Osmolar concentration of soap/water solutions

Being a near lifelong enema enthusiast, over the years I tried out a few concoctions until I settled on a few recipes which fulfills all of my needs, i.e. plain isotonic solution and some herbal recipes which I buffer fully or partly according to my desire of the circumstance to just give my colon a soothing bath or allow it to soak up some active ingredient. (I can clearly perceive the different effects but I'll put that aside for the moment lest I'd go OT.)

On the other hand I have always been intrigued by the fact that sopasuds seems to be the favorite enema solution for a wide share of aficionados. I also understood that not everyone among them adopt it for nostalgic or any other less than rational reasons, plus the fact that health issues or adverse reactions have been always associated with abuse, ignorance, or plain idiocy. Somehow the idea just didn't suit me albeit when I think back at my first enema at the age of 10, after a long research I had since discovered what the milky liquid in the can was: a pharmaceutical preparation of mild soap and simethicone, an anti-foaming agent added for use as a cleansing/soothing enema for bowel preparation before image diagnostics. That gave my first afterglow and aroused the "primal suspicion"... The rest is history.

Only recently I begun to get the hang about the effectiveness of a good soapsuds enema. No shame to confess that I went through it in stages, with mixed feelings about the alleged irritating properties of soap. I say so for this controversial feature has to do with many facets entwining one another. Type of soap, temperature, concentration, retention time - all come into play. After a bit of reasoning and self-persuading, nowadays I am no longer wary of soapsuds as my distrust upon the subject slackened somewhat. Curiosity had to be fulfilled so I started collecting and comparing thoughts, impressions, and suggestions from various discussions either here or elsewhere around the 'net other that trying to dig further information about soapmaking and related recipes.

Finally I decided I had to try it. For my very first one I mixed two teaspoons of Dr. Bronner's peppermint soap in two liters of warm water. I was off synch with my average BM time and wasn't empty inside so l only took a little more than one and half liter, held it a couple of minutes then I sat on the commode. I didn't experience any stranger than ordinary feeling -no strain or tension- yet I had the clear impression of a faster, less fragmented release with a pleasing tingle throughout. I did it in my bathroom during an exceptionally hot afternoon during mid-summer of 2013 so despite the barthroom window ajar, the dark curtain and a fan placed strategically a few meters apart, boy I did sweat a lot. That, not cramps of sort, was the only discomfort I experienced that other 'first time' for me.

Decidedly satisfied of the sensations yet still rather cautious, I let a full year pass. Then I took another one with 'baby mild' soap - same dosage, no tingle, same satisfying results. Then, after a few months, another one always with unscented soap. To date my soapsuds enemas amount to about a dozen. They neither fit into my regular meditation pattern nor into my weekly enema-plus-shower routine. I rather take them sparingly as an isolated series of one with soap plus at least one large rinse. Although at least I had to admit to myself that I like the feeling a lot, I still think they will never undermine the role my favorite recipes had estabilished over the years.

I may think about seizing the soap solution's ability of acting as surfactant, which aids the solution to easily fill the colon and aids release too - that alone would make sense to me. Or even go for a slightly stronger solution on a whim, say enough to give a bit of urge but not to the point of making my bowels wriggle in spasm. Well, I found out that that the effect on my colon of about one teaspoon for liter comes faintly close to the second example. It's okay, yet without pushing things much farther I'd welcome for a little more experimentation just to become acquainted with the whole range of effects and finally adjust the proportions in order to gain confidence along with consistency... The idea is putting under my belt the notion of how using it safely, maybe for the first enema of a series, maybe not regularly, and the premise is to avoid either absorption and undue strain to the colon linings. The only perplexity I am left with at the moment lies about the feeling that soapsuds seems to squeeze too much mucus from my colon. Clean mucus, that is, coming out after I already emptied out. I never experienced such a dried-up feeling after releasing an enema with every other solution I customarily use, I need to investigate further on.

