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Hand Soap vs Hand Sanitizer

During the Covid-19 pandemic, washing hands has been more important than ever. Even after the danger has subsided, it would be fair to say that we will all be more aware of how to wash our hands thoroughly. A few points have arisen as to how exactly we should all be washing our hands, when we should be washing our hands, and what cleaning agents we should be using.

How to wash your hands

This has been a key issue right from the start of the pandemic and will continue to be. What medical experts have been keen to emphasise is that the quick spray of soap and even quicker splash of water is not going to do the job. In fact, within this pandemic period and even once things have started to return to normality, we should all be washing our hands for 20 seconds. This roughly amounts to the time it takes to sing "Happy Birthday" twice.

You should be wetting your hands and then applying enough soap so that you have an even covering all over your hands when you rub them together. It is not just the palms that need rubbing, as you should also be working the soap in between the fingers, around your thumbs, on the backs of your hands and your knuckles so that you are not missing any areas. Then, you must dry your hands thoroughly, using disposable hand towels to dry them and to turn off the tap when in a public restroom.

When to wash hands

The question of when to wash your hands has become equally important. We should all be washing our hands after we cough or sneeze, as well as before and after eating or handling any food. This much is common sense anyway, just as it is to wash our hands after going to the loo or after doing such things as changing nappies. The pandemic has highlighted other occasions where we would need to wash our hands, such as when we handle pets. We should also wash our hands before and after leaving the house in general, and have wipes or hand sanitizer at the ready for when we are going out, so that we can wash our hands after touching anything such as door handles.

Hand sanitizer: pros and cons

This raises the question: what is better out of hand soap and hand sanitizer? Well, hand sanitizer has the main advantage of being there to be used when you are outside your home and there is not a basin and soap at the ready. This means that when you are away from home, you can have an alternative means to clean your hands. In terms of the novel coronavirus, it is an envelope virus. This means that it has a coating around it which the alcohol content in the hand sanitizer can attack and this is what will eliminate the threat.

With that said, experts are consistent in stating that hand soap and water is the most effective way of cleaning hands. Part of the reason for this is that lathering up with soap and water and then rinsing thoroughly afterwards, with all that is washed away being removed down the drain, is a far more effective way to dislodge and then get rid of viral cells. So, the hand sanitizer is necessary as a solution for when you can't wash your hands with soap, but soap is preferable when you get back home.

Benefits of soap for your hands

With us all washing our hands more regularly, we also need to take into account our skin health. Due to the alcohol content, high usage of hand sanitizer can have a damaging effect on the skin. If you take a look through our range of luxury soaps, you will see that many of them contain elements such as shea butter which is great for softening, conditioning and toning the skin. On top of that, the scents that you will find - such as bergamot, sandlewood, mango and more - will mean that you are doing the best thing in terms of safety whilst also enjoying the calming and beautiful fragrances.

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