What experts want you to know about hand soap

Finding a soap you love can make washing your hands for the CDC-recommended 20 seconds at a time, a more pleasant experience. After all, we wash our hands constantly throughout the day to stay healthy —especially during cold and flu season. When scrubbing, experts recommend lathering soap from your wrists to your fingertips and rinsing with warm water to send germs down the drain after you use the bathroom, before you prepare food and more.

Below, we spoke to medical experts about how to shop for hand soap; they share their best hand washing practices as well. We also rounded up our favorite hand soaps with various scents and price ranges.

SKIP AHEAD Best hand soaps

While shopping for hand soap, experts recommend keeping the following factors in mind:

• Type: All the experts we spoke to recommend buying standard, plain hand soap instead of antibacterial hand soap, as does the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Antibacterial hand soap contains specific ingredients that kill bacteria on the surface of the skin, which may be necessary for those who work in healthcare, says Dr. William W. Huang, a professor in the department of dermatology at Wake Forest University’s School of Medicine. But you don’t need antibacterial hand soap to get your hands clean and prevent the spread of germs. For everyday hand washing, plain hand soap works just fine, experts say.
• Consistency: Hand soap typically comes in gel, foam or solid form, and what you choose is a matter of personal preference, say our experts. “The one you’re going to use is the best option,” says Dr. Caren Campbell, a San Francisco-based board-certified dermatologist.
• Ingredients: Consider staying away from soaps that contain dyes, perfumes, parabens and formaldehyde, since these ingredients can irritate the skin or trigger allergies, according to Huang. Look for alcohol on ingredient lists, too. It can disinfect the hands (which is why it’s in hand sanitizer), but it often causes dryness, especially if it’s used often, says Campbell.
• Scent: Scents and fragrances can irritate skin, especially if yours is dry and sensitive, if you have eczema or if you have a history of contact dermatitis, an itchy rash on the skin that results after contact with specific allergens, says Abby Sipe, a certified nurse practitioner who specializes in dermatology at Dermatology of Southwest Ohio and the Dermatologists of Central States. If this is the case for you, it’s generally best to use fragrance-free hand soap, experts told us. (“Fragrance-free” means a product is made without any fragrance materials or masking scents, while “unscented” generally means a product may contain chemicals that neutralize or mask other ingredients’ odors, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.)
• Refillable versus single use: Since washing your hands is a common occurrence, , you may run out of your product quickly, especially if you live in a multiperson household. Some brands use refillable bottles so you don’t need to toss your dispenser each time it’s empty. You can purchase a dispenser once and buy refillable containers as needed, which are usually larger and recyclable.

To recommend the best hand soaps, we rounded up highly rated options Select staff use and love that align with expert shopping guidance.

Blueland Refillable Foaming Hand Soap

Blueland’s hand soap start set, which comes with a refillable glass soap dispenser and four solid soap tablets, originally introduced me to the AAPI-owned business. To make the foaming soap, you add a tablet to the dispenser and fill it up with water — after the tablet dissolves, the soap is ready to use. Once you own the eco-friendly brand’s dispenser, you can purchase soap tablet refills as needed or set up a subscription through the brand’s website. Soap is available in a variety of scents like Evergreen, Lavender Eucalyptus and Perrine Lemon, and Blueland often releases limited-edition scents, too.

Consistency: Foam | Smell: Fragrance-free and scented | Use: Refillable

Dove Original Beauty Bar

Dove’s original bar soap has a gentle formula that’s free from many ingredients people are often sensitive to, like fragrance, says Campbell. It’s made with moisturizing cream to hydrate and soften skin, plus you can use it on your hands, face or body, according to the brand.

Consistency: Solid | Smell: Fragrance-free | Use: Single use

Softsoap Soothing Clean Aloe Liquid Hand Soap

This aloe-scented hand soap is one of my favorite budget buys — one container is about $3. You can purchase large bottles of soap to refill the original dispenser, and refill bottles are recyclable once they’re empty. The refill bottles come with a foldable mini funnel, plus, in my experience, the formula itself moisturizes your skin as you wash them, making them feel soft especially in the winter.  

