Question Is baby shampoo really that bad?

[Soloist]

Baby shampoo works better than spit.
No it doesn't.
Yes it does.
No it doesn't.
Yes it does.
No it doesn't.
Yes it does.
No it doesn't.
Yes it does.
No it doesn't.
Yes it does.
No it doesn't.
Yes it does.
No it doesn't.
Yes it does.
No it doesn't.
Yes it does...

Yes it does.

Ahh, wait a minute.
No it doesn't.
Maybe...

 

[mattfish]

The point about the harm shampoo could do, is if there’s a risk, why use it at all? There are good, safe alternatives now, so why not help reduce the damage we are causing? What harm is there in not using shampoo?

I’ve been doing it for 20 years, is not a good reason not to change.

 

[Richard Dayan]

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.

If you use sea drops right, there is a noticeable difference from spit in the clarity of the view. Sea drops is worth the money, I tried so many brands and this is the best.

 

[mattfish]

The points about all the pollution and chemicals we dump in the water as part of vacation travel/boating/parking for shore diving are all very poignant valid point too

 

[BRT]

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

Good on you. My current contacts cost $200 each. But when I wore gas perms I still used spit. Let me see...I'm 68 now, so been doing that for 50 years. Are you aware that your eyes, nose and mouth are all connected?

 

[DiveLikeAMuppet]

The point about the harm shampoo could do, is if there’s a risk, why use it at all? There are good, safe alternatives now, so why not help reduce the damage we are causing? What harm is there in not using shampoo?

I’ve been doing it for 20 years, is not a good reason not to change.

How do you know that sea drops are harmless?

The manufacturers publish no studies and most defogs and sea drops contain no ingredients list. By definition, a defog will most likely contain surfactants, like any detergent or shampoo, so the harmful bit is the tiny amount of perfume in baby shampoo?

 

[David Haas]

As to the camera rinse bucket I also call BS.....I NEVER EVER leave my camera of any type in hte rinse bucket. Seen more floods there than in the ocean with big / small set ups banging around, etc.

On Baby Shampoo as defog diving for 55 years progressing from spit to all different types of defog the last few years I've used regular Sea Drops.

I also have a small travel tube of gritty, paste toothpaste in my mask case. The second any fogging returns I scrub the daylights out of it, pushing fingers into the lens / skirt seal area plus the inside of the silicone skirt.

I've seen the cigarette lighter trick done many places in Asia. Mostly on people's new mask still coated with some stubborn manufacturing residue.

I've also used Baby Shampoo fairly effectively either straight or diluted with fresh water in a little spray bottle.

Recent trips with 28+ dives in Raja Ampat Indonesia and Maldives I used whatever spray bottle of stuff they had on the boat and it seemed to work great

After cataract and IOL (Intra Ocular Lens) fix a couple years ago I no longer require a RX mask which has been great. No contacts either but the wife dives with her's in and uses the same defog ideas successfully.

Your mileage may vary!

David Haas

 

[vjb.knife1]

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.

What a crock . You know there was a time when divers did not have 'Sea Drops'. The only time I use seadrops is when the company I work for is supplying them free of charge. Spit worked just fine for many many years, but for the past thirty or so years I have been using a small spray bottle (available in the travel section of most drug stores or Target) with a mere drop of baby shampoo in about 3-4 ounces of water. This bottle usually lasted a month or two at work. That is with 3-4 dives a week or more, so total cost of the spray bottle fluid is about .01 cents at the most; so about .0001 cents a dive. There are no pain killers in baby shampoo; that is also a crock of BS. And the amount of shampoo that makes it into the ocean is so small (100th of a drop) per dive that it is less harmful than the fart that most divers pop off . So, to sum up give me a f'ing break.

 

[Zef]

I’m not sure about camera o-rings, but baby shampoo is terrible for coral

People are terrible for coral.

-Z

 

[Richard Dayan]

What a crock . You know there was a time when divers did not have 'Sea Drops'. The only time I use seadrops is when the company I work for is supplying them free of charge. Spit worked just fine for many many years, but for the past thirty or so years I have been using a small spray bottle (available in the travel section of most drug stores or Target) with a mere drop of baby shampoo in about 3-4 ounces of water. This bottle usually lasted a month or two at work. That is with 3-4 dives a week or more, so total cost of the spray bottle fluid is about .01 cents at the most; so about .0001 cents a dive. There are no pain killers in baby shampoo; that is also a crock of BS. And the amount of shampoo that makes it into the ocean is so small (100th of a drop) per dive that it is less harmful than the fart that most divers pop off . So, to sum up give me a f'ing break.

I spend a lot of money to dive and even the smallest amount of shampoo causes my eyes to itch, the cost of sea drops is not a concern, but the cost of E/O cords is to me.