Question Is baby shampoo really that bad?

[Richard Dayan]

Curious where this procedure came from as the manufacturer's website just says apply, rinse and dive. Is it from your own trial and error?

Personally I use Sea Drops Gold (as directed) or my own patented spit recipe and both seem to work fine (except when I used some Blue Lizard reef safe sunblock, which caused no end of fogging).

This procedure is from trial and error. Sea drops gold is too thick for me and will finish faster. Original formula is easiest to apply and easier to dissolve a bit before the dive. The view has to be clear without visible residue, although its still there defogging. You will definitely notice the difference, in both clarity and the longevity of the product, you can go up to a max of 4 drops, but 2-3 is enough.

 

[steinbil]

lol baby shampoo is for posers. not only is it bad for coral it's also bad for your eyes and causes a slipping hazard on deck. I don't dive with shampoo users. Sea drops and nothing else period.

lol defog is for posers. I just pee in the mask*

PS
*nod to the great dive podcast. In all seriousness, why would you need anything other than spit? It works flawlessly and costs a grand total of nothing.

 

[sea_ledford]

lol defog is for posers. I just pee in the mask*

PS
*nod to the great dive podcast. In all seriousness, why would you need anything other than spit? It works flawlessly and costs a grand total of nothing.

Spit works great! Including feeding the mold in your mask to help it grow to a nice black/brown/green "patina" around the edges of your lenses.

Note: I try to use diluted baby shampoo spray, but will also spit if the spray is inconveniently located (ie it got left behind), both work fine. Mold be damned.

Side note: I once had a chemist from Johnson & Johnson on board. He said baby shampoo is the same as regular shampoo, just with some numbing agent so baby's don't feel the burn. Take that for what it's worth....

 

[Badger7]

baby shampoo is terrible for coral

Ingredients in "Reef Safe Shampoo / Conditioner"
Aqueous Extracts of Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf*, Ocimum Tenuiflorum (Tulsi) Leaf*, Alaria Esculenta (Wakame Seaweed)* and Olea Europaea (Olive) Leaf*, Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe) Leaf Juice*, Coco Glucoside, Lauryl Glucoside, Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate, Glycerin, Coconut Oil Glycereth-8 Esters, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Polysorbate 80, Cocodimonium Hydrolyzed Keratin, Undaria Pinnatifida (Wakame Seaweed) Bioferment, Lactobacillus/Olea europaea (Olive) Leaf Ferment, Hydrolyzed Keratin Protein, Sodium Levulinate, Cinnamidopropyltrimonium Chloride, Panthenol, Hydroxypropyl Guar Hydroxytrimonium Chloride, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Methyl Oleoyl Taurate, Sodium Benzoate, Fragrance (Naturally derived) *Certified Organic

Conditioning Shampoo and Bodywash 3-in-1 | Reef-Safe Shampoo

48

stream2sea.com

Ingredients in "Johnson's Baby Shampoo"
Water (Eau)*, Cocamidopropyl Betaine*, Decyl Glucoside*, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate*, Lauryl Glucoside*, PEG-80 Sorbitan Laurate, Glycerin*, Citric Acid*, Sodium Benzoate, PEG-150 Distearate, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate*, Parfum, v-10, Disodium EDTA.

https://www.johnsonsbaby.com/baby-products/johnsons-baby-shampoo

Essentially identical main ingredients, just less froufrou stuff in the baby shampoo since it, you know, might get splashed in your baby's eyes accidently, and who knows what he/she/they might be allergic to.

I call shenanigans. Yes, lets keep harmful chemicals and pesticides out of our oceans as much as possible. We do this by managing industrial waste, agricultural runoff, and sewage discharge. The drop of baby shampoo or reef safe shampoo I use to clean my mask is literally a proverbial drop in the ocean.

And if we're going to forgo the science and lean on the marketing, lets also remember how many sea creatures that Dawn Dish soap saves.

Dawn Helps Save Wildlife | Dawn Dish Soap

Dawn products help volunteers with oil spill clean ups for animal and bird rescues. Learn more about how Dawn, and you, can help save our beloved wildlife.

dawn-dish.com

 

[steinbil]

Spit works great! Including feeding the mold in your mask to help it grow to a nice black/brown/green "patina" around the edges of your lenses.

Note: I try to use diluted baby shampoo spray, but will also spit if the spray is inconveniently located (ie it got left behind), both work fine. Mold be damned.

Well, if you don't clean your mask between dives, then yeah. However, my two masks that have been spit-polished for over 100 dives now are still like new. In fact, they're probably cleaner now than they were coming from the factory. A little bit of warm water, scrub with your finger tips and done! Just make sure to clean all the nooks and crannies. And let it air dry. If you're feeling extra sassy, throw a little toothpaste into the mix once in a blue moon for some minty freshness.

PS.
You don't need spit to grow mold. Sea water will do just fine. Just leave it moist in a sealed container. Extra bonus points for storing it in a warm, damp climate.

 

[sea_ledford]

Extra bonus points for storing it in a warm, damp climate.

Like any tropical location!

 

[JoeTPhilly]

lol defog is for posers. I just pee in the mask*

PS
*nod to the great dive podcast. In all seriousness, why would you need anything other than spit? It works flawlessly and costs a grand total of nothing.

Spit really isn't a great choice for those who wear contact lenses. The human mouth is pretty dirty.

I use Cressi defog and it works well.

 

[tridacna]

Things that piss me off: People who spit in their masks then rinse them in the communal dunk bucket in the boat.

 

[BRT]

Spit really isn't a great choice for those who wear contact lenses. The human mouth is pretty dirty.

I use Cressi defog and it works well.

Spit is a great choice for putting contacts in when they come out on the boat!

 

[JoeTPhilly]

Spit is a great choice for putting contacts in when they come out on the boat!

That is just asking for an eye infection. I keep a extra contacts in my dive bag if I ever lose one.