Wash your hands or wash the dishes after a meal are daily gestures that, at first glance, seem similar: both require soap to eliminate dirt. Still, we use different products for each action. But have you ever wondered what are the differences between the hands and detergent for the dishes? First of all, it must be considered it final purpose of each product. Action Born and disinfectant It is common to both, but the hands soap must guarantee adequate delicacy and hydration of the skin. The consumer will have to experience a feeling of well -being, skin and olfactory, due to ingredients that are good for the skin, which free aromas and that give a pleasant softness of the hands. The dishwashing detergent, on the other hand, has a pHthe numerical scale that indicates how acid or alkaline is a substance, higher and as the only objective to wash e degrease the dishes in the best possible waywithout leaving food residues through the use of substances, in some cases, more irritating for the skin.
What changes between soap for hands and dishes: chemical composition
Both cleansing products contain anionic surfactantsparticularly effective in removing dirt and fat, but also potentially irritating for the skin. Among the most common we find the sodium lauril ether sulphate (Sles).
While in hands for the hands for attenuate their aggression More delicate surfactants are added, including those amphotic or non -ionicin the detergents for dishes, this precaution is not always adopted. Sometimes they can only contain anionic surfactants, often in greater quantities than the skin detergents, thus increasing the risk of irritation and dryness of the hands.

Another factor to consider is the FINAL PH. This value varies on a scale from 0 to 14: solutions with a pH between 0 And 6 I am acidthose between 8 And 14 I am alkalinewhile a pH of 7 indicates a solution neutral. In the cleansing for the skin it must be as close as possible to the physiological one, about 5.5. In dishes detergents it is not always the case: the chemical composition is limited to making the product extremely effective in degreasing the dirt of the dishes in the best, often neglecting other details.
If you compare the labels of the soap for hands and the one for the dishes, you will notice that the list of ingredients in the first is generally longer. This is due to the need to make the formulation more delicate e compatible with the skin, thanks to the addition of specific additive components. Among the many we find emollient agentscompounds that help hydrate and maintain soft skin, such as glycerin, but also natural substances with other beneficial properties.
Can your hands be washed with the soap for the dishes?
Who, at least once, did not wash their hands with the detergent for dishes or has the dishes without gloves washed? Certainly nothing so harmful to you. Generally, if you come into contact with this one -off product nothing happens, the important thing is do not do it every day. In the long run some products, based on their chemical composition, can irritate and dry out the skin of your hands.

For those who already suffer from inflammatory skin diseases Like atopic dermatitis or has very dry skin, even a single wash may not be counterproductive. Generallydepends on the particular type of soap used; On the market there are also detergents that limit skin irritations thanks to more delicate formulas. However, if every now and then you wash your hands with the soap for dishes and does not cause you dryness or irritation, you are sure that the dirt will be well removed: in the end we always talk about surfactants! To avoid risks, however, it is a good practice to read the labels of the products e Always wear gloves to wash your dishes.
Sources
Uri Zoller (2008), “Handbook of detergents; part e: applications”, CRC Press
Nadja, Y., Grammer-West, MD, & Service, D. (1996). Brief Communications Comparison of the Iritancy of Hand Dishwashing Liquids with Modified Patch Testing Methods. In Fitzsimons Army Medical Center (vol. 35). Mijaljica, D., Spada, F., & Harrison, IP (2022). Skin Cleansing Without or with Compromise: Soaps and Syndes. In Molecules (vol. 27, Issue 6). MDPI. Vaishnavi A. Harkal, & Swati P. Deshmukh. (2024). Research On: Formulation and Evaluation of Polyherbal Soap. GSC Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 27 (2), 068–079. Kuehl, B., & Shear, N. (ND). CUTANOUSO CLEANSERS.