Guest guest Posted March 11, 2011 Report Share Posted March 11, 2011 Typical Chlorine bleach is processed with NaOH (sodium hydroxide). It is the " OH " (hydroxide ion) in that formula that causes the slippery skin sensation, not dead skin cells. However, chlorine beach reacts strongly with many organic materials, and can certainly react with the dead skin. (Chlorine bleach is powerful chemical and should be treated as such.) Soft water also has an abundance of OH- ions, causing the skin to feel slippery even after rinsing off soap or shampoo. In reality, soft water does a better job of rinsing away soaps and detergents--it just doesn't feel like it. Hard water will give you that " squeaky clean " sensation, but you're really less clean than you would be with soft water, Either way, it really doesn't make any difference as far as personal hygiene goes--some people prefer the sensation of soft water, and others prefer the sensation of hard water. 's solution of spraying a vinegar solution on the skin to eliminate the " slippery " or " slimy " feel makes sense. Acid solutions will have an abundance of H+ (hydrogen ions). When an H+ gets together with an OH-, they combine to form an H2O (water molecule). The OH- instantly goes away as does the slippery feeling. On Fri, Mar 11, 2011 at 8:49 AM, karin elizabeth <aspiraling@...>wrote: > > > Regarding vinegar and soap... > > , > I second the vinegar approach, as this is what I exclusively use to wash my > hair. I put about one part vinegar to eight parts water in a pitcher & pour > it into my scalp, work it in and let it sit for a few minutes, then rinse > it > out. Once your hair adjusts to this, within a couple of weeks, you'll only > need to do it every four days or so~sometimes less. The other baths I > simple rinse water through my hair. > > I don't know what you mean about a 'slimy feel' from soap, perhaps because > I > use very little soap, infrequently, and only simple, natural soaps like Dr. > Bronner's. It reminds me, however, of something an ethnobotanist friend > explained about bleach. He explained that the bleach is breaking down the > epidermal skin cells, essentially sloughing away your outermost layer of > skin, and the dead cells on the underlying skin is what causes the 'slimy' > feel after putting your skin in bleach or in a chlorinated swimming pool. > With that, I wonder what ingredients are in your soap, and perhaps finding > something milder may be a good idea. Or, perhaps your water is highly > chlorinated? That's a guess, a scary one, to think there could be that much > chlorine in your water, but something to consider perhaps. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 13, 2011 Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 Good explanation! Our water is well water that has been cleaned (because it is normally high in arsenic!) and comes out very, very soft. It's fine water after the filtration system gets done with it, but it takes almost no soap to clean anything and it does make your hands feel slippery. Anyway, vinegar is easy, and I think it's good for you hands in any event. I stopped using hand cream some years ago, and my hands are very soft and smooth, even though I've got them in water much of the day (and work with clay too, which is rather hard on the hands). I use vinegar or baking soda for much of my cleaning too, and microfiber towels. I do use Comet sometimes for sinks, to bleach them, but rarely. On Fri, Mar 11, 2011 at 2:00 PM, Harkness <davidharkness@...>wrote: > Typical Chlorine bleach is processed with NaOH (sodium hydroxide). It is > the " OH " (hydroxide ion) in that formula that causes the slippery skin > sensation, not dead skin cells. However, chlorine beach reacts strongly > with many organic materials, and can certainly react with the dead skin. > (Chlorine bleach is powerful chemical and should be treated as such.) Soft > water also has an abundance of OH- ions, causing the skin to feel slippery > even after rinsing off soap or shampoo. In reality, soft water does a > better job of rinsing away soaps and detergents--it just doesn't feel like > it. Hard water will give you that " squeaky clean " sensation, but you're > really less clean than you would be with soft water, Either way, it really > doesn't make any difference as far as personal hygiene goes--some people > prefer the sensation of soft water, and others prefer the sensation of hard > water. > > 's solution of spraying a vinegar solution on the skin to eliminate > the " slippery " or " slimy " feel makes sense. Acid solutions will have an > abundance of H+ (hydrogen ions). When an H+ gets together with an OH-, > they > combine to form an H2O (water molecule). The OH- instantly goes away as > does the slippery feeling. > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 14, 