Style Theory: Your Soap WON'T Get You Clean?!

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Do You Wash Your Legs?! ► • Style Theory: Do You W...
In our previous shower episode we asked, “should you wash your legs in the shower.” And you Loyal Theorists loved it so much and asked so many follow-up questions that we HAD to make another episode. So, here we are asking the question, “which soap gets you cleanest?” We put four types of Dove soap to the test to learn the answer. But none of us were expecting the truth about the soap industry that actually came out…
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Credits:
Writers: Matthew Patrick and Amy Roberts
Editors: Tyler Mascola, Alex "Sedge" Sedgwick, Koen Verhagen
Assistant Editor: AlyssaBeCrazy
Sound Designer: Yosi Berman
Thumbnail Artist: DasGnomo
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#BestSoap #Shower #Soap #BodyWash #BestSoaps #ShowerRoutine #Hygiene #WashYourLegs #Legs #Bathing #Loofah #Theory #StyleTheory #Matpat

[@cheyenneoliver5184]

The shorts vs dress vs jeans really shows the importance of having larger sample sizes in testing

[@mythic_retriever]

It could be the jeans and also the bacteria and such from sweat as each person can be different

[@carlyparker4410]

As someone with a statistics degree, it can be so frustrating how small their sample sizes are. I like how they are promoting experiments and science, and I very much enjoy their content. It’s bitter sweet lol

[@lightlingzooma-69]

“larger sample sizes” 🤨

[@WhoisLukeG]

@@lightlingzooma-69bro is not funny

[@uniquefreak37]

Right? My first thought was that jeans are a more moist, dark environment with less exposure to the UV light from the sun.

[@Moon_The_Magical]

welcome back to another "Mat Pat makes us freak out about how clean we actually are" episode

[@Olympusland]

Actually it’s welcome back to another “Stephanie makes us freak out about how clean we really are” episode

[@yugimuto1639]

Don't worry we didn't knew about this until now(at least probably majority of us didn't)and we are fine

[@AlphaDark4739]

Kinda feel unclean after watching this episode while wearing long pants

[@e-memers9441]

☭

[@MagickP00dle]

I need that jeans episode. I wear mine 2 or 3 times before I wash them... I'm shooketh....

[@jonathandavenport2500]

If you do an episode comparing soaps, please make sure to also test the difference between using just your hands vs. a wash cloth vs. a lufa.

[@nailsofinterest]

Would need to test the item you wash with too. They could cause contamination like his jeans did.

[@justinekeesee6495]

Actually the lufa thing could be its own video! They could do using the same luffa brand new, then after maybe... three days, and then after a week! And see just how much bacteria is growing on those things!

[@RotGodKing]

​@@justinekeesee6495 I don't think I want to know the answer to that one though.

[@PlanDeFi]

Another way to further this experiment with more definitive results would be to test after “towel dry” vs “air dry.” The reason I suggest this is the possibilities of bacteria/viruses living within the towel you used to dry yourself. Maybe the “soap” did work but the towel just transferred the bacteria/viruses back on your legs. (There was no towel drying in the control)

[@akiles1991]

there were no towel when they take the wet sample, because the didnt dry the leg, which actually will led to more bacteria due to the wet enviroment

[@e.4987]

I'd love to see that!

[@matthewpatton9221]

Moisture is the main difference. A Dry swab on dry legs doesn't allow much to transfer to a dish medium, while MatPat peeled up his sweaty jeans for the control sample. A wet swab provides a nice even coat.

[@glenmorrison8080]

I think this is probably what explains it. Makes sense.

[@extendoduck]

I was looking for this comment. It's not a fair comparison at all. And that probably explains MatPat's results, too - he was sweating more in long pants than the others, rather than just being intrinsically dirty.

[@Tandor97]

​@extendoduck yes, that is what op said

[@rebeccaroten304]

I was thinking about the same thing. I had to grow bacteria cultures in my cell and molecular bio class a few years back, and I messed up my lab group’s results just by forgetting to wet the swab before collecting my samples.

[@elizabethcochran3395]

Yes, they needed sterile saline or at least water for the dry legs.

[@logannsif]

I love how Steph is the Lawful Neutral to Matts Chaotic Neutral. She's the balance when he goes too deep into the LORE 😂

[@jobjackobrien]

I've done six years as a microbiologist with expertise in clean rooms and environmental monitoring. The most likely difference in his leg was that it may just have been sweatier wet swabs pick up more stuff, he also may have more dead skin on top for the control. In terms of the experiment you didn't control the water or dryness of the legs. Drying is actually a very big part of washing,

[@vinnie666]

Think it could be the influence of sunlight as well?

[@jobjackobrien]

@@vinnie666 That can but in this experiment i don't think so, also it's moisturising soap. which inherently holds water.

[@joshuacoovertL]

Pant cleanliness is a major theory that NEEDS to be tested. I've read from pants aficionados to rarely wash jeans for length of life but I always worry about the cleanliness. I wash jeans after 1-2 uses and demand validation!

