Pawian
European
Have you seen my frog?
Posts: 3,266
|
Post by Pawian on Jan 15, 2006 14:10:51 GMT -7
It`s the first time I am going to complain about America. I mean American soap. When I was in the US, I noticed that I had difficulty with washing soap off my skin. I could feel this soap still on my skin even after long rinsing with water. A very silly feeling, really.
I thought it is a problem with American tap water, its pH or something.
But recently my wife got an American soap from our neighbour who has a family in the US. And washing with this soap is the same as it used to be back in the US. The skin feels slippery even after long washing. So it wasn`t a water problem.
It`s crazy. Don`t Americans have some normal soap which washes off quickly?
|
|
|
Post by rdywenur on Jan 15, 2006 14:35:11 GMT -7
Pawian... I use safeguard and come out squeaky clean. I have never had a filmy residue other than dry skin from showering too much. Then you just get some smalec and grease yourself up.
Not too long ago they changed the shape of Safeguard to what looked like a doggy bone. So when I wrote to the company to complain they told me it was changed for the handicap. Excuse me but as far as I know no matter what shape it comes in once it is wet doesn't matter what shape its in it will slip out of the best of fingers. Soon there after they went bck to the original shape. And when they anounced it they sent me some coupons. ;D
|
|
piwo
Citizen of the World
Co Słychać?
Posts: 1,189
|
Post by piwo on Jan 15, 2006 14:43:26 GMT -7
Feeling slippery after washing only means that you have soft water. This is not a bad thing: it's preferable to hard water. At least that's how I understand it. When we installed a water softener, that's exactly how if felt......
|
|
|
Post by kaima on Jan 15, 2006 15:31:10 GMT -7
Feeling slippery after washing only means that you have soft water. This is not a bad thing: it's preferable to hard water. At least that's how I understand it. When we installed a water softener, that's exactly how if felt...... I sure don't care for soft water! Hard water leaes me feeling like the soap is washed off. The minerals are supposed to be necessary and healthy for the body, whereas the salts in the sofened water are unhealthy. I will take hard water any day! Kai
|
|
|
Post by gardenmoma on Jan 15, 2006 16:04:48 GMT -7
It is hard to find "true soap" here in the U.S. From FDA site Ordinary soap is solely made up of fats and an alkali. In the past, people made their own soap from animal fats and wood ashes. Many back-to-the-land and DYI people make their own soaps in small amounts from some sort of a fat and alkali even today. What is sold is a complex of synthetic detergents (cleaning chemicals) and surfactants - cleaners remove the soil; surfactants keep them in suspension so they can be rinsed off. Detergent cleansers are popular because they make suds easily in water and don't form gummy deposits.(True)...Soap works well in soft water, but in hard water, which contains a relatively high amount of calcium in solution, the calcium and soap react to form a gummy material called soap scum, which includes dirt and other matter. This gummy stuff is what forms the familiar ring in the bathtub.So, my question to Pawian is "do you have hard water in Krakow, or soft?" My guess would be hard because a lot of Poland is underlaid with calcium (limestone). Does your house / apartment have a water softner (sodium chloride - plain salt) to percipitate out the lime? Or are you confusing "slippery" with "gummy / scummy?" I remember "gummy / scummy" from the good old days of Fels Naptha and Life Buoy; I know "slippery" from my mother-in-law's (also lime soil) where there is a water softner. It takes me longer in the shower to rinse off. If I need to wash my hair, I need to remember to use very little shampoo otherwise it would take a week to rinse off. Good question of us all - as RDY indicated we like what we get accustomed to use
|
|
alfred
Freshman Pole
Posts: 10
|
Post by alfred on Jan 15, 2006 18:17:16 GMT -7
Some American soap is horrible and some is excellent. As an example, Lava soap will rub the skin off you and Dove will "oil" your skin. Same can be said about the water hardness. I'll let Jaga handle the precipitation, solubility, emulsification, floatation discussions. "G"
|
|
Pawian
European
Have you seen my frog?
