TIL that certain acidic soaps can make your skin hydrophobic

https://www.binghamton.edu/news/story/690/ingredient-found-in-soap-can-alter-wettability-of-your-skin

I’m a hairy guy, so if I don’t try to squeegee my body dry with my hands, my towel won’t dry quick enough for tomorrow’s shower. A few days ago I tried a new soap and the water would just bead up on my skin. It was kinda freaky, like I took a bath in RainX. So when I finished my squeegeeing, I hardly needed a towel! At first I was worried how this might affect my skin, washing with this soap daily, but my skin is better than ever!

15 points · 4 comments · view on lemmy.world

4 Comments

meteor@vlemmy.net · 3 pts · 3y (1 reply)

Did the soap stay on your skin? How do you wash it off if it just repels all the water?

sentientLasagna@vlemmy.net · 5 pts · 3y

No the soap is washed off. It temporarily gives your skin a positive charge, and it goes away shortly after.

Toxicodendron@vlemmy.net · 3 pts · 3y

Surfactants and nanostructures are how scientists can tune wettability to almost any level. Deep dive link: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassie%27s_law