Hand Washing

Before I got into the art of crafting soap I worked as a registered nurse at my local hospital. I found there were many reasons my patients got illnesses and skin infections but there were a few that stood out more than others.

Hand washing will drastically reduce your chances of spreading viruses and bacteria or getting sick. The spread of infection is often due to bacteria on hands. Bacteria on our hands is often spread from our hands to our faces, mouth and nose. It is also important to keep hands away from the face for this reason.

We use our hands for everything. Our hands are constantly picking up new bacteria and spreading bacteria to new places. It is important to wash the hands any time you have been in a public place. This is where we pick up many harmful microbes.

Often times these microbes will stick to the hands because the palms of the hands can stay moist. The majority of microbes are not harmful at all. Many are beneficial because they actually crowd out harmful bacteria. This is why antibacterial soaps rarely reduce infection.

Friction is usually the most effective mechanical method of reducing microbes on the skin. Although this is true, too much friction can irritate the skin. The purpose of a good soap is to reduce the amount of friction needed to remove bacteria without irritating the skin.

Normally oil and water repel one another. Soap is a salt that is attracted to oil and water. When soap is added to water, it causes the oil on the skin to become attracted to soap. Soap functions much like a magnet to the oil and the water. What you are actually trying to remove from the skin are the harmful microbes embedded in the oil.

Friction is still important because dead skin can often cover the follicle openings on our skin, which can trap other harmful microbes inside the follicle. The most common microbe we battle with is Propionibacterium. This family of bacteria often times will produce enzymes that will break down the skin causing further inflammation. Propionibacterium is anaerobic which means that it thrives very well without oxygen or inside of a clogged skin follicle. If Propionibacterium is allowed to stay on the skin for long periods of time, it will propagate itself, usually on the face and shoulders causing us to break out.

It is important to avoid any skin inflammation because inflamed skin will often times cause our skin follicles to swell shut reducing oxygen to the follicle opening. Propionibacterium is usually abundant on the hands.

Other than hand washing, it is important to keep any broken skin clean. This is not done through a large amount of friction. If you have an open wound it is important to keep your skin away from river and lake water but this also can include bath water. Slow moving water or still water is the worst for inducing an infection on the skin. People with diabetes are especially prone to skin infections and cellulitis. It is best to shower if the skin is broken and to use a little bit of soap. It is best if the soap has a low ph because soaps and detergents with a high ph will often times irritate the skin. If the injury is more serious, it is important to keep the injury away from even shower water. If the skin surrounding the injury is pink and warm it is best to see your family doctor because this often times can indicate an infection. A wound bed should always be pink. Any other color can indicate a problem.