I realize this does not seem like a nursing-related question, but our personal hygiene routines before and after work/school can have repercussions for us professionally.
My skin has the tendency to be dry and itchy due to longstanding hypothyroidism, and the problem is heightened in the winter. So, I strictly use liquid body wash four months out of the year from early November until early March. St. Ives Oatmeal & Shea Butter body wash soothes and moisturizes my itchy, dry skin.
From March through late October I switch mostly to bar soaps because my skin is not as dry and itchy during warmer weather. However, I still use liquid body wash on occasion. I use Tone Bath Bars with cocoa butter for the moisturizing properties. I also like Caress Daily Silkening body wash (white peach & silky orange blossom scent).
I absolutely DO NOT use antibacterial soaps when at home. I strictly use plain bar soaps and body washes to minimize the potential of resistance to microbes.
Ivory, because it floats.....seriously, just plain old Ivory in the shower. For the sink I buy whatever large size liquid soap is available, generic, store brand, is fine with me.
When I was a child, we took a field trip to Proctor and Gamble. While there, the guide told us a story about why ivory floats.
Basically, some dolt left the beaters on too long, which caused air bubbles in the soap. He obviously said nothing hoping that everything was okay with the soap. It was packaged and shipped out.
A few weeks later, orders flooded the warehouse for the "floating soap". People found the soap easier to find in the water. According to our guide, this was before there was indoor plumbing, so people bathing in a pond found the floating soap to be extremely useful. You can imagine the horror if a regular bar of soap would be dropped!
And that's why ivory floats. Could be myth, but it's a good story.
Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
And that's why ivory floats. Could be myth, but it's a good story.
Before I became a nurse, I worked for Procter & Gamble in a paper factory that produced Charmin tissue and Bounty paper towels. The new hire cohort that I was in had been told this exact same story. I think it is true and not an urban legend. :)
I love soap; especially soap that smells really nice. On the nursing units that I have worked on before, the soap has been really nice, but there was this pink soap that not only smelled really good, but it really cleaned my hands because it was antibacterial soap. I loved that type of soap because my hands felt so clean and fresh. The only thing that gave me a problem with it was the fact that in the wintertime, my hands were cracking and bleeding due to the winter coldness and washing my hands too many times. The soap was called the Ecolab pink soap. I hope to use it again someday.
I love soap that cleans the skin. Sometimes, I use a pump soap that comes out foamy. I have used this type of soap now a few times and I really like it. It comes in different scents. The scent that I like is the red-colored scented one. This one is my favorite because it smells so good and it just makes my skin feel so soft and really clean. I like to have a soap that smells good and is clean and this soap has both.
I am a huge fan of soaps. In fact, I love to use four different types of soaps in my bath. After a long day on the nursing floor, I would get into the shower and use these soaps:
1. Dove Soap
2. Caress Soap
3. Aloe Vera Soap
4. Aloe Vera Gel
5. Aveeno Soap
Soap makes me feel so good and fresh and it makes me enjoy my bath everyday.
The soap that I am using right now is a liquid lavender soap that is a foamy bubble bath. When I put the soap on my hands, I smell the scent of the beautiful soap and it feels so good. When I put this soap on my whole body, it feels so good that it keep me smelling good and it makes me feel so clean and fresh.
missmollie, ADN, BSN, RN
869 Posts
When I was a child, we took a field trip to Proctor and Gamble. While there, the guide told us a story about why ivory floats.
Basically, some dolt left the beaters on too long, which caused air bubbles in the soap. He obviously said nothing hoping that everything was okay with the soap. It was packaged and shipped out.
A few weeks later, orders flooded the warehouse for the "floating soap". People found the soap easier to find in the water. According to our guide, this was before there was indoor plumbing, so people bathing in a pond found the floating soap to be extremely useful. You can imagine the horror if a regular bar of soap would be dropped!
And that's why ivory floats. Could be myth, but it's a good story.