Soap Scum On My Skin?

by Mel
(Plano, Texas)

I'm a new soaper and would like to know, what can I add to my soap so that when I rinse off, I don't feel like there's a "film" left on my skin?

I've tried several recipes. The goat's milk additive was the most comfortable but so far, only commercially available detergent bars seem to leave nothing behind.

Thank you for taking the time to answer my question.

Answer:

I did a quick Google check and I found that Plano Texas seems to have hard water and this is likely the reason you are experiencing soap scum to such an uncomfortable degree.

Hard water contains large amounts of dissolved minerals such as calcium and magnesium. These minerals bind with the soap and stop the soap from dissolving in your water. The result is soap scum.

The reason this does not happen with commercial soaps you have bought is probably either due to the bar not actually being soap but rather a detergent or due to the addition of Tetrasodium EDTA which is a chemical added to the formula to reduce soap scum.

To help prevent soap scum from happening in your shower, you could try installing a filtering shower head. They seem to be relatively inexpensive and the filters are said to last about a year.

If you prefer a bath to a shower, you can use Epsom salts in your bath water. Apparently the calcium and magnesium in your water will be replaced with sodium and potassium and this will allow your soap to lather better and should reduce the soap scum.

Adding baking soda to bath water will also soften your water.

Cathy