I just read this & wondering what others think.

http://www.futurederm.com/?s=cetaphil

She suggests using Cetaphil instead of hand soap because it's gentler on skin. I guess I get the idea/concept, but I'd be concerned it wouldn't clean my hands sufficiently in some cases...like after changing disastrous diapers, or handling meat...times like that.

I could see doing this when I wash my hands after applying makeup...just to get makeup off...but not when I really need to wash true ickies off.

What do you think?

It's not antibacterial so I'd be worried as well...I feel like as long as you moisturize a few times a day, your hands are fine!

I'm in agreement with you, Gayle. I'd be worried because it's not anti-bacterial, and honestly sometimes you just need that. I'm a freak about hand washing, and I would want anti-bacterial soap so I'd feel clean. It's probably all in my head, but I know it makes me feel better.

My mom has non healing wounds on her legs, because of that I have to change her bandages daily. I've asked her wound care doctor about whether or not anti-bacterial soap would be better and honestly, as long as you're washing your hands the way you should be (most people simply don't wash their hands thoroughly enough, you really need to rub the soap in between the fingers and all over) there's no need for anything harsh. You can definitely use more gentle soaps.

I personally only keep anti-bacterial stuff in my purse for when I'm somewhere where I honestly can't wash my hands for whatever reason.

This link basically tells you more about why anti-bacterial soaps aren't as effective as people think (I don't know anyone who lets the soap sit for 2 whole minutes)

http://home.howstuffworks.com/question692.htm

ETA: I actually should mention, when asked what we should be using my moms doctor actually rec'd Cetaphil for hands and her wounds since it's gentle and effective.

What Samantha said is really interesting, and I've actually heard that using too many antibacterial products can be a bad thing. Like the other gals, I like using antibacterial soap if I'm going to wash my hands, but the "need" for an antibacterial agent is probably all in my head.

I also thought I'd add that if you search on whether you need anti-bacterial soaps or for more information on Triclosan (which is commonly used in anti-bacterial products) you can find more info on why anti-bacterial isn't better (The AMA studied normal healthy homes VS homes that use anti-bacterial and found the anti-bacterial ones had no decreased risk of illness) and possible dangers of Triclosan (which, IIRC is used in BBW anti-bacterial products)

They use Ivory bar soap when scrubbing up in hospitals!

They *doctors, etc* say that anti-bacterial soaps and gels are bad for the skin in the long run, as they kill off the good kinds of bacteria, which can cause a person to get more susceptible to other germs, and getting sick. If you look at Dials website, however, they claim that even though they have antibacterial body washes, etc. that it's safer than normal antibacterial.

I would say however, that as long as you're washing your hands, body, etc. with some kind of soap and warm water (not hot, as they spreads bacteria), you should be okay. If someone has extremely dry skin, I'm sure that cetaphil would help.

Oh dear lawd...what did we do before antibacterial soap came out!!!!!!?????????:D I was actually watching a news report just the other day that said that basically we aren't doing ourselves any favors by being germaphobes!!!!!!!!!!!!! All this antibacterial stuff is really NOT good for our immune systems. And all the antibiotics people are taking is really BAD! One day I watching a news story on washing our hands and they said that if all you have is just warm water...if you swish then around good and rub your hands together really good under the water that actually that killed about, I seem to recall it was like over 80% of the germs on your hands. Also when you wash your hands, you need to get under your fingernails good...I doubt any of us do that!

Oh dear lawd...what did we do before antibacterial soap came out!!!!!!?????????:D I was actually watching a news report just the other day that said that basically we aren't doing ourselves any favors by being germaphobes!!!!!!!!!!!!! All this antibacterial stuff is really NOT good for our immune systems. And all the antibiotics people are taking is really BAD! One day I watching a news story on washing our hands and they said that if all you have is just warm water...if you swish then around good and rub your hands together really good under the water that actually that killed about, I seem to recall it was like over 80% of the germs on your hands. Also when you wash your hands, you need to get under your fingernails good...I doubt any of us do that!

I actually read a report about how children that use antibacterial products from a young age may have problems with their immune systems not developing properly. Kind of scary when you think about it.

Also, as for Dial being safer, I'd take that with a grain of salt since they say it but also because they used (or at least used to use) Triclosan as their antibacterial agent. I was reading up on it more again today (there was talk of it on MUA a couple weeks back as well) that mentioned that some research shows that triclosan can possibly interfere with how well antibiotics such as Amoxycillin works.

I should note that in hospitals they do also often use products with triclosan but in higher percentages than what consumers can buy so what they use obviously going to be more effective.

And, for anyone looking for alternatives, Purell does not use triclosan. That's what I carry with me for emergencies but honestly like ILYF mentioned it's really important to use lots of friction and warm water. void touching the taps once your hands are clean and use a clean towel for drying.

By the way, I'm not trying to preach anything to anyone I just think that sometimes people get a little scared by things they hear plus in some caes antibac stuff is more expensive.

My understanding is that handwashing, when done properly, will get rid of germs even when using regular soap. The proper way to wash is to make sure you are rubbing your hands with soap for at least 15 seconds. I read somewhere that they did a study comparing antibacterial vs. regular soap vs. plain water and they found that regular soap is just as effective in killing germs (again, with proper washing). And if i recall correctly, even plain water will get rid of more germs than if you did not wash properly with antibacterial soap.

Anyway, I agree that there is an overuse of antibacterial stuff. Not only can it cause problems with resistant germs later, but it can also bring a false sense of security (i.e. antibacterial soap will not be helpful if people don't wash hands thoroughly/properly).

I would also be wary of what companies that sell antibacterial soap say. They are profiting from soap sales after all.

As for stuff like Purell...docs recommend those because they are alcohol based and not antibacterial. So they kill the germs without the drug resistance issue.