Anti-Bac shave soaps?

[dpm802]

Does anyone know if there are shaving soaps that have Anti-Bacterial properties?

The reason I ask is that I live in a house with stinky water. As soon as I wash my hands with some Anti-Bac soap, the smell goes away, and the lather improves greatly as opposed to washing with non-Anti-Bac soap.

But when I lather up shaving soap or cream, the smell of the water sometimes overpowers the scent of the soap. Its not very pleasant, to say the least.

So, do such products exist? Or is there something I can add to my mix that will accomplish this purpose?

Thanks!

 

[thebikingengineer]

Under sink filtration might help you. It sounds like you've got hard water, so a softener would also help. If you've ever switched out a faucet it's no harder than that, just some threading and another line.

 

[dpm802]

Under sink filtration might help you. It sounds like you've got hard water, so a softener would also help. If you've ever switched out a faucet it's no harder than that, just some threading and another line.

Right. The problem is, I don't own the house, and getting the landlord/roommate to actually do it is another problem in and by itself.

He added a carbon filter to the cold-water side of the faucet, that helped a little. But most of the stink is coming from the hot water.

Since I can't fix the water itself, I'm trying to find a way to deal with it AFTER it comes out of the faucet. I don't want to get into a lot of extra hardware like a HotPot in the bathroom or a Britta pitcher. I was hoping I could find some soap that would eliminate the bacteria that way. An additive I could put into my lather would accomplish the same thing, but I'm not sure how Alcohol or H2O2 might affect my badger brush, not to mention my skin.

 

[beginish]

Right. The problem is, I don't own the house, and getting the landlord/roommate to actually do it is another problem in and by itself.

He added a carbon filter to the cold-water side of the faucet, that helped a little. But most of the stink is coming from the hot water.

Since I can't fix the water itself, I'm trying to find a way to deal with it AFTER it comes out of the faucet. I don't want to get into a lot of extra hardware like a HotPot in the bathroom or a Britta pitcher. I was hoping I could find some soap that would eliminate the bacteria that way. An additive I could put into my lather would accomplish the same thing, but I'm not sure how Alcohol or H2O2 might affect my badger brush, not to mention my skin.

All soap is basically anti-bacterial. If you used a puck of your shave soap to lather your hands, does the same thing happen? Is the hand soap you're using a pump liquid? There may be other ingredients in the hand soap that are causing the effects you see. I have never tried this, and am only thinking off the top of my head, but maybe a tiny squirt of the hand soap in your lather bowl might clear things up. I have no idea what it would do to the lather, but it might be worth a try....after all, it's still soap.

 

[mdunn]

you could always grate up some regular anti-bac soap with your shaving soap?

 

[kingfisher]

1) It is highly unlikely that the bad smell in your water is caused by bacteria. Is this well water? If not, then it borders on impossible. Water can stink for a number of reasons, but if you're using municipal water and you live in the United States, bacterial contamination is not one of them.

2) Antibacterial soap is no better than regular soap at removing bacteria from the hands. All it does is irritate the skin more effectively.

3) I would not even consider using an antibacterial soap as a shaving lather, or even adding an antibacterial soap to my shave soap. It's unnecessary and likely to be irritating.

 

[talibeard]

1)
3) I would not even consider using an antibacterial soap as a shaving lather, or even adding an antibacterial soap to my shave soap. It's unnecessary and likely to be irritating.

+1 it will only increase the chances of getting an infection in the long run because AB soap simply ruins the natural protection properties of your skin.

 

[Gravy]

Oops, I thought this was an Anti-taBac thread.

 

[synapticmisfires]

I would agree that modern Anti-Bacterial soap is probably not a very good idea for shaving. I would also agree that if it's municipal water it better not have bacteria in it.

What kind of smell is it? I do notice that sometimes when the aquatic life is particularly active water, even chlorinated tap water can take on a slightly fishy smell. Should be harmless, but I could see how it could be unpleasant. Or is it a metallic smell? Certain metals smell and taste, and they're gonna be common in hot water with old pipes and old hotwater heaters. All you can do is filter that out. If the smell is caused by bacteria, shaving soap is the least of your problems.

IF you still want antibacterial, there are certain essential oils often employed in soap that have proven antiseptic properties. Tea tree and some others come to mind. Of course, how much is added to a given soap varies and it may or MAY NOT matter, but if you're interested I know Prairie Creations has a tea tree oil soap. Mama Bear has a Rosemary and Mint one that is also supposed to have antiseptic properties, and her Awakenings one has peppermint and tea tree, though she does not claim on her site that it will kill bacteria.

I linked to the sticks because they were already open, but she has pucks in tubs too.

 

[dpm802]

Yes, I'm on well water. The smell is a rotten eggs kind of smell, and the water has a sticky, greasy feel to it.

I can limit the smell by letting the water run for about 3 minutes before I start using it. But it never goes away entirely, except when I use anti-bac hand soap.

Since everyone seems to agree that using anti-bac soap on my face is a bad idea, I guess I'll abandon this pursuit, and seek another solution.

 

[cvac]

I think I remember your last thread on this where you figured out what the problem was - some kind of water heater issue. Anyway, if the landlord still isn't willing to fix it, I really think distilled water + a hot pot is the best solution you can hope for.

There isn't a magic additive that you can just add to your shaving lather. If the smell is really THAT bad, I don't think any "magic" EO or scent is going to help.

 

[media]

Sorry but what kind of disturbed me is that you're bathing in rotten egg water!

rotten egg smell=sulfur btw

It's a known problem with well water. You need to remove hydrogen sulfide from your well water. I would google it to see your different options, there are a few to choose from.

 

[kingfisher]

Sorry but what kind of disturbed me is that you're bathing in rotten egg water!

rotten egg smell=sulfur btw

It's a known problem with well water. You need to remove hydrogen sulfide from your well water. I would google it to see your different options, there are a few to choose from.

Ding-ding-ding. We have a winner.

 

[bigstick]

without intruding on your financial situation, if you can afford RAD, you can probably afford to have your well-water tested. If there is hydrogen sulfide in the water, or bacterial contamination, you need to do something right now.

 

[timmy]

http://www.uldrinkwell.com/drinkwell/rotten_egg_smell.html

Check out this link. Great article to find the source of the issue and some ideas on how to fix the problem.

In the long run if it is an issue with the water source or the plumbing of the rental property, the landlord will more then likely have to cover the cost unless there is a statement in the rental contract stating otherwise.

This is not legal advise, Landlords and tenants should consult legal counsel in their state to ensure compliance with all applicable rules and regulations.

 

[drandall]

one idea is to go with a tea tree oil based soap or cream. tea tree oil is a natural fungicide with antibac properties.

 

[Deltaboy]

Buy Bottled water and get a rival electric kettle to heat it with.