Since apart from having got the hang of some basic notions useful in everyday life I haven't been trained in chemistry proper, I'm really curious to ask our community a question:

► While with a graduated pitcher and a digital scale is fairly easy to obtain a plain .9% or 1.4% isotonic solution respectively out of salt and baking soda where both substances' chemical traits are invariable (there's even a way to mix both to make a buffered saline solution, but I still don't know the proportions - question suggested!), is there a way to determine the osmolarity of a soap and water solution in order to keep it within the boundaries of what can be considered fairly safe with a pinch of common sense (isotonic or nearly so)? The only kind I'd think of is Dr. Bronner's,

Given at least a coarse estimate of one's tap water hardness, for such a calculation is necessary to know pH, alkaline gradient and relative concentration of a given soap before figuring out how much would go in a well-measured solution. Also it would be wise to display dosage in recognised units, not tea- or tablespoons. Cutlery size isn't consistent all over the world.

Thank you in advance - and best wishes for a happy new year 2016!

Wow. That is a pretty detailed post. It sounds like you've had some fun experimenting. I am a fan of soap so I'm glad you can see the appeal of it now.

Whilst this isn't necessarily the answer you might be looking for o hope it helps. I personally wouldn't worry about the osmolarity of soap. In my experience you don't retain soap long enough for it to become a real issue in terms of absoption. I'm sure if you are wanting a more detailed scientific answer others will be along here shortly who can better help.

Ultimately, exercising common sense (which you appear to have a fair amount of, judging by your posts) whilst experimenting with different solutions will only jar the side effect of lots of enema fun!

Rubbermark, thank you a lot for your kind reply.

Wow. That is a pretty detailed post.

Let's put it this way: I had basic music training during primary school where I learned to read music. I could have gone on strumming randomly all the time just for fun. Nonetheless since I understood that music was my cup of tea (no 'bag' no pun!) I sought after instruction for I couldn't even hope to build a career without. Private lessons, popular courses, imported books and scores, small talk with fellow pickers, informal sessions, stealing others' job and later on live performances supplemented adequately the lack of school courses and dedicated teachers. I have no academic degree in music yet I know my trade well enough because along my life I did everything I could to keep my chops up as I still do - no occasion was too futile to learn and explore. I started out at 17 with a stringed instrument, in a three-year bout was steadily playing three of them both live and on record, and had already added another couple before approaching woodwind at 32. After our band split up I ventured myself into other genres so I set up a routine of personal training with a close friend, just dropped out from orchestra to play popular music, for straightening out and stretching my bowstrokes after a decade plus of mastering a style which required very little exertion of the bowing hand. The same happened years later, I could teach myself flute and recorder at leisurely pace and still feel progress build but when I finally bought an oboe, which tone is especially kindred to my soul, I found myself stuck in a hole so I entered evening classes held at local Conservatory where qualified teachers following standard textbooks offered insight, advices, coaching and set up personal drills for us to learn liberally from without being due to pass tests or else. He taught how to make reeds and encouraged us adult amateurs with various degree of knowledge in a most friendly way, allowing us to step up with a faster learning curve. To sum it up: not being a chemist doesn't mean I'd be careless about my proclivities... :-P Same goes for my trade.

It sounds like you've had some fun experimenting.

I started taking regular enemas about two years before begun immersing myself in music... Sure I had! Of course always within the boundaries of common sense and some basic then more advanced knowledge. Besides approaching other subjects more closely related to my congenital condition I started pretty soon training myself in anatomy and physiology of the digestive tract with main focus on the colon (you bet it) and its somewhat obscure interactions with the brain proper other than the whole body. So yes, I still have fun experimenting, albeit my routine is pretty much estabilished now. But you never stop learning, huh? That's what my post was all about.

I am a fan of soap so I'm glad you can see the appeal of it now.

Until a couple years ago I never dared putting in my bag (irrigator actually) anything even remotely less than soothing for safety's sake, but mostly because I wouldn't seek other than gently flushing my colon and pampering myself with such a blissful treatment, and this right from the start i. e. long before reaching puberty when I finally grasped the erotic side of enemas. I relish baking soda for one, although I don't like how residues tend to encrust gear especially the hose. And even before I started to get seriously interested in buying/picking herbs in order to make some useful concoctions, and that didn't happen until about twenty years ago, my first choice whenever appliable (brewing is time consuming) has always been camomile. In my country this herb is time tested, time honored for its action on the digestive tract (one can brew it alone or along with with fennel seeds, fresh lemon rinds or dried laurel leaves to steer and enhance the effects) and indeed has a long tradition for using it in enemas because its antispastic properties really help colon relaxation thus easy fillings, no cramps, and uncluttered release.

