy some at target about a month ago and there were only like 2 options that even claimed to be soap. The rest were "hand wash" and all of it was weird generic brands I'd never heard of. I haven't used it yet but I do not feel confident with that purchase at all.
(In the US) bans on some of the major AB chemicals went into effect in 2016, so that's helped cut back on what's on the shelves. Manufacturers have had to reformulate or just stop.
More public awareness is still very much necessary though
Killing things just so they're dead isn't a good way to live on this planet. There are plenty of reasons to control populations of different species, but only so we can continue living in the society that's been built.
Fwiw, this has been a thing in medical circles for a while now. I've been out of the field since 2008, and we had switched away from antimicrobial soaps already, even out here in the boonies.
So, no need to worry much about it.
I've been trying to avoid soap labelled antibacterial for this reason, and it's tricky to even find any that's not labelled antibacterial.
Been wondering if they don't just slap the label on any soap, because it could be considered antibacterial by its nature. Apparently not?
I think it's on account of it creating super germs. Correct? Not entirely sure, I guess I could click the link but I am about to hop off and don't need to wander down another rabbit hole.
It's more than that, its been shown to not be any more effective than regular hand washing with non-antibacterial soap, and it has major negative ecosystem impacts. For example, it is hard to filter and fish downstream of AB soap bioaccumulate the AB chemicals to the point of toxicity.
At best it's useless, at worst it contributes to AB resistance, and is toxic to downstream flora and fauna.
Ah, that's a good one. I remember when organic dish soap started coming on to the scene. I am going to take a stab here and say probably for the same thing? I was hoping that it all gets filtered out at a water processing plant. But I am probably just being too optimistic. Thank you for your response =)
We have this weird idea that our body needs constant sterilization. We're a complex biological construct made up of our own genomes, and the genomes of millions of other species of bacteria living in unison. We're pretty self-regulating.
I don't use antibacterial soap of any kind on my hands, and try to avoid hand sanitizer as it dehydrates the hell of my skin. I also don't use body wash unless I have actual dirt and grease to wash off of my body, and I only exfoliate once or twice weekly to keep my skin healthy. My usual shower involves rinsing thoroughly, superficially washing "pits and bits" with unscented baby soap / synthetic detergent (syndet), and then washing and conditioning my hair.
I basically don't have to wear deodorant anymore unless I plan on working out. My body doesn't produce the same kinds of smells anymore. My skin looks awesome, and ingrown hairs and pimples are now a very rare occurrence.
Before, when I used to scrub myself with body wash from head to toe every day, I would find myself smelling like old soup by mid-day if I didn't slather myself in deodorant. These days I smell fresh most of the day deodorant-free, with only the need for a spritz of fragrance at most.
You can also get away from using shampoo. Just spend several minutes vigorously scrubbing under the shower.
I've reduced to antibacterial in the bathroom only and any old soap in the kitchen. Could be I don't need the bathroom one either.
soap is creating an enviroment that makes the bacteria lose its grip on the things its holding (you).
antibacterial soap is killing the bacteria while making it lose its grip on you
it doesn't need to be killed to be removed from you, basic soap is good enough unless you are in a hospital environment
Anyone know if scrubbing with water alone is better or worse than not doing anything? I've occasionally ended up in public bathrooms with no soap and I wonder if I should use water or not.
Better than nothing. Water is a great solvent and will get rid of larger particles. Use hot water to dislodge more oily things.
Yes, scrubbing with water is still useful. Besides being a detergent, what soap does is raise skin pH to make it less likely that bacteria can grow on the surface.
I am glat that you posted this but also sad that it's not more widely known. The 20-second hand wash with any standard soap is all you need in the entire world.
Just rub some dirt on it