[@michellesmith4968]

I'm just wondering if one of the reasons Matt's leg control is worse is because the others had exposed their skin to sunlight. As pointed out in the laundry detergent episode, sunlight contains UV light and that kills of bacteria

[@brawlingbrother9083]

It could also be the contained more humid environment since it’s all trapped by the thick denim

[@valornthered]

It could be a combination of that and the fact that the space between your skin and clothes is a dark, warm, slightly humid environment, which is exactly the type of environment bacteria thrive in.

[@t3hfluff]

I was about to say that's likely why they were cleaner controls

[@iimidnightsii]

my wish of stephanie doing a VO for a theory episode has come true

[@William-Aft0n]

@Officiall834bot

[@6darren6]

Spoilers bro

[@iimidnightsii]

@@6darren6 it’s in the first 30 seconds 💀

[@directorjake]

Does anyone else think Steph also sounds off in this video?

[@sheridanwolf]

@@directorjakees I thought so too, it sounds like she also had a cold or something.

[@vainkatdadheech2636]

As a microbe , i can confirm soap nourishes us and this guy really did a fantastic job in exposing us😂

[@catebrooks6779]

🤣

[@summer2876]

💀

[@ChocolateFactorySUV]

no one is gonna talk about the fact that a lot of bacteria on human bodies are beneficial and important for the skin's health??

[@cw5909]

I believe therein lies lies answer

[@Satorusbabydaddy]

Im pretty sure that’s the reason that the soapy ones appear dirtier, because the soap gets rid of your moisture barrier and releases your natural bacteria

[@planepancake4426]

This channel has made it so that I'm absolutely horrified on any topic that regards hygiene, but on the bright side, having Steph voice an episode was a nice change of pace. We love you, Steph!

[@Sea-bunnzz]

Yes and the sweater is 🤌

[@JonpaulGee]

I honestly would love a side show with Steff explaining in more detail any scientific data needed to make these episodes, this would be more of a educational video vs the usual Matpat zainyness with sources and stuff for students in college who are interested in science.

[@chessplayer8332]

Agrer

[@redikaicore]

That would be great although it probably won't happen. From what they've said dyring streams Steph is usually busy doing behind the scene and legal stuff.

[@Rigboi420]

I would love this but it seems like Steph is normally the one taking care of Ollie

[@malisadeochoa6959]

fr tho i swear i learn more from matpat than in my science class lol

[@kewizor4342]

you guys should test whether or not using a wash cloth makes you more clean

[@jasonstraight1320]

The moral of this episode: drying off after your bath/shower is THE most important step. As an obese man, I know I am higher maintenance. After showering, not only do I use a towel, but I literally stand in front of a fan for 5 minutes at least. If I sweat, I do what I can to dry off after. It’s no joke. The musk I build up even after limited activity is suffocating. But this can apply to anyone. DRY OFF.

[@dottalks8156]

Huge thank you for the summary

[@emmalinejohnson9323]

I had a microbiology professor who had our lab do almost this exact experiment, but with hand washing. We were all shook when we saw the petri dishes. She said that soap brings our natural flora to the surface of our pores and thats why the petri dishes grew so many more microbes. It’d be interesting if you could test the colonies to see what’s actually growing.

[@Anonymous-xu2sf]

Yeah, this is a really important part of the question. You can't always tell how clean something is by looking at a petri dish. What microbes are there is just as important as how many. I did my science fair project on swabbing animal mouths and the human mouth and putting it on petri dishes, and while the petri dish from the human mouth looked worse, the research I did showed that the microbes from the animals would be more dangerous for humans.

[@tcjgaming9813]

guys get this comment to the threorist's radar, this might be key information. like dis comment Edit:thanks guys

[@juliaprice7220]

This is so important!! They are assuming all bacteria is bad when that's not the case at all. We have colonies of bacteria on us that are SUPPOSED to be there; the goal with washing your body should not be to remove ALL microbes from your skin! Which bacteria are growing is significantly more meaningful information than how much bacteria.

[@elim9967]

Yes, that would be really interesting!

[@paulinemoira8442]

I also thought about the differences in bacteria colonies. Because smartphones are notorious for having a bunch of bacterias and yet they're still safer to handle than technically cleaner things, like a toilet seat or a raw chicken.

[@dannysdungareedanceoff8481]

Stephanie should voice all future soap episodes, this can be a decently long series too

[@giovanniparaizo6554]

Next experiment you guys should try neutral dish soap, since it's not meant to be a beauty product but to actually sanitize. In fact, my tattoo artist always recommended using neutral dish soap to prevent infections.

[@ashetonflick9046]

Interesting, I’ve got 5 tattoos and they told me to only use an unscented body soap for sensitive skin if I felt the need to use soap on the tattoo while it was still healing. Otherwise they said I shouldn’t really need to do more than rinse and use unscented lotion also made for sensitive skin to keep the skin moisturized

[@spritespring8035]

What do you mean by Neutral dish soap?

[@giovanniparaizo6554]

@@spritespring8035 neutral ph and non toxic

[@jason200912]

Guess it just means dish soap. Ain't nothing neutral about it. That stuff is heavy duty.

[@giovanniparaizo6554]

​​​​@@jason200912 idk about the US but where I live we have specific types of dish soap. The ones marketed as "neutral" are unscented, don't have any coloring, they're not basic, just slightly acidic and they don't have chemicals that could potentially irritate the skin, cause allergies, etc.

