A different cotton

[Treebeard]

I've been using the CVS sterile cotton for a long time and it's been great....but I've always worried about it being bleached. So, someone on another forum mention this Pure Cotton - Koh Gen Do | Sephora and it sounded pretty good. I got some in the mail today and I like it better. Here is a copy/paste description:

"What it is:
A pack of 60 pure, natural soft-touch cotton pads.

What it does:
Made from cotton that has not been chemically treated, bleached, or pigmented, these medical-grade cotton pads easily come apart in layers when wet, allowing more surface use when removing makeup or saturating it with a toner or skin lotion for a mini facial. The extra thickness and durability add a soft cushion for those with sensitive skin.

What else you need to know:
The cotton used for this product was raised without the use of chemical fertilizer or pesticides to ensure pure, safe, superb quality.


For me, the first several toots with CVS cotton always tastes a little.....clinical. This (Koh Gen Do)
doesn't and in fact it doesn't seem to have a taste of it's own at all. Just slightly muted at first as you'd expect from a fresh wick anyway. After several toots, the flavor kicks in and is very good and I think more pronounced (bigger juice flavor) than the CVS.

It has a faint cream color compared to the CVS and it seems to be slightly more dense and is easy to roll. The only drawback(?) so far is that is has dark flecks in it (not a ton of it but visible). On the box it states that "the darker flecks are natural and should be expected" and "these non-irriating colorations are due to cotton seeds in the fine milling process and do not indicate a product defect." I purposely used a piece with a few flecks (they are tiny/fine) in it to see if it would be discernible. It was not. I also purposely let the wick get almost dry (but not to the point of burning the cotton) to see what would happen. I did get some of that faint burnt taste as expected but it was very muted compared to the CVS.

I particularly like the no "pesticides/bleach/fertilizer" part. AFAIC, the "sterile" in the CVS only means no germs but that there could still be residual/traces of pesticides/bleach/fertilizer compounds. IDK, maybe I'm just paranoid.

Can anyone see any potential problems (health or otherwise) using this product for wicking?

Anyway, I like it but as always YMMV.

 

[DoogieTony]

I can't see any problems with using it, nice find. I boil my wicking material at least twice changing the water in between, so I'm not to worried about contaminates.

 

[pdib]

Kay, beard, but don't come cryin' to us when a big ole boll weevil comes crawlin outa yer nose! . .. . . . . .y'hear?

 

[Dturp]

lol I see small spot's in the organic stuff to. It's just most people aren't looking that close. I even found a gnat inside one cotton ball. I don't think you have anything to fear.

 

[pdib]

'cept a big ole boll weevil . . . . . . . . . .

 

[Treebeard]

I can't see any problems with using it, nice find. I boil my wicking material at least twice changing the water in between, so I'm not to worried about contaminates.

Boiling is good.

Kay, beard, but don't come cryin' to us when a big ole boll weevil comes crawlin outa yer nose! . .. . . . . .y'hear?

LOL! My son and his girlfriend just ran in here to see what I was laughing at and then they laughed thier azz'z off. You funny guy, dibby.

lol I see small spot's in the organic stuff to. It's just most people aren't looking that close. I even found a gnat inside one cotton ball. I don't think you have anything to fear.

Haha! But did the gnat enhance the flavor?

 

[MamaTried]

gnats? weevils?

nothing wrong with a little extra protein...

 

[Dturp]

LOL Believe me I'm not in the least squeemish but for some reason bug juice didn't appeal to me! lol

 

[MamaTried]

LOL Believe me I'm not in the least squeemish but for some reason bug juice didn't appeal to me! lol

well, i do draw the line at bumblebees

 

[Dturp]

well, i do draw the line at bumblebees

How about a Hornet? This big guy decided he wanted to fly into my truck while I was driving down the road. Want to see a grown man scream louder then a 12 year old girl at a Justin Bieber concert? Just toss one of these in a vehicle with him!

 

[MamaTried]

How about a Hornet? This big guy decided he wanted to fly into my truck while I was driving down the road. Want to see a grown man scream louder then a 12 year old girl at a Justin Bieber concert? Just toss one of these in a vehicle with him!

pretty dang sure i could outscream you...

as a little kid i managed to get on the bad side of a swarm of yellowjackets. got stung pretty much everywhere. spent the next two days and nights in a big mud puddle, which would have been way cool under other circumstances. i think that same summer i had a similar run-in with red ants, so got tossed back into the mud. man, i hate those things!

my last house had black widows all over the back yard. never bothered me a bit. but hornets and red ants--- eeeek!

 

[Dturp]

pretty dang sure i could outscream you...

as a little kid i managed to get on the bad side of a swarm of yellowjackets. got stung pretty much everywhere. spent the next two days and nights in a big mud puddle, which would have been way cool under other circumstances. i think that same summer i had a similar run-in with red ants, so got tossed back into the mud. man, i hate those things!

my last house had black widows all over the back yard. never bothered me a bit. but hornets and red ants--- eeeek!

That reminds me of when I was a kid I had a little Yamaha dirt bike with the center prop kickstand that held the bike straight up. I being the brilliant mind I am decided to stick the rear tire over a fire ant hill and rev the bike up scattering the ant hill. Not so brilliant in the fact it flung dozens of fire ants all over me! lol Will never forget that so long as I live!