Putting aside my first sparse attempts at self-admistration around 12-13 years of age with large plastic syringes and the small bulb Mom had used on me a few times as a toddler mostly on vacation, as soon as the melting pot of emotions, recollections, basic notions and medical/nursing informations -which I've always been an avid reader- coaxed in my brain, the switch cap was off and the switch itself ready to be flipped permanently on. Shortly after I discovered why and how to buffer the solution to avoid re-absorption and subsequent trips to the toilet to pee. I have to confess here that upon many among my first full yet unbuffered enemas such a nuisance led me to think that I could possibly had a hole in my colon - an important bit of knowledge was still to dawn on me and as the story goes it did shortly after.

But you're right, all in all I suspected that I was missing 'something'. Perhaps I just had to overcome my fears - nothing really frightening but robust diffidence so to say. Fact is, apart from my quirky, temporary lockup following a long trip (I wrote about it in another thread about enemas when travelling) I am fairly regular. Nothing seems to upset my system and never in my life experienced any noticeable bowel ailment with a notable exception: ironically, the same year I started giving myself regular enemas with plain isotonic solution I suffered from a nearly ruptured appendicitis (nothing to do with my enemas I later learned). To make a long story short I was taken to the nearest hospital's ER, slashed open within an hour (3" scar still here) then left a few days to recover with latex drainages dangling from my abdominal wall and many shots of antibiotic administered twice daily. The day before being discharged I was given the first Fleet of my life. (And only: there will never be another!) Eventually everything went OK and about four months later I resumed taking enemas.

Whilst this isn't necessarily the answer you might be looking for, I hope it helps.

Every bit of information is useful, each one fills some corner.

I personally wouldn't worry about the osmolarity of soap.

I'm just curious. Soap is somewhat a modified sodium or potassium salt reacted with fatty acids and is strongly alkaline by nature, so I was wondering what's all about.

In my experience you don't retain soap long enough for it to become a real issue in terms of absorption.

That's true, all in all you won't retain it but for a small amount of time. But how long is safe, even with a relatively weak solution? While my idea is learning to use it as I wrote before, and I indeed feel my confidence grow with each soapsuds enema, I am still willing to experiment and would really know more by going through its full dynamics at slightly higher concentration. This way I would be able to tailor the dosage for a mild stimulation without upsetting my system. I understand that it can be done quite safely with empirical approach, but why missing a chance to know more about the matter? As I already said, in spite of my initial wariness I surprised myself upon how much I've come to like it. I don't take enemas seeking for cramps or worse so I won't never mix with the water anything suspicious or odd just for fun anyway. I never experienced cramps throughout a soapsuds enema until now and certainly wouldn't like ending up with a writhing colon when all of my life as a klismo I've been exiting the bathroom with an empty, light and relaxed feeling, ready to go out and eat the world for breakfast. It's a different sensation from what I'm used to feel but it really makes "a good enema". Broadly speaking I've always been keen of traditions... Well, lesson learned: never distrust a tradition! :-D

I'm sure if you are wanting a more detailed scientific answer others will be along here shortly who can better help.

That's exactly what I hoped by posting my question. No, wait: *two* questions actually. :-)

Ultimately, exercising common sense (which you appear to have a fair amount of, judging by your posts) whilst experimenting with different solutions will only jar the side effect of lots of enema fun!

Excuse me, did I read right 'jar'? Why in the word? Clearing my colon is the (most welcome, that is) side effect. The "side effects" as you call 'em are cake to me, not frosting.

I'm not really a fan of soap but I have used it very lightly in my soap suds enemas. I really don't care for the pain of severe cramping, I can take light cramps but not painfull cramps. My Mom's enemas would cause painfull cramps which I hated. So my enema solution consists of Warm water a very small amount of ivory soap and a tsp of salt. I usually don't get cramps with this solution and if I do they are very mild cramps that I get rid of by rubbing my belly. I also have no problems holding this for 10 min before expelling it.

I might as well have left this quote out before, but there it goes:

[...] a plain .9% or 1.4% isotonic solution respectively out of salt and baking soda where both substances' chemical traits are invariable (there's even a way to mix both to make a buffered saline solution, but I still don't know the proportions - question suggested!)