[@DisloyalGaming]

I love her voice over. I hope at minimum she continues narrating soap saga specifically but I also understand they have a kid and child care is freaking expensive and hard to find sometimes right now

[@bluelover110]

The way Steph yelled at MatPat for not realizing soaps kills viruses had me wheezing!

[@mr.alkenly889]

But matpat was still right lol

[@geoffreypeterson8903]

That moment really encapsulates why the pandemic happened.

[@shift7808]

Didnt they conclude that soap doesnt necessarily do that tho? Or was it referring to bacteria only

[@pedrosso0]

@@shift7808 It was referring to bacteria only.

[@shift7808]

@@pedrosso0 oh ok. ty

[@TheRealLetterTee]

I love it when Steph makes surprise appearances. She brings such an awesome energy to the show

[@jazzisfrommars2476]

I do think it's worth noting that a lot of Dove products do not actually call themselves "soap". "Beauty bar", "moisturizing shower wash", etc. I had always just kinda thought Dove was more along the lines of "beauty products"

[@valentinabestani3089]

Yes, dove bar is actually a syndet. They should've done this "experiment" with actual soap.

[@datdankdj8264]

That’s why I use Dr Squatch or Every Man Jack

[@vintagecherries]

That's true. Dove is a moisturizing bar. It doesn't even contain soap lol It just leathers because it has chemicals.

[@junipers_life]

That's actually pretty interesting this video gives me so many questions.

[@film79]

​@@valentinabestani3089true but the vast majority of showering products are syndets. It's only a few of the cheaper bars that are real soap, and I think all the liquid "soap" products for baths/showers are syndets (that's why they are called things like body wash instead of body soap).

[@solomon_omokaro]

13:53 this part of the video, I've got to admit, is my favorite.

[@alexheldman]

Once again Stephanie proves to be an absolutely vital piece to this channel 😅😅 always great to see appearances from other team members 🎉🎉🎉

[@William-Aft0n]

@its-timebot

[@WayWardWonderer]

Let us never forget her iconic performance as Nugget!

[@alexheldman]

@@WayWardWonderer it will always have a special place in the hearts of Theorists everywhere, especially longtime fans of the GT Live days of a few years ago

[@kodabear1996]

*insert the "always has been" meme*

[@wilnotnone897]

It's important to remember that not all skin bacteria are necessarily bad for you! Some help protect from dangerous ones,most just hang out and do nothing. The dangerous ones are rather rare and can only harm you through open cuts

[@journeytoamillion4572]

I was looking for this comment. Are they doing background research before they release some of these episodes?

[@wilnotnone897]

@@journeytoamillion4572 I don't know if they did research about the harm that skin bacteria does,but just from watching the video its pretty clear the experiment was about how much bacteria are left after each type of cleaning rather than the type.

[@TheBioChemics]

Absolutely! You actually do wanna have a healthy microbiome of different, non-dangerous bacteria (e.g. different strains of lactic acid bacteria) which are compeletely harmless to you, but provide a viable defense system against pathogenic bacteria by simply being a food and space competitor. The last thing you want is a sterile skin

[@IDGAG]

​@@wilnotnone897yep because that's what soap does

[@15drasedrase]

I love when Steph and Amy do some voice over :) I love Matt's voice of course, but it's obvious how much Amy and Steph care about this content :) it's awesome!

[@kaylang-s8348]

I think it would be interesting if you guys did a similar experiment but with soaps that claim to be natural, like Dr. Squatch or other ones like it

[@LinguiniBoys]

Matpat yet again questioning my entire hygiene yet again. Classic Matpat.

[@Cat_Bracelets]

Fr

[@Rubyfury9001]

Matt pat I Sort that you lost your voice

[@-Astrae-]

Then it goes onto you questioning your sanity, then your existence... then it goes worse from there.

[@alcyonae]

Yet again

[@johnyliltoe]

First he came for your childhood. Then he came for your diet. Now he comes for your ever precious hygiene.

[@cocoakub]

I HEAVILY believe the rest of the "Soap Saga" should be VO'd by Steph! Her voice is so nice to listen to her amount of knowledge on the topic is fascinating! (Also I'm starting to wonder what a video with Ash as the VO would be like?!)

[@pingidjit]

Agreed wholeheartedly

[@Purpleblackviolet]

Yes I concur

[@nnooddlleeaj]

i agree! love her voice :D

[@sharaasam]

Who is she?

[@thatautistictheatrekid]

This is what I was thinking. Steph’s Soap Saga would be great.

[@emmanuelronald3870]

In all of your swab after the control you give em extra moisture to grow because you didnt dry it first and your jeans cover feet also have sweat moisture. .

[@Sucubi_eyecandy._sys]

i have a theory, perhaps the fact your legs were wet may have helped with bacterial growth since bacteria love hot, humid environments and in your control you started with dry legs

[@Mogsallan]

im just gonna ignore the results for a moment and give Stephanie the appreciation she deserves. I loved hearing her narrate this episode, and she definitely deserves more recognition and appreciation from everyone, I was literally thinking about this yesterday and i feel like this video was a great opportunity for me to express my appreciation and love for her contribution to the channels.