PS I assure you dogs were probably whimpering at the decibels I hit when that hornet came in my truck! lol

 

[darkzero]

IDK, maybe I'm just paranoid.

I think so.

I am by no means qualified to tell you you shouldn't worry but I don't worry. If there was enough of all those things to be that harmful they wouldn't be using them for wounds/medical purposes. What about the times the cotton is accidentally dry burned & is inhaled, that ain't healthy for you either. There's things that I breathe in everyday in the world that is not healthy, living in smoggy LA doesn't help either.

Vaping is not healthy & 100% harmless. It is of course much less harmful than smoking analogs. I told myself I would quit smoking one day to be healthier and I have. I tell myself one day I will quit vaping to be even healthier & not be dependent on one less thing. It might be a while but that day will come & I look forward to it. Sure I am all for practicing the less harmful alternative but there will always be something that is not good for you. It all comes down to the long term effect.

 

[nerak]

How about a Hornet? This big guy decided he wanted to fly into my truck while I was driving down the road. Want to see a grown man scream louder then a 12 year old girl at a Justin Bieber concert? Just toss one of these in a vehicle with him!

OH CRAP! That brought back a memory for me!

That exact species flew in my vehicle when I was driving too! It came and hit me and I couldn't look down to see where. I brushed my front off with my hand and felt this vibration, and the legs on my thumb! I flung it to the side and pulled in a parking lot as soon as I could. My thumb was tingling. I was so scared. I have allergies to bees and have been told to not wait to get help.

Well, I ran in a pizza place and asked for ice. I kept ice on it while I drove to work. It turned out not to be a sting. Maybe just bit me.

I was stung by a bee once. It flew in the window and stung me in the face under my sunglasses. That took a Dr. visit because of the reaction.

I really am freaked by your picture!!!!!!!! I named the hornet but it would be censored on ECF!!! LOL!

 

[ltrainer]

I've had several run ins with bee on my cycle. One time a wasp ended up inside my shirt on my back. It stung me about 5 or 6 times. I pulled off the road as fast as I could and ripped my shirt off. A woman came running out of her house to see if I was all right. Those stings burned.

Another time I was cruising along and suddenly a bee was buzzing around right in front of my face inside my full face helmet. I was afraid to lift the shield because I thought he might be mashed against my face and sting me. SO theres this bee buzzing around about 1 inch in front of my eyes. I had no place to get off the road so I had to drive about 1/2 mile to pull over. I lifted the shield and he flew away. Hope he found his way back to the hive.

 

[Vapolith]

Haha! But did the gnat enhance the flavor?

I don't use cotton, silica, or ekowool, I use a wick made of gnats woven together. Best flavor ever!

 

[Vapolith]

pretty dang sure i could outscream you...

as a little kid i managed to get on the bad side of a swarm of yellowjackets. got stung pretty much everywhere. spent the next two days and nights in a big mud puddle, which would have been way cool under other circumstances. i think that same summer i had a similar run-in with red ants, so got tossed back into the mud. man, i hate those things!

my last house had black widows all over the back yard. never bothered me a bit. but hornets and red ants--- eeeek!

When I was a kid, I was sucking on a lollipop, not looking at it. I took it out of my mouth, and a bee landed on it with me not noticing. And that is how we found out I was not allergic to bee stings.

 

[pdib]

So, I had opportunity to try this stuff (link in original post). I just started in on it today, and here's what I think . . . .

I'm enjoying your cotton very much, Tree. I didn't have any flavor issues with the sterile stuff, so I wasn't looking for an alternative. Nonetheless, I do find some differences. For one thing, that "cottony" taste that I get with a fresh build is there in equal degree; however, it tastes like natural cotton, and not vague "zingy-ness" like the bleached stuff. Also, it seems like the fibers are more robust. This, I imagine, will prove to be a boon or bane with a few days time. Maybe it will hold up longer. (that's my guess) Also, the format is actually really nice. The flat rectangular pads are easy to divide into wick-sized portions, and the fibers seem to be more aligned. If I weren't all'a time squonking, I'd be curious about whether this stuff actually wicks faster than sterile cotton. (?)

Anyhow, thanks! I can say for sure that it is at least as good as sterile cotton. If there's anyone out there who actually boils their sterile cotton balls, this would be an excellent "use from the box" alternative.

 

[yolo_]

hmm, think i will try some

 

[Treebeard]

So, I had opportunity to try this stuff (link in original post). I just started in on it today, and here's what I think . . . .

Glad you're liking it. I've been using it for over a week now and I find that it has no taste of its own. To me, the bleached cotton, when new, has a faint clinical taste (like band aids smell). I also find that I don't feel like I need to change the wick every day like I did with the sterile cotton (it turned dark quickly beneth and around the coil). I'm changing every 2-3 days where I was changing every day before (sub Ω). I do think it wicks just as fast if not faster and seems to stay wetter longer (don't have to squonk as often). I think you're right about it being more robust and dry hits are not as severe as with the other. Individual fibers seem to be thicker. I too like the way it pulls off the pad and it is easier to get a good roll. The biggie for me is that I'm getting great flavor for a longer period of time and it does not turn dark under the coil as quickly as the other. It might be my imagination but it seems that juice doesn't carmelize (? for lack of better word) as quickly on the wire coil. I really haven't found any cons yet. Think I'll stick with it...at least until I find the first weevil leg, antenne or turd. If you decide you don't like it, pass it on to the next willing reonaut guinea pig.