I seized having a day all for myself today so after a good night sleep, a tasty brunch, a couple hours' practice on the flute and an enema toward the evening, I did some extensive web research. After browsing through chemistry treatises mostly devoted to intravenous perfusion solutions and elusive ad pages (no hint in both) at last I could get the said ratio on several short essays on nasal irrigations where an isotonic buffered solution is said to be even better tolerated by the delicate mucose tissue of the sinuses. The suspicion of having stumbled upon another of those disheartening, annoying copy-and-paste jobs so common throughout many wacky holistic oriented websites went away after a brief crosscheck with chemistry data tables found elsewhere so I feel confident about what I found out to be reasonably correct. I post it here for everyone's reference:

BUFFERED ISOTONIC SALINE SOLUTION

mixing ratio for one liter (1.057qt or 2.113pt)

NaCl (sodium chloride, table salt) ----------------- 7.14 g (0.251oz)

NaHCO3 (sodium bicarbonate, baking soda) --- 2.69 g (0.094oz)

Based on the average capacity of domestic teaspoons, the layman's recipe for each liter of buffered solution would amount as:

table salt ------- 2 flat tsp

baking soda --- ¾ tsp

Movin' on, now let's see whether some member who's well versed in chemistry can conjure how to work out at least a rough estimate of the same principle applied to a soap/water mix.

I like how you have the fancy shmancy 3 and 4 significant figure values and then tell people how to measure using tableware spoons! How ridiculous. It's a fucking enema not an intravenous infusion. That kind of precision doesn't make a dog shit's worth of difference in an enema. If you want to be the big professor, herr doktor, or the grande fromage of enemas, just get something close to .9% NaCl and 1.4% NaHCO3 and you'll be just fine. Plain water is fine. This isn't rocket science or brain surgery.

I'll tell you a special secret about the soap too:

IT DOESN'T MAKE MUCH DIFFERENCE WITH THAT EITHER!

sorry for the rant, but this is ridiculous.

Thank you susie--I get amused by some of the things I read here

Wow, what a rant indeed.

Maybe I've expressed myself a bit too at lenght and/or missed something, but sure didn't mean to get in over anyone's head.

Everyone's opinion is welcome, yet I'm afraid you Susie misunderstood the gist of my post. I was just curious to seek such information and simply happened to find it by myself - period.

[..] 3 and 4 significant figure values and then tell people how to measure using tableware spoons! How ridiculous.

Please be at least honest not to switch around sentences to make them sound other than they're supposed to mean. Indeed because it's an enema and not an IV infusion, the significant figures are simply what that they are - your life doesn't depend on that. Should I have had them reduced to 2-figure digits before posting them guessing that someone in the headquarters could possibly get uptight? THIS would have been ridiculous. As with any other recipe dosages, everyone can follow 'em strictly, follow 'em loosely, or never mind to altogether. I just wanted to share a notion in case someone else might ever wonder the same thing. I use a digital scale because I happen to have one (actually two, the other one is in my workshop - professional bias sorry, and before that I used a two-dish precision brass scale) so the job is easily done. But right because enemas aren't rocket science or brain surgery, or a resin-to-catalyst ratio for what matters, it is of much less concern whether one measures the lacing of choice with a scale, in spoonfuls, or in dropperfuls. So what?

That kind of precision doesn't make a dog shit's worth of difference in an enema

If you want to be the big professor, herr doktor, the grande fromage of enemas

Being the polite guy that I happen to be, I'll pass over this. Such an amount of sarcasm is overshoot at best. Besides I can't figure out what prompted such a string of derogatory remarks. I enjoyed every line of reading, learning, comparing, experimenting, sharing since I first joined Zity. I shared some thought and recollections, I'm here to learn and offer any contribution as well. Now you're acting like I went here to brag or to shovel muck all over the community. To me this is really ridiculous - from a moderator what's more, go figure out.

[...]just get something close to .9% NaCl and 1.4% NaHCO3 and you'll be just fine.

That's true. Did I say anything odd or contrary to that?

Plain water is fine.

Sure it is, although I'd rather do away with the minor nuisance of peeing any pooled solution later as I always experienced such a fact upon my first enemas before learning why and how to add salt and/or baking soda to the water, and I'm not all that sure how 'fine' for electrolyte balance ends up to be, say, after a series of three or four high volume enemas with unbuffered water. Tastes are individual though and I, for one, had read some recipes here which I'd never dare to try even if paid in reward, and others that made my hair stand at the sole thought. I know who I am, know what I like and what I don't and don't take enemas for nurturing any strange quirk. This doesn't mean I should feel myself excused from politeness and start to bash every member I think of as being a bit too twisted for my tastes. This doesn't mean I should resign to shifting my standpoint askew because of the fair share of members involved in things outside my range of interest either.

