OK, so we all recognize that hygiene and cleanliness is important. The medical and health professionals tell us that washing our hands regularly and thoroughly will drastically reduce our chances of getting sick. But with the advent of different types of soaps, such as soft soaps, foam soaps, and hand sanitizers, is there really one that’s better than the other?
The Value Of Soap- Soap, at least the old fashioned kind, has been around for a long time. Once upon a time, soap making was a nasty and somewhat time consuming project involving lye and animal lard or fat, along with any number of additives to make the soap smell better. Nowadays, soap making is as automated as anything else, although the ingredients of your normal bar of soap has actually changed surprisingly little. Despite it’s age, soap is still the most practical and least expensive tool in the hygiene and cleanliness arsenal. A bar of soap that generally costs less than one dollar kills a multitude of viral and bacterial agents, along with coming in any number of scents and varieties, such as the following top rated soaps.
5. Softsoap (R) This reasonably priced brand of softsoap is a welcome addition to any bathroom or kitchen sink. With over dozen and half scents to choose from, you should have no problem finding one agreeable to the nose. This brand name gets a number five on my list, only because it’s hardly distinctive from a host of generic brands [IE, equate (R)] that are equally cheap and come in just about the same scents.
4. Zest (R) This old fashioned bar of soap brand boasts an ‘invigorating’ line of strongly scented soaps. Along with a fresh ‘just washed’ feeling, Zest’s claim to fame is changing the shape of a bar of soap from a rounded rectangle to an ergonomic hourglass, which is easier to hold in the shower. Zest soaps earn a number four on this list, with a word of caution. For those with sensitive skin, the ‘Zesty’ feeling can cause skin irritation and in severe cases, rashes.
3. Ivory (R) This brand of soap has every right to brag, having been around making soap since the late 1870’s. Ivory soap is known for being a less abrasive cleaner for the skin. Ivory easily ranks third, mostly because although easier on the skin, Ivory soap doesn’t offer the cleaning power of a more abrasive soap.
2. Dove (R) This brand hails from Europe and prefers to be called a ‘beauty bar’ rather than soap. However, this soap takes the second spot on our count down because of it’s low PH level, and subsequent hypo-allergenic qualities. This soap is good all around for the fact that it does clean rather well, but doesn’t dry out the skin.
1. The Soap that takes our top spot is Dial Soap (R) This soap has been one of the top selling brands in the US since it’s introduction in the 40’s. Dial’s claim to fame is it’s distinctive ‘clover like’ scent, as well as it’s deodorizing qualities. Now, Dial’s line of soaps include anti-bacterial soaps, body washes, and etc.
For the average bathroom, kitchen, or any household need, any of the above soaps would probably do, depending on the needs of the person.
A Note On Sanitizers: With an increasing demand for instant anti-bacterial action, the sales of such products as Purell (R) and Germ-X (R) have gone through the roof. Caution should be exercised when using these products, for several reasons. One of which is that such products are alcohol based, and therefor dry out the skin. Another point is that these basically kill all bacteria, and no, that’s not necessarily a good thing. The body needs some forms of bacteria to survive. Committing ‘Germicide’ on a frequent basis can lead to immune system deficiency, and believe it or not, cause you to get sick more often. So, think twice about bathing in Purel, it’s not really a good idea.
For those of us who live in the US soap and other hygiene products are easy to come by, but in other countries, soap can be the only cleaning and hygiene product available. Why not check out the links below to learn about the history of this amazing product?