[@nims3563]

i would love to see yall use different exfoliators (ex: loofah, washcloth, net cloth, etc) and use them twice (at least): once fresh out the package, and again after its left drying for a while

[@michaelseabrooks9286]

This

[@ambeezy314]

Me too!

[@cobaltlance18]

Steph. You are an absolutely amazing person. Your addition to the Theorist Family was a God Send.

[@Moonlaun]

Mat and Steph make such an awesome duo, they're so great, also I loved having Stephanie in this episode

[@Finvaara]

It's amazing how much your voice changes doing voiceover vs in front of the camera. I'm so used to it with MatPat that I stopped noticing, but hearing the difference with Steph's VO made it easier to hear it with MatPat again.

[@johnpeace971]

Lac mics are not the best thing for accurate vocal reproduction, not like the studio mics they use for VO

[@hubertnnn]

Yeah, the live Steph sounds mature, while the voiceover Steph sounds like 16 years old Steph.

[@awesomestuff9715]

steph might also be a bit too close to the mic, which causes the proximity effect on microphones, which might not be ideal, like in this instance

[@1do2likeU]

This was actually a really intresting episode (and I believe the first one I've watched on your channel). Learning more about bacteria and the products that we use. Well done! I hope to see more like this! 😃👍

[@julianapicone4358]

I desperately need more VOs from Steph, I love hearing from her!

[@Hopeful-bond]

I love Stephane saying “thats just a theory, a style theory! Keep look-in sharp.” It’s perfect.

[@iiiihhhhi]

yeah

[@elenimparitaki1759]

Absolutely

[@ladymycelia]

Not gonna lie as much as I love Matt's voice overs in theory videos, Steph has a really nice voice too. I'd love to hear more videos voiced by her in the future, only if she wants to of course.

[@cesardeleon2060]

We second this!

[@UnluckyHydra]

I'm definitely interested in a look at the shampoo or how often should you wash your hair episode. I've done some research on it, but I'd like to see some others experience with it.

[@mdh6977]

Worked with a nurse 20yrs ago that always stressed that scrubbing, with just hot/warm water only, was doing at least 90%

[@brendanrisney2449]

I think you have an obligation to society to do a second episode as soon as possible. This series is suddenly _far_ more important than a simple learning experience!

[@buggysponytail9703]

truee

[@ztarblack]

this.

[@alphasushi9178]

Absolutely agree, this is gone from, “did you know technically this works” to actually, dove is lying to us, they make us dirtier than before

[@waffle8946]

We’re too deep in now

[@johnyliltoe]

One thing to keep in mind is that our micro biome serves an important purpose. When they redo this experiment I’d love to see if the antibacterial soap kills too much and what too much (or too little bacteria) even looks like. Kind of ties in with how often you should shower really.

[@kodabear1996]

There's so many variables that could be tested for! Maybe they need a new channel called soap theory!

[@gogauze]

This would, unfortunately, be really hard for them to do. Lab analysis to get the strain count for each type would be prohibitively expensive. The only way I can possibly see them pulling it off would be to find a stain or reagent that can test for the presence of the most onerous skin bacteria (staph, etc...) along with a few of the expected less disease-causing bacteria. Even then, it would be a hell of a production.

[@da-be-ju]

Yeah, it's actually kind of annoying to hear them refer to bacteria as "dirty". For all the talk about science, this was so unscientific.

[@iiyaraii2597]

Up!!

[@johnyliltoe]

@@da-be-ju Yeah, they did seem to try to address that with the "changing opinions on what defines dirty" bit, but they definitely lacked a clear "Hey, you need some of these guys."

[@jamaldonquequatavion9500]

22:42 i guess imma start showering with dawn

[@flameflyer42]

13:05 Oh dang, maybe some of us knew already, but Steph has a nice singing voice!

[@nadialinhares322]

It's important to consider that it's dangerous to overkill the bacteria on our skin, since we need them

[@Kikirobins]

Maybe the reason Matt had so much bacteria was because he showered with soap closer to the experiment then the rest of the team. When you guys took the swab right after washing you had similar colonies as matpat did in the first swab

[@dreamchaser7177]

Came here to say this. Also, those bacterial culture kits don't differentiate between symbiotic bacteria and illness causing bacteria.

[@systematicpastels]

@@dreamchaser7177 True, but it is still rather concerning that the soap caused more bacteria of likely both symbiotic bacteria and illness causing bacteria.

[@dreamchaser7177]

@@systematicpastelsYes, when you wash yourself, your body has to rebuild its bacterial cultures again, and rebuild to a balanced nature. Which is why we saw so many cultures right after washing, but fewer before.

[@systematicpastels]

@@dreamchaser7177 True, but we don't know if it was symbiotic bacteria that overtook the colonies, or if it was illness causing bacteria, since it didn't look any different and there's no real way of saying if the soap actually got rid of the bad bacteria or not.

[@quinncookemillard6263]

I NEED you guys to test face washes as soaps. I have terrible acne that's really difficult to manage. It's like wrangling a wild beast. Knowing how to keep bacteria from causing breakouts would be a lifesaver.