I'll tell you a special secret about the soap too:fine. IT DOESN'T MAKE MUCH DIFFERENCE WITH THAT EITHER!

'Difference' from what exactly? Let's talk about it if you feel like.

OK, perhaps I'd better call it quits, this is going nowhere.

While the osmolar concentration of soap and water solutions might be interesting, as Switchablesusie points out, it is very unlikely to meaningful for anything. When Soap solutions are talked about, they are generally discussed in terms of percentage soap by weight and my recollection is the suggestion for enema is about .7%. That corresponds to a 10gm soap packet in 1500ml of water. That is how many disposable enema products are packaged. 1500ml bag/bucket, packet with 10gm soap.

. Osmolar concentration could be quite difficult to determine, as you would need to know the molecular weight of the Soap molecule. This is further complicated by the fact that many commercial bar soaps are not a single soap molecule, but a mixture of several different soap molecules (each of which has a different molecular weight), whose individual proportions in the bar are not specified. I just picked up a box of soap and read the ingredients and counted 5 different Salts of Fatty Acids (soaps) in the product. Fatty Acids come in a huge range of configurations and molecular weights, so there may be VAST differences between the molecular weights of the various soaps in the product.

The problem is further complicated by the fact in the presence of hard water, the calcium replaces the sodium in the soap molecule, and the soap becomes insoluble, resulting in 'soap scum'. If it isn't in solution, it doesn't contribute to osmolarity.

So I agree with what Switchablesusie said. It isn't meaningful, and is generally impossible to determine with any reasonable accuracy in commercial soap products.

While the osmolar concentration of soap and water solutions might be interesting, as Switchablesusie points out, it is very unlikely to meaningful for anything.

With all due respect I still think it a sincere yet rather blunt statement. Even if I'll likely come to pin to my knowledge base the notion that working out a bit of experimentation and subsequently sticking with product of choice and concentration which gives agreeable results according to my own expectations is the only way to deal with soapsuds, the core reason behind my request for reliable information as per thread's title is that I indeed praise the credentials of Zity members connected with medical/nursing environment or versed in chemistry enough to help determining whether such a calculation would be feasible. I also was calling for some clarity by throwing on the table my thought in order to help whoever might be concerned by possible side effects of retaining a soapsuds enema for reasonably long bouts of time. In search of the elusive data I've been gathering information throughout books and websites for years and couldn't find any reliable reference, so here I was.

When soap solutions are talked about, they are generally discussed in terms of percentage soap by weight and my recollection is the suggestion for enema is about .7%. That corresponds to a 10gm soap packet in 1500ml of water.

I never tried packet soap so I can't compare data. Given my previous experiences with a few other favorite recipes whose I often reserve long retention periods, it's not that long since I've come to grasp and savor the main trait of how a soapsuds enema acts on my own innards. Even without experiencing no cramps at all as with the concentrations I tried out until now (ranging from 5 to 8 ml per liter, rather bland compared to the one used by people whose dosage according to various posts amounts to tablespoons instead ot teaspoons), I won't retain such an enema more than a couple minutes beyond my average 15-minute administration time and that's that. But unless they're bragging about it, I read of many members who take more than two quarts of strong soapsuds trying to retain them as long as they can. This alone sprang some thoughts about the overcome of soap compounds being possibly absorbed in the bloodstream should the soap solution at a given concentration turn out to be rather hypotonic. In another post I read of people tasting peppermint after the enema so it seems that some essential oils added to scent the soap are able to reach the bloodstream hence the related triggering of tastebuds as Susie explained in more than one posts. Conversely, the already proved feature of soap solutions to give more complete returns along with a temporary stripping effect on colon epithelium's surface layer could even hint at the opposite - unless colon lining show this behavior uniquely in reaction to the strong muscular exertions elicited. I don't have a degree in biochemistry yet even as a blunt layman I'd tend to think that this apparent mismatch could hint elsewhere judging by the amount of clean mucus, allegedly 'squeezed' from colon linings, I expel with the last spurts of a mild soapsuds enema, If that's what happens, it did pass unnoticed if not for the detailed feeling of my peristalsis being 'put in line' throughout the release so to say, i.e. at perfectly phased pace.

