Teach Soap

Hi All,

I’ve had a few people ask about the possibility of adding antibacterial properties to cold processed soap. Is this even possible?

I was under the impression that if you wash your hands regularly with soap and warm water that you don’t need to use antibacterial lotions.

What do you say when people broach the subject?

Bryan

I was told by our doctor, it's not so much the kind of soap you're using, it's the frequency of use and how long you're washing your hands for.

But here's some info about antibacterial soaps
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antibacterial_soap
http://personalcaretruth.com/2011/10/st ... esistance/
http://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-ca ... ion692.htm

I think this is a very important part of that last article:

"According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), antibacterial soaps are not necessary, but washing your hands thoroughly with ordinary soap and warm water is one of the most effective ways to ward off infection."

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Genny

They did a segment on our local news this morning on hand washing. The tip is to sing happy birthday 2x's while washing or 20 seconds with warm water and soap.

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Haven

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

Oh boy. I read this last week. I haven't used antibacterial hand gel since I discovered it kills good germs too. I want my good germs. I am upset to read how many different things this one ingredient is found in!

http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/science ... -function/

The only time I use the antibacterial gel is if I'm somewhere that I can't wash my hands. Otherwise I don't use it. I want my good germs, too!

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

If you wanted to add an antiseptic to soap it might be quite difficult. The common ones used in shampoo (sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate) wouldn't work in an alkaline environment, and the ones used in creams etc, would mess up the soap, I am pretty sure. So we come to things like triclosan, which is implicated in environmental pollution. I don't think bacteria etc grow in high-pH things like soap. To me, an 'antibacterial' soap is just marketing buzzwords.

I wouldn't, since in the US we can't make any claims like antibacterial.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.