2011 Report Share Posted March 14, 2011 Yes~Great explanation!! Thank you, . In rereading my own post (to remember what we're talking about), I found a wee typo that should have read, 'dead skin cells AND underlying (newly exposed) skin.' So is that slimy feeling from the OH itself or the OH's presence on the newly exposed skin? Also, what kinds of reactions, and to what effects does chlorine have with the dead skin? > > > > > > > Regarding vinegar and soap... > > > > , > > I second the vinegar approach, as this is what I exclusively use to wash my > > hair. I put about one part vinegar to eight parts water in a pitcher & pour > > it into my scalp, work it in and let it sit for a few minutes, then rinse > > it > > out. Once your hair adjusts to this, within a couple of weeks, you'll only > > need to do it every four days or so~sometimes less. The other baths I > > simple rinse water through my hair. > > > > I don't know what you mean about a 'slimy feel' from soap, perhaps because > > I > > use very little soap, infrequently, and only simple, natural soaps like Dr. > > Bronner's. It reminds me, however, of something an ethnobotanist friend > > explained about bleach. He explained that the bleach is breaking down the > > epidermal skin cells, essentially sloughing away your outermost layer of > > skin, and the dead cells on the underlying skin is what causes the 'slimy' > > feel after putting your skin in bleach or in a chlorinated swimming pool. > > With that, I wonder what ingredients are in your soap, and perhaps finding > > something milder may be a good idea. Or, perhaps your water is highly > > chlorinated? That's a guess, a scary one, to think there could be that much > > chlorine in your water, but something to consider perhaps. > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 14, 2011 Report Share Posted March 14, 2011 I'm not a chemical engineer, but I believe the slippery feeling comes from the interaction of OH- and certain fats (including natural skin oil.) The process is called " saponification. " Basically, when hydroxide (OH-) interacts with certain fats, they form soap, and soap is slippery. I mentioned that there is sodium hydroxide in chlorine bleach. A more common name for sodium hydroxide is " lye. " As you probably know, lots of people used to make lye soap out of old animal fat and lye. Chlorine found in municipal water systems would not cause the slippery feeling because the chlorine used to sanitize water is pure chlorine gas, not bleach. It doesn't contain the sodium hydroxide like liquid bleach. As you might guess, it is the chlorine in chlorine bleach that works as a sanitizer and a bleaching agent. If you look at a periodic table of the elements, you will find chlorine in the next to the last column to the right. All of the elements in that column are very highly reactive, and as a result, would be considered toxic. On the positive side, they are SO reactive that they don't last long in the environment, because they quickly react with other stuff and remain tightly bound. The chlorine in your salt shaker would be enough to poison hundreds of people, but it's harmless because it is bound to sodium. Chlorine bleach is really fairly safe if you use it with a little caution. It will give off some chlorine gas but usually not enough to worry about. HOWEVER, if you mix in ammonia, there will be a reaction that liberates huge (dangerous) amounts of chlorine gas. That's the reason for warnings not to mix bleach with other cleaners (because they might contain ammonia.) Still, chlorine bleach is quite caustic and can cause significant skin irritation and burning--especially to those with sensitive skin. For most people, there's no reason to panic if it gets on your skin--just quickly rinse it off well with cold water. On Mon, Mar 14, 2011 at 2:16 PM, karin_aspiraling <aspiraling@...>wrote: > > > Yes~Great explanation!! Thank you, . In rereading my own post (to > remember what we're talking about), I found a wee typo that should have > read, 'dead skin cells AND underlying (newly exposed) skin.' So is that > slimy feeling from the OH itself or the OH's presence on the newly exposed > skin? Also, what kinds of reactions, and to what effects does chlorine have > with the dead skin? > > > > > > > > > > > > > Regarding vinegar and soap... > > > > > > , > > > I second the vinegar approach, as this is what I exclusively use to > wash my > > > hair. I put about one part vinegar to eight parts water in a pitcher & > pour > > > it into my scalp, work it in and let it sit for a few minutes, then > rinse > > > it > > > out. Once your hair adjusts to this, within a couple of weeks, you'll > only > > > need to do it every four days or so~sometimes less. The other baths I > > > simple rinse water through my hair. > > > > > > I don't know what