[@SpottedWithin]

(not a dermatologist but I am a licensed esthetician) do you mean like using a face wash as a body wash for body acne or testing face washes similar how they tested soaps here :3?

[@BolteckFox]

I agree!

[@bass2765]

Yes dude I would love to see if face washes do work

[@Fbih2o]

@@SpottedWithini use antibacterial handwash as face wash and baby lotion to try and control my acne. Pls tell me if im doing it right 😭

[@flimsyenthusiasm5769]

@@Fbih2o um if your using a handwash on your face your not doing it right. look at skin care products specifically for acne. Also if you can try and see a dermatologist, they can help you get your acne under control and also help build a skincare routine. If it is cystic acne then you could possibly need medication to get it under control.

[@kaitlineggert329]

Ahh I love Steph!! She literally moved so we could see everyone ❤❤❤

[@osakasakr1]

I wonder if the soap upset the balance of microorganisms in the mud, killing one side and thus allowing the others to propagate, like killing the predators in an environment doesn't lead to an over all reduction of the animal population but to an explosion in the number of prey animals, it's the only thing I could think of that would explain more bacteria AFTER the soap. Great work as always from the whole team.

[@adelai3795]

I really just want a editors week, where the editors get to choose the theory to subject MattPat to and to the voice over.

[@Cosmid_]

oh how the tables will turn.

[@rileyk138]

Oh how the turn tables

[@TylerTMG]

oh tables turned

[@dvjolly19]

I am seriously loving having steph do the voice over. She is doing a great job and you should definitely let steph do it once in a while if she is excited about a topic! Go Steph!

[@westeiriapark]

We want steph back!🎉🎉

[@Anarchy_02]

are you high

[@Anarchy_02]

sick matt sounds better then her

[@dvjolly19]

@@Anarchy_02 also have you seen the comment section? You are the only hater in sight

[@westeiriapark]

@@Anarchy_02 boo, team steph!

[@glaz.stalina]

genshin impact players try to find reasons for not showering

[@NaterFernat]

Theory debunked already. WASH WITH SOAP!"

[@trucvivianpham9919]

Matt the science guy and Steph the chemistry gal is the ultimate duo

[@magorzatamaniak3454]

Chemistry is science

[@itsgardengnome]

*in Bill Nye theme rhythm* Matt Pat the science lad

[@star_cat-hy6ip]

Yeah I feel like Matt is definitely more physics and Steph feels more chemistry and biology

[@thedragonchannel8864]

Hearing Stephanie is a nice change, maybe she should do this more often?

[@ttry1152]

This and dan. It is fun

[@ryanmcmenamim9871]

I would have zero problem with Steph being the primary voice of this channel. She killed it today.

[@Nataoff27]

卐

[@OfficialBost]

@@ryanmcmenamim9871I think they should switch off

[@loyalgenix]

Agreed

[@Krehfish534]

It would be interesting to see if swabs taken at different stages after soaping produced different results. Kind of like how your skin can be even more oily if you use something too harsh to de-oil it. Maybe that could yield some interesting results!

[@rangertuck9158]

My family uses Irish spring and Dove bar soap to this day, and while I lived there. Everytime I used dove I was itchy and dried out even though they claim it doesn't. I hated using dove, so I started buying soapberry wash, castor oil liquid soap, and goat milk bar soap once I moved into my own place using them on rotation depending on the situation. So I'm not wrong, dove does dry out your skin. I noticed my husband switched to Dr. Squatch pine tar soap and stopped using my goatmilk soap and within 6 months he got athlete's foot fungus. Which is interesting. So I guess I'm switching him back to plain goat milk soap. Even though he loves the smell of pine tar. 😮

[@msdcarr76]

Interesting 🤔 thanks for sharing

[@asianpotato9408]

I genuinely LOVE science Steph! I wouldn’t be mad if she voiced more episodes!

[@AniM6te_C]

Agree

[@epicbookworm1646]

It might not be that MatPat's jeans are particularly dirty. It might be that everyone else's legs were exposed to sunlight, and the UV was killing the bacteria.

[@BlueAmpharos]

The swabs might also have been dry in the control unlike Matt's sweaty legs, which prevented them from picking anything up.

[@Wixvhen]

I would try 'sand soap'. It gives more scrubs but feels scratchy. I'd also try a soap stone and a few types of soap instead of just dove's soap.

[@thomasbrand2650]

3:04 At the start of Covid, I drove from Houston to Atlanta and back. At every rest stop I took, there was no hand sanitizer and no toilet paper anywhere to be found. But you know what I saw lots of? Soap. Entire shelves of soap. The whole world was panicking about sanitizer, but no one was washing their hands!

[@virginiacollins3950]

You should do an episode on why you shouldn't necessarily use antibacterial soap because it has not been found to be any more effective than normal soap! You could do a test like you did in this episode and see if you see a difference. And not all bacteria is bad and needs to be removed. That should be touched on!

[@starcherry6814]

You’re right

[@swiatowidciesslak6249]

True.