Posts: 3,266
|
Post by Pawian on Jan 16, 2006 2:08:17 GMT -7
So, my question to Pawian is "do you have hard water in Krakow, or soft?" My guess would be hard because a lot of Poland is underlaid with calcium (limestone). Does your house / apartment have a water softner (sodium chloride - plain salt) to percipitate out the lime? As far as I know, there has always been hard water in Kraków. I don`t use any softeners or filters.
|
|
Pawian
European
Have you seen my frog?
Posts: 3,266
|
Post by Pawian on Jan 16, 2006 2:14:19 GMT -7
To all,
By complaining about American soap I tried to transmit the hidden message that I have never had any problems with Polish soap. Every week or so we buy a different kind of soap and it always washes off in Polish or European style, i.e. quickly. I dont think it is a problem with water: why should Polish-made soap wash off quickly and American slowly in the same water?
It is the problem with soap itself.
|
|
|
Post by Jaga on Jan 16, 2006 8:36:12 GMT -7
Alfred,
I am not the chemist, my husband knows more about surfactants than I do.
But I noticed that so called: moisturizing body wash - does not produce too much foam and does not wash out easily but one of the reasons is not to leave a sking dry.
|
|
|
Post by suzanne on Jan 16, 2006 8:48:16 GMT -7
To all, By complaining about American soap I tried to transmit the hidden message that I have never had any problems with Polish soap. Every week or so we buy a different kind of soap and it always washes off in Polish or European style, i.e. quickly. I dont think it is a problem with water: why should Polish-made soap wash off quickly and American slowly in the same water? It is the problem with soap itself. Maybe this soap was meant to be for dry skin and therefore is meant to leave some kind of moisturizing film behind on the skin? Every soap on the market here seems to be either a heavily-moisturizing one and/or a perfumed one. Even the ones marked "for sensitive skin" sometimes leave a film behind. It's not easy to find just plain soap.
|
|
|
Post by Jaga on Jan 16, 2006 9:06:46 GMT -7
+++Maybe this soap was meant to be for dry skin and therefore is meant to leave some kind of moisturizing film behind on the skin?+++ Susanne, this was also my conclusion. BY the way what I know abot surfactants - they have hydrofilic and hydrophobic parts - therefore they attach to both - grease and water. Just yesterdya while washinfd dishes - I noticed a beautiful array of bubbles - on one of my pot - it seems that the surfactant created almost crystalline network (my husband told me that this is ordered liquid) of bubbles - they were also three dimensional - several layers were created. I wish I could show you this When I was in the scout camp we used just a sand from the beach to clean the pots from grease and this works almost the same well as surfactants
|
|
nancy
European
Posts: 2,144
|
Post by nancy on Jan 16, 2006 13:50:44 GMT -7
Pawian,
Now I am curious - what is the name/brand of the soap that your wife tried?
|
|
|
Post by Eric on Jan 18, 2006 2:15:50 GMT -7
A big difference... in America, the "liquid soap" is more popular than bars of soap. They say that liquid is more hygenic, since you use only your portion, whereas everyone uses the bar of soap, an it just sits there waiting for the next time.
I, however, HATE liquid soap. But I have to agree with you, American bar soap isn't too much of an improvement. I like the bar soaps sold in Russia much better. They're natural - no added perfumes, preservatives, or heaven knows what else is in American soaps.
|
|
Pawian
European
Have you seen my frog?
Posts: 3,266
|
Post by Pawian on Jan 18, 2006 13:44:11 GMT -7
Pawian, Now I am curious - what is the name/brand of the soap that your wife tried? I am afraid it is impossible to retrieve it now. The packaging was disposed of long ago and the name stamped on the bar was washed off. PS. OK, one hint. It is a pink-orange soap. hahahahahahaha
|
|
|
Post by Jaga on Jan 18, 2006 19:44:13 GMT -7
Pawian, so you do not have any more the evidence that this soap was bad
|
|