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Three nights ago I noticed that after washing my hands they felt really sticky, almost like when you use the last paper towel on the roll and you get that glue residue on your hands. However, it wasn't the last paper towel so I figured maybe the liquid soap was really old and doing funky things so I rewashed with dish soap and again grabbed a paper towel. Once again, my hands got sticky as I dried them off. Thinking now that there was something wrong with these paper towels, I washed again and this time dried with a hand towel only to yet again find my hands sticky as they dried off. The stickiness only lasts 30-60 seconds, until the skin completely dries, but during that in-between time of soaking wet and totally dry they feel very tacky to the touch and my fingers will actually stick to each other.
The next day when I took a shower I noticed that the water was beading up on the skin on my arms. Sure enough, when I dried off afterwards I found that all of my skin is tacky to the thouch until it is completely air dried.
Today I shaved my legs and my skin felt almost like it had a layer of wax on it that kept catching the razor. The skin on my hands seems to be getting more sticky when they get wet. Water continues to bead on my skin when it gets wet. I asked my children if they can feel that my skin is sticky to the touch and they said yes.
This is affecting all of my skin now, including my face. I always put a moisturizer on my face after washing and it does not feel like my skin is absorbing it now, it just feels heavy and greasy since the lotion just sits there on top. I also tried putting lotion on my hands and it was not absorbed at all, just left my hands feeling very slimy and greasy so I wiped it off.
Has anyone ever experienced anything like this or have any suggestions for what might be causing it? Thanks for any held you can give.
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Just a quick note to say thank you for the updates Edward! As usual, interesting, with the hard water part. /Kacha
February 1, 2012 - 1:41amThis Comment
Hello this is my theory
January 29, 2012 - 6:03am1. The sticky skin is from the residue buildup of liquid laundry detergent.
2. This residue also causes sticky towels, which requires washing the towels and machine with Vineger, Calgon powder, Fels Nptha.
For details Google this:
[2x Detergent cause Sticky Towels - Laundry Room Forum - GardenWeb]
4. For the sticky/ itchy skin issue I've showering with 1 tbl on wash cloth of Fungicure. works great fot atheletes foot and toe nails too.
For details Google this:
[ Fungicure Medicated Anti-Fungal Soap - Walmart.com ]
5. Currently I using the products in item 2 for washing / rinsing all of my sticky towels and suspect sticky clothes to eliminate the built up residue from the liquid laundry detergent.
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Hi, Bizzy and all.
January 25, 2012 - 5:25pmThe first thing I suspected was my water softener, so I bypassed it for 7 months and there was no change. Now it is nice to be using soft water again even though I'm still sticky when I come out of the shower. I then tried the peroxide in the water heater, but I didn't follow Edward's directions exactly, so, that may be why there's still been no change. I'm presently doing oral chelation for high mercury levels and the accompanying yeast overgrowth (yeast tries to get rid of mercury). I may try my own hand at following Edward's directions just to cover the water heater possibility.
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Edward,
January 24, 2012 - 5:36pmI had some friends assist me with putting the peroxide in the water heater. They didn't follow your directions. They thought it would be easier to add the peroxide through the top of the water heater. Do you think this would have the same effect as your way?
Lora
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Hello Lora,
January 24, 2012 - 6:55pmI have never had a way to put it into the top of the tank without disconnecting the pipes. Although I would think it should work the same I am not sure of the density of peroxide. Putting it in through the cold water inlet may have problems if the peroxide is more dense since it may not mix throughout the tank. Backflushing through the hot water outlet may let it settle from top to bottom more thoroughly. Since I have not tried it the other way anything I say about it is just conjecture.
Edward.
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can be able to wash away with clear water
January 23, 2012 - 12:39pmas time goes by unless it is due to homo changes.
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Hi all. Bizzy here (new). I've been searching around trying to find a definitive solution to this problem of sticky skin. I know 100% that it is the water. I just bought a house in Deltona, FL and currently live in an apartment. I do not have this problem in the aprartment but I do at the new house. Luckily, we are in the apartment until March, so we can sort out the problem before moving in completely.
The house is on city water and has a water softener. The apartment is on a different city's water supply and is not softened. Looking at other aspects of the house (which is only 6 years old), I suspect that the previous owners do not have the softener system set up properly and I will need to find a water expert to come in and offer a solution.
One experiment I have not carried out yet is simply hooking up a PUR faucet filter and washing my hands in filtered tap water. If that works, then I will definitely get a whole house filter system.
January 13, 2012 - 6:05amThis Comment
Hi Bizzy,
January 13, 2012 - 8:17pmIf you try the filter you should try a cold water wash test and a hot water wash test. It may show that the contamination is coming from your hot water tank. It is also possible that the filter will not remove that contamination. Don't know. It would be an interesting fix, if one gets quickly recurring hot water contamination from the zinc microbes. However the filter would have to be after the hot water tank.
Keep testing.
Edward
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So far, I've turned off the water softener and bypassed it. The stickiness remains after I wash my hands in the hard water. I still do not have the same effect with the water at the apartment. I do notice a heavy chlorine smell from the tap; not sure if that might be to blame. I'm still finalizing my filter setup. I'm leaning toward a finer filter with carbon to clean out chemicals and organic materials.
As far as "zinc microbes", I'm quite confused. Zinc is a mineral, and microbes are microorganisms. There are no such things as "zinc microbes". From what I can tell from a cursory Google search, Zinc alters microbe cultures and environments and inhibits growth.
-Bizzy-
January 24, 2012 - 6:09pmThis Comment
Hi Bizzy,
January 24, 2012 - 6:45pmIf you look back at the posts you will see that the 'zinc microbes' is just short for microbes that live on the zinc rod in the water heater. This is fairly common and the peroxide is the way to kill them off and let the zinc rod do its cathodic protection job without any rotten egg gas being produced.
We have had water softeners in all our houses and it always makes the water better for washing everything, people included. They have never been the cause of the skin problems. However you have to make sure the backwash cycle is long enough so that you do not have an excess of salt solution coming through the pipes. The extra salt will make you feel like you have been swimming in the ocean without showering afterwards. It is a sticky feeling but does not have the waxy waterproof effect.
Edward
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