Maybe I already discovered the ideal proportions for my taste within my first attempts. So if it's that well let's be it - no more questions, put it under belt, smile and move on... ;-)

Osmolar concentration could be quite difficult to determine, as you would need to know the molecular weight of the soap molecule.

I see. I was just wondering whether anyone did already attempt at gaining a bit of consistency by limiting the analysis on a single soap. For example, both the soap in premeasured packets and Dr. Bronner's would present the twofold advantage of being liquid (easy to measure out) and consistent in concentration (easy to work out dilutions).

This is further complicated by the fact that many commercial bar soaps are not a single soap molecule [...] 5 different Salts of Fatty Acids (soaps) [...] Fatty acids come in a huge range of configurations and molecular weights, so there may be VAST differences between the molecular weights of the various soaps in the product.

I've always been puzzled by such intermingling data so I thank you for adding further bits of information to common knowledge to begin with. As for the soap packets I guess you're relating to PDI, Triad, Tri Leaf etc. which composition (part of, actually) I already retrieved. But since hereabout such products have always been hard to find and nowadays are gone even from hospitals, I had to wait until Dr. Bronner's became available. Long before my first forays into soapsuds enemas I already had found genuine castile soapbars, free of perfumes and any chemicals unrelated to plain soapmaking process, which proved to be a blessing for my dryish, thin skin. On the other hand for my first soapsuds enema I had already opted for liquid soap to allow me accurate enough dosage and not having to scrub lots of scum off my equipment.

Back to the subject, some time ago I gave a try to the forum's search function and I stumbled upon this post from a nameless account, maybe suspended:

[...] There was a paper done a few years back (I think Schmelzer was one of the authors, "Safety and Effectiveness of Large-Volume Enema Solutions") on how tap water enemas were absorbed to a certain degree, but soapsuds kept their volume and produced significantly better results. [2010.09.03 07:54]

I happen to have that paper, issued in 2004 and signed by four other researchers (three MDs and a RN). I had found its abstract on some website more than a decade ago. The study was about a clinical trial about enema administration involving soapsuds, tap water, and PEG-ES, comparing results under several parameters including biopsies of rectal tissue. Eager to know more upon the subject from the vantage point of a clinical study performed on volunteers with at least some steady line of features throughout, I emailed Prof. Marilee Schmelzer briefly explaining who I am and the reasons behind my interest since her fame bagan to spread beyond Arlington, TX. I asked her if she would be so kind to send me a copy of the paper and she did within short. Reading this ten-page report, extrapolated from Applied Nursing Research vol. 17, allowed me to confirm informations which I had already picked up from other sources and contributed to slacken my innate diffidence towards solutions which main feature have always been labelled with sentences more or less orbiting around the word 'irritation'. Among other data worth of mentioning there's the osmolality of the soapsuds solution employed throughout the study (6 g unidentified "liquid castile soap" in 1 l deionized water) which resulted inferior to that of colon's contents ending up being absorbed a little more than PEG enema (which being isotonic played the role of reference), but being absorbed much less than tap water. Alleged damage to colon lining was found as inconsistent, surely linked to both soapsuds and tap water yet also dependent upon other variables (hard stool, too-harsh solutions, individual issues). Interesting enough, among the conclusions is that further investigations are needed to better understand interactions between osmosis and chemical reactions (the mucosa stripping may point out to colon's natural tendence of getting rid of irritation by sending mucus cell into overdrive until some peels away) and trying to extricate the myriad of variables that leave cross-references. Also, hypotonic solutions such as tap water seem to promote mucosal damage more than isotonic solutions.

So besides giving rather consistent effectiveness within the study, at least soapsuds enemas turns out not to be public enema number one. Even without further investigation I am inclined to think that common sense wins here too. As I reassure myself, «enough to urge but not to purge», I imagine that many a klismo got to the same conclusions by feel but hey, what's wrong with inquiring among smart and educated people? :-)

The problem is further complicated by the fact in the presence of hard water, the calcium replaces the sodium in the soap molecule, and the soap becomes insoluble, resulting in 'soap scum'. If it isn't in solution, it doesn't contribute to osmolarity.