[@cristinbuskard9250]

Yes! And I have a theory that dish soap is the most effective soap if you’re trying to get rid of bacteria (or grease stains) because of its decreasing effects but that doesn’t mean it’s the most appropriate for every situation.

[@monica_w_0814]

@@cristinbuskard9250I’ve actually had grease splatter on my shirt while cooking, and after research, the best way I found to remove the grease was with dish soap, not any “stain remover” or detergent. So I completely agree with this.

[@kimarna]

​@@cristinbuskard9250moke sure to moisturize afterwards cos skin needs oil to be hydrated

[@guilxle]

at the beggining of the episode it was said that soap makes germs not adhere to your skin, so what may have happened is that when you swabbed the legs after using soap there was more loose bacteria that stuck to the swab than when using just water

[@irish9863]

Am i the only one who uses dove beauty bar as brow gel and uses safeguard as my bath soap

[@user-pt6jr5ys9d]

BEST EYEBROW GEL

[@Strawbs_Malk]

The mud spas are usually made of a mixture of charcoal and clay, supposedly clay and charcoal draw out oil and debris in your skin. In theory it’s supposed to bring it to surface so you can wash it away. But again just a theory from someone who worked in skincare/ cosmetics for a year and someone who reads labels at spas to see what I’m lathering on lol

[@guntercouvreur6786]

I know this might be harder, but I think it would actually be interesting to know what kind of bacteria there are before/after. Because you can get a worse looking petri dish, but with actual beneficial bacteria where there were only bad bacteria before.

[@Sockums]

Very true. I had this thought too, but I'm not sure if anyone on the team is qualified to identify the cultures. (I don't know if Stephanie has the tools currently to do it herself, as she seems to be the only one qualified) I wonder if these silly little internet videos will spark a new strain of thorough, unbiased investigations by professionals, because I'd read a whole scientific paper just to see what their results are. They sure have made me curious.

[@viridiantheforest1037]

More trials!

[@Lucky10279]

​@@SockumsThey'd probably need to send the samples to a lab and pay them to analyze them.

[@eeeeee8762]

@@Lucky10279 Or they could look at it under a microscope, that's always fun! (you'd be surprised with the amount of yeast we have on us just chilling)

[@LadyDioptase]

A microscope wouldn’t be enough. They could buy the necessary materials and do it themselves (it’s not actually a terribly complex process). A few simple tests can narrow down a bacteria but a few more can almost positively ID it. Or they could send it to a lab, of course. (I wish I could teach them how to ID bacteria. This is my favorite field of my job.)

[@hihokermitthefrog4474]

At the beginning Steph talked about how soap frees up the bacteria on the skin so it can be rinsed off. Maybe the bacteria being brought to the surface but not properly rinsed played a roll in the results.

[@demonheart13]

Considering Dove is known for moisturizing I think it leaves a layer of soap that might also be trapping bacteria.but I know I'm never buying dove again.

[@brainwithani5693]

​@@demonheart13I hate moisturizing soaps... They feel gross

[@danlongname]

Thanks, was about to comment that

[@BlueAmpharos]

Yes, that's the main purpose of soap, trapping grime so that it can be washed down the drain. If you don't wash it off, it doesn't do anything. As someone else pointed out, they didn't wet the swabs in the control, which is probably why Matt's sweaty legs that had been in pants had more bacteria since they were probably somewhat moist, while the others were dry swabs.

[@josuemorales7082]

​@@demonheart13so basically what you're telling me is if i eat a bar of soap I will be cured from covid

[@anandpopat2549]

I have ONLY used Dove for years with my family. Please do a comparison test between different soap brands as I still want to believe that Dove will do better then other brands who are apparently more "abrasive and harsh" on your skin.

[@msdcarr76]

I was thinking the same thing. My husband likes Dove for men deep clean exfoliating. He used to use Irish Spring but we stopped because of skin irritation. I am very curious as you are.

[@stew360]

You have contaminated pretty much all samples because you would have had to clean then get totally dry preferably into the sun or exterior then take samples on controlled environement with no possibility of contamination or cross contamination

[@Secretsofsociety]

Big problem with the premise of this is the assumption the bacteria is actually bad.

[@MikeCaramel]

style theory; the channel we didnt we expect, but we all needed

[@lunarenigma]

Honestly, it could possibly be the effects of UV that allowed all but Matt to have cleaner tests. Being outside like that with exposed skin (Especially the legs with them being the focus) would expose them to UV, which is known to harm bacteria. I think it might be beneficial to look into that for the next episode. Especially since Matt, the only one not exposing UV to his legs, had more showing in the dish. Another variable I really think might be a part of it.

[@viktorijapuc5637]

So a quick correction on agar from my microbiology professor: it is not food for bacteria or any other microorganism. If it were you wouldn't see things growing on it, but it would have holes or it would be visibly smaller in size. It is more of a media from which microbes could get nutrients and their actual food if you put it in with the agar, kind off like dirt with plants.

[@junsake2797]

12:25 the part of matpat's face that has dried mud looks like its unrendered compared the the fresh mud on his face

[@Gueni2053]

If I had a nickel for everytime MatPat questioned how you shower I’d have two nickels. Which, isn’t a lot. But it’s weird that it’s happened twice.

