On Anti-Oxidants. (rant)

[BigDaddyFin]

They're evidently in everything now, even things you don't eat. 

First off they shouldn't be called anti-oxidants.  Oxidization occurs when at the atomic level, electrons are lost due to decay.  If you're not inclined in the sciences imagine a planet losing its moon, and the moon floating off into deep space.  An anti-oxidant therefore could be simplified as (insert product name here) plus extra electrons. 

Normally we only hear about anti-oxidants in our food.  I went down to the Wal-mart cause I was out of bar soap.  My usual Dial wasn't there, so they had this cranberry smelling Dial and on the label it said "with anti-oxidants."  At Mrs. Fin's insistance, I added it to my cart. 

The main ingredient in the soap is Glycerol.  Last I checked, you can't eat glycerol.  You're not supposed to eat soap either.  So where are the fuckin anti-oxidants?  Why isn't it called Dial Soap plus extra Electrons?  And who's the brain surgeon who figured people like me who still use bar soap would care if it smelled like cranberries or not? 

Were I making a commercial I would call it "Dial Cranberry Soap, just like going to a cranberry farm only the cranberries are made of glycerol and you don't actually go anywhere." 

And when do I get to play with an atomic accelorator?  Because that might be fun and would give a whole new dimension to mad scientist night.

[JVides]

It's just marketing types taking advantage of the "anti-oxidants" rage.  Slap that on a label and watch people go for it! 

[fyo]

The whole point of consuming anti-oxidants is that they'll cancel out some of the free radicals you have.

Antioxidants are used by the body (or other biological organism, such as plants) to minimize damage from life-sustaining oxidizing reactions (which can produce the free radicals to begin with).

As such, they're actually fairly well-named.

Are there free radicals roaming your skin? I have no idea, but why wouldn't there be?

[Sunstroke]

There are a few free radicals roaming my neighborhood...I think I need to use the high pressure anti-oxidant hose on them the next time they come around.

[StL FinFan]

the general uninformed public thinks antioxidants = the fountain of youth

[BigDaddyFin]

why is it in soap though?  Are free radicals only in the skin? What the hell is a free radical anyways.  I don't want my skin to be smooth, honestly I quite enjoy having dry skin particularly because I have naturally oily skin and tend to sweat a lot in the summer.

What was so difficult about bar soap that we had to replace it with "body wash" in the first place?  I don't feel clean after using said wash, I feel like I took a bath in motor oil that doesn't smell good. 

The only time I need a skin care product is in the winter.  The hand lotion mrs. fin buys once every few weeks is sufficient because it keeps my knuckles from splitting open or failing that I can wait until they do split and fill the cut in with vaseline.

[fyo]

why is it in soap though?  Are free radicals only in the skin? What the hell is a free radical anyways.  I don't want my skin to be smooth, honestly I quite enjoy having dry skin particularly because I have naturally oily skin and tend to sweat a lot in the summer.

You're mixing things up a bit here... smooth skin, free radicals and dry/moist skin are all separate issues.

As for free radicals on the skin... I have no idea. Why wouldn't there be? Free radicals can cause damage at the cellular level (bad).

With regards to dry skin... then don't get soap with glycerol / glycerin in it. Glycerol is the main component of most moisturizers... That doesn't mean you can't get soap that's made FROM glycerol. Just make sure it doesn't still contain any . It needs to all be converted in the chemical process known as saponification.

What was so difficult about bar soap that we had to replace it with "body wash" in the first place?  I don't feel clean after using said wash, I feel like I took a bath in motor oil that doesn't smell good. 

I agree. I prefer straight soap. I might apply an odorless moisturizer to my arms and hands, which tend to get quite dry and cracked (mostly during winter), but I want my soap to be... SOAP!

I have tried some new fancy body wash crap over the past 10 years or so (yeah, "new", so get off my lawn) that contained magnesium oxide or something. Was supposed to make you more refreshed. I actually thought it worked pretty well. Too expensive at the time and don't see it much anymore anyway. I did read about some caffeinated soap once... I'd pay good money for that!

[Spider-Dan]

Caffeinated soap doesn't work.  If you took a bath with caffeinated soap, used up the entire bar, and stayed in the bathtub for 4 hours then you might get about as much caffeine as half a cup of coffee.  Maybe.

Personally, I use bar soap to shave with and for the hairy/sweaty parts, and I use body wash and a lather-thing for the rest.

[fyo]

Caffeinated soap doesn't work.

Oh, come on! Now you're just ruining it for me

Also about 10 years ago, I read about adding nicotine to soap. The intent was not transdermal absorption of the stuff -- and I suspect that is what killed it (nicotine buzz) -- but rather a newly discovered health benefit associated with topical application of nicotine. Apparently, nicotine had some fairly major cancer-stopping effect. Don't recall how it worked (and it was probably only tested on mice ).

[MaineDolFan]

Personally, I use bar soap to shave with and for the hairy/sweaty parts

Just threw up in my mouth a little bit.  Thanks Dan!