9 January: Bubble Bath Day

Today is bubble bath day. Here's 10 facts about foam baths.

1. What is a bubble bath? It's a bath with a product containing a type of chemical called a surfactant added to create a foam.
2. A common ingredient of bubble baths is sodium lauryl sulphate. A bubble bath product will also contain chemicals to make it thicker than Water, to make it smell nice, colouring and preservatives.
3. People like bubble baths for a number of reasons. One is that it cleans the skin - bubble bath contains the same active ingredients as shower gel, and because the surfactant mixes with both oil and water, it can dissolve all sorts of things including make-up.
4. Another reason is because the layer of foam insulates the bath water and keeps it warm for longer, so more time to relax in the tub.
5. A more practical reason is that it can reduce the deposits on the Bathtub (bathtub ring or scum) that result from the mixing of soap and hard water.
6. You'll often see people in films and TV taking bubble baths because the bubbles hide their body. An actor can take a bubble bath without taking his or her clothes off.
7. Bubble bath products are often aimed at children, such as Matey in the 1960s. Bubbles make bath time more fun so the thinking is that it will be easier to persuade the child to take a bath.
8. Scientists have even found evidence that bubble baths can help with a baby's cognitive development. It helps them develop hand-eye co-ordination as they play with the bubbles and helps them learn that objects they can't see (ie hidden by the bubbles) still exist – a concept babies are known to struggle with.
9. You can make your own bubble bath by adding the white of an egg and some honey to liquid soap.
10. There's a down side. Some people say that the chemicals in bubble baths dry the skin and can irritate sensitive skin and that you should bathe in Epsom salts or essential oils instead.

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