Talc, whats it for ?
Talc, whats it for ?
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Discussion

J4CKO

Original Poster:

46,883 posts

230 months

Friday 13th July 2018
quotequote all
Read this,

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-44816805

Terrible that those women have cancer and the payouts are enormous, but what is Talc actually for, can safely say I have never used it, think we had some when the kids were little but I cant remember using it ?


Why would anyone needs to cover their body with a fine, chalky powder, do they have a Moth fetish ?

Is it to get dry as I find a towel does that adequately ? is it to smell nice, surely after a bath or shower you should smell right enough anyway ?


Dr Doofenshmirtz

16,952 posts

230 months

Friday 13th July 2018
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It's to prevent flab chafing (I guess).

matthias73

2,901 posts

180 months

Friday 13th July 2018
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Soldiers find it indispensable for cleaning their horrible sweaty or drenched feet with. Keeps the feet dry and therefore healthy.


I've also used it on my groin when in very hot places where odds of washing are nill.


OzzyR1

6,369 posts

262 months

Friday 13th July 2018
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Always associated it with babies tbh, never something I've used myself.

That said, I remember going swimming with my dad in the very late 70's/early 80's and seem to recall the blokes in the changing room throwing the stuff all over themselves. Don't see that nowadays for some reason.

Clive-sz8cz

117 posts

134 months

Friday 13th July 2018
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Stops inner tubes sticking to tyres.

soad

34,673 posts

206 months

Friday 13th July 2018
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Some chefs use it for culus archimagi cruciabile (aka chef's arse).

Zod

35,295 posts

288 months

Friday 13th July 2018
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It was a thing in the 70s. Never seen it since.

WinstonWolf

72,863 posts

269 months

Friday 13th July 2018
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Good for your swimming cap, pop some in after a swim and it won't rot or stick together.

CrutyRammers

13,735 posts

228 months

Friday 13th July 2018
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OzzyR1 said:
Always associated it with babies tbh, never something I've used myself.

That said, I remember going swimming with my dad in the very late 70's/early 80's and seem to recall the blokes in the changing room throwing the stuff all over themselves. Don't see that nowadays for some reason.
It was used in the days before spray deodorant was a thing.

yellowjack

18,483 posts

196 months

Friday 13th July 2018
quotequote all
matthias73 said:
Soldiers find it indispensable for cleaning their horrible sweaty or drenched feet with. Keeps the feet dry and therefore healthy.


I've also used it on my groin when in very hot places where odds of washing are nill.
This. In lieu of antiperspirant (tough finding a Superdrug in the deepest depths of a desert) it gets used on pits, bits, and feet to keep dry and a bit more comfortable than you otherwise would be. It is (or at least used to be) a checkable item in a soldier's personal kit, right up there with a razor and your weapon cleaning kit.

It makes a huge difference to comfort and health in hot or wet climates. If you're issued 5 pairs of socks, and are on exercise for 3 weeks with no hope of access to laundry facilities, using talcum powder to "freshen up" socks and underwear is the only viable solution really. Speaking as someone who wore the same pair of trousers for two months, and resorted to scraping the filth off the thighs with a jack-knife to retain some semblance of breathability. Clean clothes and a shower were something you dreamt about, and only existed a long time ago, in a galaxy far far away...


...I hadn't even owned a bottle of talc for about the last 6 years, but bought one because I was fed up with instantly sweaty feet as soon as put my foot in a shoe in the current hot weather. Drives the wife mad though, when I swap from shoes to slippers and leave a talcum powder footprint on the slate floor in the kitchen, but the fact that the talc is still powdery enough to dust the floor proves that it does a great job of keeping feet dry...

Jamesgt

851 posts

263 months

Friday 13th July 2018
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Also stops your alternator belt squealing.

captain_cynic

17,351 posts

125 months

Friday 13th July 2018
quotequote all
J4CKO said:
Read this,

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-44816805

Terrible that those women have cancer and the payouts are enormous, but what is Talc actually for, can safely say I have never used it, think we had some when the kids were little but I cant remember using it ?


Why would anyone needs to cover their body with a fine, chalky powder, do they have a Moth fetish ?

Is it to get dry as I find a towel does that adequately ? is it to smell nice, surely after a bath or shower you should smell right enough anyway ?
Talc is used to adsorb moisture, so its primary use is for babies' nappies. You'll also find it used by weightlifters to prevent their hands becoming sweaty.

The problem with the Johnson and Johnson case was that it was allegedly contaminated with asbestos which is known to be cancerous. Talc itself is quite safe.

J4CKO

Original Poster:

46,883 posts

230 months

Friday 13th July 2018
quotequote all
So, its used if you are Rambo in the jungle, or an American lady ?

I wonder if they will still sell it if it cost them 3.7 billion quid ?





RizzoTheRat

28,959 posts

222 months

Friday 13th July 2018
quotequote all
The main use is for scattering around the bathroom floor isn't it? At least that's what my wife does with it.

captain_cynic

17,351 posts

125 months

Friday 13th July 2018
quotequote all
J4CKO said:
I wonder if they will still sell it if it cost them 3.7 billion quid ?
From my (admittedly hurried) reading of it, it was never conclusively proven that J&J's talcum powder was contaminated with asbestos (evidence suggested) but the stuff tested from 2009 onwards is confirmed to be free of it.

So they're still going to sell it as it's an absolute gold mine for them. One of the things they make for pennies but sell for pounds.

julianm

1,735 posts

231 months

Friday 13th July 2018
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In the distant past dancers at the clubs would sprinkle some on the floor to assist with their groovy moves, hence the reference on the CD cover.

biggiles

2,170 posts

255 months

Friday 13th July 2018
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Handy for the beach too - lets you easily brush sand off (because it immediately dries it out).

Puggit

49,813 posts

278 months

Friday 13th July 2018
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I get my back waxed. Yes, really - it turns it from jungle to normal looking! The waxing lady uses it on my back after ripping off the hairs.

And I don't squeal like a girl either tongue out

Berkshire bred

985 posts

105 months

Friday 13th July 2018
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Nothing besides comedy farts as far as im aware biggrin

Edited by Berkshire bred on Friday 13th July 16:58

sinbaddio

2,861 posts

206 months

Friday 13th July 2018
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I only ever use it on holiday, when I don't what to wear socks in the evening. And it's bloody marvelous!