[@planepancake4426]

And soon you'll have three

[@troyhenshaw112]

ℝ𝕖𝕒𝕝

[@astedroid]

does [anything] save you? no youll die

[@nimon0115]

*Haminations reference

[@th8t_guy_dz]

@@Hi_Im_o2Spider-Man reference

[@laurabigler8718]

Hi! Biostatistics student here. So, were the soap samples taken while the skin was still wet? If so I suspect that the amount of culture activity found on the gel was increased by the added moisture in the sample. Especially since the control was done while The skin was dry. (Well, for 3 of you, I think the trapped moisture and sweat from wearing long pants was likely a reason why MatPat had "dirtier legs" regardless of how clean the jeans were/are) I suspect that if you did the same test (or a similar one) but waited to swab until the skin was dry, (or dried off with a towel) there would be a significant difference in the results. There may still be more cultures found post-wash then pre-wash, but the culture activity would likely not be as extreme.

[@jessicadavid9222]

I said the same thing, dry skin vs wet skin matters. I didn't study science at all. I have done some reading on the amount of bacteria in our shower heads. Thai may be a factor here.

[@LeoTheConqueror]

Finally got an explanation regarding this 🫠👍

[@alexd531]

My first thought without thinking was "you killed off the bacteria there so new bacteria didnt have much resistance from your body's natural defenses and the cultjre already there. Then i remembered how quikly after the washing they took the samples and realized, had to be something else. And how dry they got pre swab completely slipped my mind for a minute. Glad someone else was thinking about that cause i forgot to.

[@MightyDankLord420]

That makes a lot of sense because bacteria mildews very easily, when in wet and warm conditions. If the swabs were done on wet skin and then kept in a warm room, it stands to reason that bacteria would flourish like it did.

[@ChaosPhantom00]

...No control petri dish for the attic in order to know what "naturally" lives there that could contaminate. Also, they were talking while doing the sample smear so that could be other bacterias in the end...

[@artloveranimation]

Another thing to consider is how clean things are after use that you scrub your body with and leave in the shower: loofahs, wash cloths, and bars of soap

[@thetexancrus2036]

There is *so* many theories and ideas that can be spawned from this theory lol

[@tannerreese5790]

In the Laundry episode it was mentioned hanging clothes outside to dry helped kill bacteria (If I remember right it was the ultra violet radiation). Could those who's legs were exposed to the sun be cleaner than Matt's whose legs were protected from the sun by his jeans?

[@josiahdalton9483]

I just got on before bed to suggest the same thing. It makes sense that Matt's legs being protected from the sun would result in him having more living bacteria on his legs. Wearing shorts or a dress and having your legs in the sun should kill a lot of that bacteria.

[@sarahcarr7276]

I came here to comment something along these lines. Because I realized that they forgot to take into account that three out of 4 were exposed to the sun in those areas on the control.

[@Emmezali]

Exactly that. The sun kills bacteria too, because of the uv rays.

[@the_cap64]

that is possible the team should see your comment so that they should take note of this

[@hendrickshappyhour4020]

i really like the idea of having hosts other than matpat for these theory videos, like Steph and Dan. i hope they do this every so often, especially if Matt needs more breaks like this.

[@TylerTMG]

Steph sounded a little weird like her voice is a little raspy?

[@Volvary]

There is also a possibility that the tests were left too long to see any difference between the soap and the rinse. It's very possible that the cultures are overdevelopped, and that the first few hours/days actually showed a difference, but at the end of the experiment, the few cultures that existed managed to overtake the entire petri dish.

[@sonofshadows6290]

Love having steph take charge for th is episode!!! I wish I had come to it earlier!

[@tygetts6418]

It’s always nice to see someone else narrate today’s Theory.

[@Demuu2]

​@@TvManskibidi313bot

[@hgalactic5185]

MatPat is so traumatised by the fact that Diet Coke is slowly dwindling into non-existence, that he got sick and loses his voice

[@andradagramada9741]

Lol

[@s0up_1223]

It was from crying too much

[@drake2957]

@@s0up_1223crying about what

[@sleepy-emerald]

@@drake2957 Diet Coke.

[@777Thebear]

We also have normal human bacteria flora on our skin. Using Soap too often and getting rid of those bacteria allow more harmful bacteria to stick to skin potentially causing issues.

[@crazysasha1374]

Big up to Steph for doing so much work this episode!

[@jelanibyrd5031]

When you all test other soaps I would love to see a home made soap compared to standard big name soap brands.

[@avasava7720]

Still shitty probably

[@Lord_Vile29]

is it just me who doesnt know now if their native or any other b rand soap is safe now?

[@Shon_-]

​@@Lord_Vile29i mean as one comment said apperently a wet swab is better than a dry one which is why the controls except mats(which was sweaty) were very clean

[@bluecat3338]

As someone who exclusively wears jeans/sweatpants/etc and who has the bad habit of falling into the “if it passes the sniff test it’s fine” trap, MatPat’s results are horrifying.

[@vizzylotl5623]

Same here 💀

[@brankin421]

Don't worry about it. This video is scientifically bunk. Not all bacteria is the same. Yes there more, but it's it benign or dangerous? They didn't bother to check.

