I am glad that I could get the word out about this. I was completely taken off guard with this issue. I guess I just took for granted that the stuff we use every day is safe.
Wow! I'm willing to bet this is more of widespread problem than alot of us think but we don't often hear about. It makes sense - most of us can probably make a chemistry set out of the stuff we have under our bathroom sinks!
This has definately served as a wake-up call for me! Thanks Frazzled!
I once used a glycolic facial cleanser and then when I went to incorporate baking soda as a scrub, I experienced that same ammonia smell. Yet it didn't do it with other facial cleansers I've used - so it must have been the glycolic acid...won't do that again.
Glad that she is okay. Looks like they need to put more warning labels on the items so we know what not to mix with what. I'm sure I would have done the same thing thinking it was okay to use a soap on it after another washing product.
It's been decades now, so the details escape me, but I remember in chemistry class mixing two fairly common household ingredients and getting ammonia or at least something with a strong ammonia odor.
Maybe what's needed on the Internet (it might already be around) is a chemical equivalent to WebMD. What do I get when I mix X and Y. Or conversely, I'm ending up with Z, how did I get there?
Once in awhile I wonder what all those long unspeakable words are in the ingredients list. It's nice to know that companies have to list them but I still don't REALLY know what they are. A few weeks ago my sister called me and asked if I use feminine wash, when I told her yes she informed me that she had a problem with hers. Apparently she uses a pouf to wash her body and hadn't rinsed all the feminine wash out this time before lathering it up with glycerin soap. The result from this combination was a very strong ammonia vapor, enough to take her breath away. I seriously thought/hoped that she was exagerating a bit, a few nights ago I was at her house and she showed me ...unreal! Sure enough after mixing the two products I immediately smelled the ammonia. I thought all of you would like to know the possible dangers that lurk in the shower.