Consistency: Gel | Smell: Scented | Use: Refillable

Method Sweet Water Gel Hand Soap

Select managing editor Leah Ginsberg says Method’s Gel Hand Soap in the Sweet Water scent, which smells like a blend of grapefruit and lemon, is her favorite option to put in bathrooms. The bottle is made from recycled plastic and you can purchase tubs of soap to refill the original bottle.

Consistency: Gel | Smell: Scented | Use: Refillable

Safely Rise Hand Soap

When guests use Safely’s Hand Soap at my apartment, they often comment on how much they enjoy the scent, which is a blend of orange, violet, jasmine and geranium with notes of lemon and sandalwood. The soap is also available in other scents, like Bloom, Bright, Calm and Fresh. It has a rich, gel consistency that lathers well but isn’t sudsy, and I only need a small drop to cover my hands. You can purchase pouches of soap to refill the original bottle.

Consistency: Gel | Smell: Scented | Use: Refillable

Malin + Goetz Rum Hand + Body Wash

“Since I’m constantly traveling and around kids, I wash my hands a lot,” says Bianca Alvarez, NBC Select associate reporter. “This Malin + Goetz soap never leaves my hands feeling dry, which tends to happen with other soaps when I wash frequently.” It’s made with glycerin to moisturize skin, according to the brand, and like many other options on this list, you can purchase a jug of soap to refill the original dispenser once it’s empty. Alvarez describes the soap’s rum scent as sweet yet spicy.

Consistency: Gel | Smell: Scented | Use: Refillable

Grove Co. Hydrating Hand Soap

Grove Co’s hand soap comes in recyclable aluminum containers, and I use it to fill up glass or ceramic soap dispensers around my home. The soap is formulated with aloe vera, an ingredient that soothes and softens skin, according to the brand. You can purchase soap scented with essential oils and plant extracts, including options like lemon and eucalyptus, lavender blossom and thyme, and orange and rosemary. Grove Co. also offers an unscented hand soap.

Consistency: Gel | Smell: Unscented and scented | Use: Refillable

Aesop Resurrection Aromatique Hand Wash

Thanks to its scent, Shari Uyehara, NBC Select’s manager of editorial operations, says using this hand soap feels like  a relaxing aromatherapy experience. Its blend of mandarin, rosemary and cedar matches the brand’s hand cream, which Uyehara also owns and  applies post-wash. You can purchase bottles of soap to refill the original dispenser.

Consistency: Gel | Smell: Scented | Use: Refillable

Clean Cult Liquid Hand Soap

I also use Clean Cult’s hand soap to refill my dispensers. It comes in recyclable paper cartons, as compared to your standard plastic or glass bottle, and is made with aloe as well as essential oils. You can purchase the soap in scents like Sea Minerals, Lemon Verbena and Wild Lavender. It’s safe for those with both oily and sensitive skin, according to the brand.

Consistency: Gel | Smell: Scented | Use: Refillable

Mrs. Meyers Rain Water Foaming Hand Soap Concentrate Starter Kit

Many Select staffers recommend Mrs. Meyer’s soap, including Uyehara and Lindsay Schneider, NBC Select editor. The brand’s foaming hand soap starter kit includes a refillable glass dispenser and two bottles of soap concentrate. You pour the concentrate into the dispenser and fill the rest up with water to dilute the formula, which is made with olive oil to moisturize along with aloe and essential oils. You can purchase hand soap concentrate refills in Rain Water and Lavender scents.

Consistency: Foam | Smell: Scented | Use: Refillable

At Select, we work with experts who have specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. We also take steps to ensure that all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and with no undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.

• Dr. William W. Huang is a professor at Wake Forest University’s School of Medicine.
• Dr. Caren Campbell is a San Francisco-based board-certified dermatologist. She specializes in integrative cosmetic and medical dermatology.
• Abby Sipe is a certified nurse practitioner who specializes in dermatology at Dermatology of Southwest Ohio and the Dermatologists of Central States.

Zoe Malin is an associate updates editor at Select who writes about health and wellness products, including sunburn treatments, KN95 face masks, Covid tests and more. For this article, she interviewed three medical experts about hand washing best practices and how to shop for hand soap. She also tried many  hand soaps herself, researching options on the market and gathering Select staff favorites.

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Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com