you mean about a 'slimy feel' from soap, perhaps > because > > > I > > > use very little soap, infrequently, and only simple, natural soaps like > Dr. > > > Bronner's. It reminds me, however, of something an ethnobotanist friend > > > explained about bleach. He explained that the bleach is breaking down > the > > > epidermal skin cells, essentially sloughing away your outermost layer > of > > > skin, and the dead cells on the underlying skin is what causes the > 'slimy' > > > feel after putting your skin in bleach or in a chlorinated swimming > pool. > > > With that, I wonder what ingredients are in your soap, and perhaps > finding > > > something milder may be a good idea. Or, perhaps your water is highly > > > chlorinated? That's a guess, a scary one, to think there could be that > much > > > chlorine in your water, but something to consider perhaps. > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 14, 2011 Report Share Posted March 14, 2011 <<<I do use Comet sometimes for sinks, to bleach them, but rarely. Hi , As info, I was still using bleach until recently on my white - turned- yellow/orange sink every once in while. Recently on another list, someone shared that sprinkling baking soda, let it sit a bit and scrub and rinse. Then follow by spraying hydrogen peroxide and vinegar on top of each other, scrub and my sink is sparkling and white again. I honestly didn't believe it but tried it out and it's TRUE! No more bleach for me, this is so easy. Millie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 14, 2011 Report Share Posted March 14, 2011 I've heard of some " recipes " like that and I should try them one of these days. I don't usually have hydrogen peroxide around though. Most of the time baking soda, or even just a microfiber towel, or vinegar, works well enough, so I haven't been too motivated to try another experiment. Vinegar and peroxide though, is supposed to be an amazing sanitizer also. And vinegar in a mild bleach solution: http://www.apple-cider-vinegar-benefits.com/vinegar-as-a-disinfectant.html On Mon, Mar 14, 2011 at 5:49 PM, moozy <moozy21@...> wrote: > <<<I do use Comet sometimes for sinks, to bleach > them, but rarely. > > > Hi , > > As info, I was still using bleach until recently on my white - turned- > yellow/orange sink every once in while. Recently on another list, someone > shared that sprinkling baking soda, let it sit a bit and scrub and rinse. > Then follow by spraying hydrogen peroxide and vinegar on top of each other, > scrub and my sink is sparkling and white again. I honestly didn't believe > it but tried it out and it's TRUE! No more bleach for me, this is so easy. > > Millie > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 15, 2011 Report Share Posted March 15, 2011 Washing soda is what you need. That will do the whole thing in one. > http://www.dri-pak.co.uk/ I don't know what it is called in the States. Someone told me to use baking soda to clean cups and it did nothing. Washing soda aka soda crystals lifts the stains without scrubbing Sally On 15/03/2011 00:: > <<<I do use Comet sometimes for sinks, to bleach > them, but rarely. > > > Hi , > > As info, I was still using bleach until recently on my white - turned- yellow/orange sink every once in while. Recently on another list, someone shared that sprinkling baking soda, let it sit a bit and scrub and rinse. Then follow by spraying hydrogen peroxide and vinegar on top of each other, scrub and my sink is sparkling and white again. I honestly didn't believe it but tried it out and it's TRUE! No more bleach for me, this is so easy. > > Millie > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 15, 2011 Report Share Posted March 15, 2011 Good idea! I have heard about it but didn't know if we could get it in the US ... turns out Ace Hardware has it! On Tue, Mar 15, 2011 at 12:03 AM, Sally Eva <bobsallyeva@...>wrote: > Washing soda is what you need. That will do the whole thing in one. > > http://www.dri-pak.co.uk/ > I don't know what it is called in the States. > > Someone told me to use baking soda to clean cups and it did nothing. > Washing soda aka soda crystals lifts the stains without scrubbing > > Sally > > On 15/03/2011 00:: > > <<<I do use Comet sometimes for sinks, to bleach > > them, but rarely. > > > > > > Hi , > > > > As info, I was still using bleach until recently on my white - turned- > yellow/orange sink every once in while. Recently on another list, someone > shared that sprinkling baking soda, let it sit a bit and scrub and rinse. > Then follow by spraying hydrogen peroxide and vinegar on top of each other, > scrub and my sink is sparkling and white again. I honestly didn't believe > it but tried it out and it's TRUE! No more bleach for me, this is so easy. > > > > Millie > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.