What about Antibacterial Soaps?
One of the best protections from illness is washing your hands!! Best of all, soap and water is enough! You don't need fancy antibacterial soaps to keep you clean and safe.
Antibacterial soaps
Antibacterial soaps are soaps with active antimicrobial activity, also known as antiseptic soaps But are they necessary? Nope, and there are plenty of good reasons why you may want to avoid them as well.
When my kids were little, in the 90's, antibacterial soaps were everywhere, but I read and article that suggested that widespread use of antibacterial soaps could lead to antibiotic resistant bacteria in the future. That was enough for me! We never had antibacterial products in our house. They didn't drink Kool Aid either and could only have 4 ounces of juice a day.. Poor kids! It's hard growing up with a health driven mamma!
The claim is antibacterial soaps neutralize bacteria and are therefore better than other soaps. While certain chemicals do neutralize bacteria, the manuafacturere are unable to prove that it is any better than soap and water, even though the FDA requested the proof. As a result, in 2013 the FDA prohibited the over the counter sales of many of the ingredients found in the soaps. They FDA determined the burden of proof is on the manufacturers.
While they couldn't prove it isn't better, it may actually be worse.
Risks:
Antibiotic resistance
increased allergies
Possible hormonal disruptions
Can reduce the healthy bacteria on your skin
Can disrupt the balance of good/bad bacteria in water treatment plants and systems
Can remove natural oils on the skin
Washing with regular soaps and hand washes
“Following simple handwashing practices is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of many types of infection and illness at home, at school and elsewhere,” says Theresa M. Michele, MD, of the FDA’s Division of Nonprescription Drug Products.
Soaps work as a surfactant, the molecules have a head and tail. The head of the molecule is attracted to water and the tail is attracted to grease and dirt, When you wash your hands with soap and hand washes, the tail is attracted to the dirt and grime and the head is attracted to the water, washing it all down the drain. The soap doesn't "kill" the germs, but is very effective and capturing and washing them away, removing them.
It's good to note that a new study by the Journal of Food Protection found that cold water and Luke warm water work just as well as hot water to remove bacteria.
They also found that 10 seconds worked just fine, while 20 seconds is generally the rule (bout the time it takes to sing Happy Birthday.) While 10 seconds worked, that only applied to the lathering time, by the time you go through the whole process you are right around 20 seconds.
Tip: Moisturizing your skin can also help reduce the amount of bacteria remaining after washing hands
What other songs take about 20 seconds to sing? Share tips you use to make sure you are adequately washing your hands without the use of antibacterial soaps!
Side Note: Be careful when choosing soaps, many fragrances, and additives are also know to be bad for your health, and are known hormone disrupters and more. Read your ingredients.
This super-mild, sudsy wash makes it so nice to do as you've always been told - Go wash your hands. It has wheat germ oil and algae extract to moisturize; soy protein to condition; aloe, marshmallow (Althaea officinalis), and linden flower (Tilia cordata) extracts to soothe; and rosemary and arnica extracts to energize. So now it's more like, Go take your hands to the spa.
The small act of washing your hands can be part of the giant act of changing the world.
When you use Get Clean®, you're never simply cleaning. While you wash your hands, you can make your family healthier and make the planet healthier for other families as well.
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