On 09/04/06 09:41 am Doug Miller wrote:

Comparing essentially deionized water to softened only water is not a
fair comparison.

It would prove or disprove the factoid in question, that the slipperiness
is due to the *absence* of anything but skin and water.

The slipperiness of water softened by ion exchange is due to the presence of
sodium ions. Rainwater doesn't feel slippery. Neither does steam-distilled
water.

I remember rainwater from the old farm back in the UK when I was a child
before we had a piped water supply. It *did* feel slippery. And I just
tried washing my hands with distilled water; it *did* leave them feeling
slippery.

Perce