[@MrTuelShed]

I am literally required to wear jeans as part of my work uniform so I'll be washing my jeans in hot water or drying them in the sun because jeans hate hot water I guess haha

[@TheJPKaram]

You need to remember that the dishes are the super cultivated bacteria, yes you have more in your jeans but that doesn't mean you have as much as in a dish made for that result. Also the world is full of bacteria, trust your immune system and remember a lot of bacteria are not harmful

[@MissSkittles89]

Saaaame 🥹

[@DudefaceUK]

NekoOnigiri, your cameos in the theory episodes are brilliant! More Neko!!

[@mikethegoo]

The team is really cool! I love how they're getting more involved in the video's nowadays. I especially like Amy, but that's because she's a goth as well. I would envy her skintone if I were capable of feeling jealous

[@SylviaMoonbeam1127]

It’s also worth mentioning that not all of that may be bacteria. We grow hundreds of Petri dishes every week in the museum I work at, so I can tell the difference between bacteria (which we keep to show to guests for the experiment) and mold (which we have to toss out because it ruins our dishes). Based on what I’m seeing on the relatively small sample size you have there, I am seeing some fungal colonies. While your legs aren’t growing mushrooms anytime soon, it’s worth knowing that we have cultures of fungi (such as naturally occurring yeast) on and in our bodies, and a lot that can live in soil. And how can we grow a lot of mold too? A dark, warm, humid environment, just like the attic.

[@Mashhul]

Yeah, but they wrapped the samples and they are pretty hermatically sealed....so they kinda reduced the humidity in the environment... All samples are kept in darkness at a relatively warm temperature as far as I know...

[@andrewcook5192]

There’s also the difference of dry swab vs wet swab.

[@corneliastreet2491]

Steph does have a chemistry degree so I think she considered this too

[@pomberry3591]

@@corneliastreet2491 chemistry and biology/microbiology are very different fields.

[@BadlyDrawnJack]

Europeans will disagree on the attic description. Cold, arid, but yes, dark.

[@wheres_galdo]

suggestions for any future experiments: When the control swabs were taken, that was on dry skin. Mud swabs were taken with the moisture from the mud, rinse swabs were taken while still wet, and soaped swabs were taken while just out of the shower still moist (as far as I could tell). The added moisture from taking the sample may have made for an increased humidity environment which may have been a contributing factor as to why so much bacteria grew compared to the control. If you were to repeat this experiment, I suggest taking the samples all dry or all wet to alleviate the added variable of added moisture. fun video tho. heherawrxD

[@damianmeneses4382]

I'm thinking about that, because is know that moisture helps to bacteria proliferate.

[@SteelsCrow]

Your comment helped me remember that water is a great transfer medium for microbes. To a microbe, moist is hardly any different from wet, but both are far different from dry.

[@spectralspectra2282]

From what I can tell from the video they did wet the swab before taking the dry sample, but I'm not sure

[@GoldenRedder]

Yes that is a huge potential for error. To mitigate the external variables, they should have maintained one swabing style instead of switching from dry swabing to wet swabing. The needed to let the area dry after each step to maintain consistent variables.

[@encounteringjack5699]

That’s what I was thinking that too. Knowing moisture is a factor, I was like… maybe it’s the added water?

[@user-xg2ik2zo1p]

I would love to hear Steph's opinion in Dr. Squatch soaps if possible. They say they have real ingredients that don't need a science degree to understand. I feel it would be interesting since it's different from all other soaps.

[@chironroe8288]

A colleague of mine did her thesis on the effect of detergents on the anaerobic digestion of food waste, and the detergents actually increased the growth rate and production of methane.

[@willow8783]

I'd always heard that Dove is more of a gentle, lotion bar for hydrating the skin more than anything else. It shocked me that the team was using it to test cleaning/removing bacteria unless the episode had been sponsored by Dove. It would definitely be interesting to see the experiment repeated with a soap meant for cleaning and breaking up oils instead.

[@MegaLokopo]

Soap is soap though, look at the ingredients labels.

[@WonderfulAkari]

Isn't Dove a soap replacement?

[@clockworkdryad]

Dove even says on its own website that their beauty bar is not “soap”

[@Wyrenth]

Agreed, I made a similar comment/observation, but I feel like after they've found a brand of soap that functions as advertised/expected, maybe they could re-visit this experiment to see if different styles of soap are more or less effective.

[@michaelokeefe9579]

I'm glad I didn't have to go that far to see this. I didn't think Dove was actually soap. It's clearly marketed as a cleanser and moisturizing bar. If it was really soap, wouldn't it be marketed as "soap"?

[@cullenvanranst244]

i just wanna say how thankful I am to steph and editor dan for taking over the style and food theory I loved both of these videos. thanks.

[@scalierlist2261]

Do a test on what is the best conditioner, shampoo, and body wash and make it a three part video because I genuinely would love this from you guys

[@mystic22222]

From my childhood 65 years ago, Dove and Ivory soaps were notorious to causing dermatitis --- rashes, blisters, shingles and psoriasis outbreaks. I can't even wash my hands with these without skin irritation for the next few days.