Soft Water and Hard Water W/ Re. to Soap

[evan1138]

Both Sides Now

We iive in Tucson where the water is so hard if you spill it on the floor it cracks the tiles. Lately it's gotten about 50% harder, probably as a result of even worse stuff being sent down hill to us by our compadres in Phoenix. So now friends and family have grown lizard scales and claws in the last three months. Thinking now about a house water softener but not sure it will make things better or worse. And it aint cheap.

We used to live in New York where the water is so clean, soft, and tap delicious it's legendary. Never had the post-shower film. Still go back there a couple of times a year: Slime free.

And then there's softened water, and from what I read it is the salt (NaCl or KCl) that interacts with most soaps to produce the famous non-rinsable skin residue.

So I wonder, though it seems unlikely, whether _all_ of the writers in this thread who experience soft water post-shower film are actually using softened water, a very different animal from naturally soft water. Any comments?

Also, Dove soap seems to be the preferred antidote for softened water skin film. Any thoughts about why this should be? And any suggestions about shampoo?

 

[scballou]

I stumbled across your msg about not liking your soft water. I'm working on a patent for something that fixes your problem. I hate that slimy feeling of soft water too!

Maybe I could even give you one to try if you give me feedback on how you like it? Just a thought. If so you can email me at corrymh at hotmail.com or blog me here.

Cory

I'll be a guinea pig for you!!!

 

[Firestar]

I'll be a guinea pig for you!!!

Over three year old thread.

 

[Dave8of9]

It's the exact opposite: soft water rinses the soap off better.

Five years later.....

Actually hard water removes soap better because soap ionizes into stearate ions and sodium ions and the stearate attaches to the amino acid in skin. The water molecule cannot pull the stearate away by itself, but calcium ions in hard water easily attach to the stearate and draw it into the water, removing it.

I recently got a water softener and searched for the solution to the soap slips. I tried different soaps and nothing seemed to work, so, being the chemist that I am I thought about it and considered what I could use that was either calcium or magnesium that might help.

I FOUND A SOLUTION TO THE SOAP FILM PROBLEM.

Epsom salt is magnesium sulfate. It's also beneficial on the skin. So I dissolved some in hot water and filled a half-pint spray bottle. After showering off the soap as best I could, I sprayed some of the epsom salt solution on my hand and the soap was instantly gone.

Here's what I did to make it simple: I put about 4 or 5 tablespoons of epsom salt in a pint plastic bottle and filled it with hot water. This is my stock solution. Then I got a half pint spray bottle because you won't need more than that, and I poured about 2 tablespoons into the spray bottle from my concentrated stock solution bottle. Then I filled the spray bottle with hot water (you won't want to spray cold water on you) and took it into the shower with me. There you have it. Problem solved.

Try it! It works great and I find my method isn't much bother. My stock solution has lasted a couple of months so far.