Got it, fairly easy to understand. I can only speak for myself here. Tap water in my town is fairly safe bacteriologically but it's rather hard. I never had the chance to perform a pH test on it but it doesn't take much to get an idea of how much limescale shows after boiling a pan of water, or the halo left on by a single droplet after evaporation. Also my washing machine, according to producer's directions, requires the highest water softener/detergent ratio each cycle. As a rough estimate, maybe I'll try to add another ml of two of soap to my solution to help counteract excess calcium carbonate and see if I experience any difference.

As a general consideration I'd rather tend to agree that the common way of doing some experimentation and adjusting the few parameters at hand surely brings trustful enough results. Then if after thorough reasoning I understand that calculations leading to data I'm searching about is nearly impossible to perform, well I just accept it as a fact of life - no arguments forwarded.

Drawing strings, unless this place happens to be a gathering of loonies or an almanac of human quirkiness centered upon self-inflicted discomfort (count me out please) I think no one should allow him/herself to utter harsh remarks out of the blue. There's a reason embracing both safety and comfort, not futile debate, behind my curiosity. Otherwise I sincerely apologise to the community for creating such an annoying nuisance, if you allow me to express myself out of my heart.

Heck, my sign proved to be a curse... :-D

It's an enema. My give-a-shit factor just got flushed down the toilet.

OMG Quincy me too!!!! Yikes! Meditations on SSEs cubed.

That was the longest post I ever read.....wait I didn't even read all of it, I fell asleep halfway through it ZZZZzzzzzzzzzzz.

Why make a simple process so complicated...It's an enema not a scientific production saga

More questionable feedback laced with snickers, I see...

It's an enema not a scientific production saga

Saga? "Scientific production"? OMG. Please don't make a fuss out of something that simply isn't there.

I didn't give way to insight and other references for the odd motivation of making "a simple process so complicated". I only fed into my spontaneous notion of laying down strings of thoughts alongside with some reliable references, all of which sprung from the initial question in order to help clearing some fog for the benefit of whoever enjoying soapsuds enemas might be puzzled by such topic and possibly come down with a nasty case of question time just as I had until recently. My fault? Naïvete maybe? Well I am human, I accept it. A lot of members are into things that I know are poles apart from my world, even despicable in more than one way, but that's that. It's their environment, their kinksphere, and I wish them peace and happiness. The same when I read posts featuring oddities, fake, or plain bullstool - I feel no compulsion to bash around for this or that, around the corner you'll always find threads where precious bits of information, advice, common sense, deep thoughts, empathy, baresoul typing hold the line and warm your heart. I sincerely appreciate Zity for what it is, a wonderful place that allows like-minded people to connect within a wide range of meanings.

In my mainstream life I strived to learn proper technique for the sake of leaving it behind to allow myself to a slow yet ongoing learning process. Coming to enemas I can't see any difference: no expertise or good-natured confidence should get in the way when some type of alert start flashing underneath. Getting enthralled by the subject only to get away with either a shallow shrug or a too-bold approach it's not my nature so sometimes a puzzling thought needs to be disentangled.

As for the latest remark... Yes, simply put it *is* a simple process as that's what we all know... Only once one masters it though, be it after having been either trained or self-taught for with a comprehensive approach an enema is really a hair’s breadth trickier than it looks. Definitely I have no intention to get in over anyone's head, in fact I like to take it easy and beneath this lies what I really like: being able to take it easy as confidence, comfort and well-being they all rule here. Alas, my latest post wasn't at all centered to technique or process per se.

That was the longest post I ever read...

Unfortunately it's impossible to further shrink articulated sentences so I apologise for writing at length if this ensues in my post being perceived as a nuisance. As usual, some may find interest when others may find boredom. Sarcasm has no place in this IMHO, humor likely has much more - and that will always be more than welcome. ;-)

In regard to the subdued question, I'd likely deem it well enough addressed to as far as I am concerned, so thank you a lot to everyone whose advice helped me to sort out things. I have no overwhelming need to further linger on the subject, however I'll stay tuned for whatever significant notion may be added in future.

Someone has just way too much time on his hands. Brevity is the soul of wit you know.

While I defend the right to post, it sounds like a grad school paper in any of a thousand professions.

I'll exercise my option of scaning and ignoring

The enema may well have been the first medical procedure ever used. It is also, over human history the most widely used.

That said, how bad can they be?

Aren't we largely evolved to tolerate them??

so make your own decision.

If you didn't like enemas to some degree, you are likely not on this forum.