Ok, simple question: what makes colloidal oatmeal colloidal? Is is some chemical thing or is it a certain type of oat? This is the type of oatmeal used in aveeno baths and other treatments for skin. Is it really any different from regular oatmeal?

-- Elizabeth (Lividia66@aol.com), July 01, 2001

Answers

Elizabeth, a colloid is a mixture in which one substance is divided into minute particles (called colloidal particles) and dispersed throughout a second substance. The mixture is also called a colloidal system, colloidal solution, or colloidal dispersion. Familiar colloids include fog, smoke, homogenized milk, and ruby-colored glass. There are two basic methods of forming a colloid: reduction of larger particles to colloidal size, and condensation of smaller particles (e.g., molecules) into colloidal particles. Some substances (e.g., gelatin or glue) are easily dispersed (in the proper solvent) to form a colloid; this spontaneous dispersion is called peptization. A metal can be dispersed by evaporating it in an electric arc; if the electrodes are immersed in water, colloidal particles of the metal form as the metal vapor cools. A solid (e.g., paint pigment) can be reduced to colloidal particles in a colloid mill, a mechanical device that uses a shearing force to break apart the larger particles. An emulsion is often prepared by homogenization, usually with the addition of an emulsifying agent. The above methods involve breaking down a larger substance into colloidal particles. Condensation of smaller particles to form a colloid usually involves chemical reactions-typically displacement, hydrolysis, or oxidation and reduction. As far a Aveeno is concerned, the oatmeal used is probably just run of the mill stuff. It is the preparation that changes it's properties. Colloidal oatmeal is basically a raw oatmeal that is finely ground into a powder before using in products as a remedy or skin protectant for dry irritated skin. Probably more info than you wanted. If you are trying to make your own, run the oatmeal through a grinder until it reaches the finest powder you can acheive and use as you would Aveeno. Hope this helps.

-- Auntie Annie (sahamett@msn.com), July 01, 2001.

Auntie, I just want you to know that your science teacher would be so proud of you.

-- paul (primrose@centex.net), July 02, 2001.

Paul, thanks for the kudo. Science and math were my strong subjects, my English teacher on the other hand . . . :)

-- Auntie Annie (sahamett@msn.com), July 02, 2001.

Wow. (That's all I have to say.)

-- Soni (thomkilroy@hotmail.com), July 02, 2001.

I just run some rolled oats through the blender. Tie about a cup of it into a cloth bag, or the end of a sock, and drop it in your bathwater. A lot cheaper that aveeno, and I think that it works better, because you get a more concentrated exposure, especially if you rub yourself down with the bag towards the end of your bath. Rinse off with tepid water before you get out, and you're set.

-- Connie (Connie@lunehaven.com), July 07, 2001.