Ouch! Toilet Paper For a Pain in the Posterior! (Izal Medicated Strong Toilet Paper)

Member Name: witchwaysup

Product:	Izal Medicated Strong Toilet Paper
Date:	10/04/01 (1897 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: See Opinion

Disadvantages: See Opinion

Remember the old days when Izal toilet paper was standard issue for school toilets? No? then you are indeed fortunate my friend.

Izal produce two versions of this hideous toilet paper. A continuous roll and a neat little box that fits into a neat little toilet tissue box holder.

On paper (pun intended!) this product appears to offer much to the fastidious bottom and front bottom wiper! Not only is it medicated to help kill bacteria and therefore provide better family hygiene, it comes in one colour only - semi opaqued tracing paper clear. Therefore you do not have to spend hours deciding on which colour to use to best enhance your bathroom decor.

Now to the nitty-gritty (pun again intended!). This paper is extremely unhelpful when used for the purpose stated!

It has a shiny side which may look vaguely more aesthetically pleasing than the other, matt finish side. This side is useless for absorbing drips.

In fact any drips tend to skate across the surface, thereby ensuring a surefire deposit of said drips onto the wiping hand. Not my idea of hygienic. Still, I can take comfort from the fact that the medicated coating may have killed off the bacteria en route, maybe. Personally I would rather not take the risk.

I guess the shiny side is intended for the back end. It must be, as any accidental error that means you use the matt side for this unpleasant task will surely result in extreme discomfort, as the sharp edges of the scrunched up paper scrape against the delicate skin in an effort to remove unsightly remains post excavation of bowels,
removing layers of skin with razor sharp efficiency.

You must of course remember that the medicated coating will naturally help with the process of healing these wounds however.

I do wonder why anyone who has ever had to use this product would ever want to buy it, but I have to admit I have relatives who have always used it. Obviously I take my own
tissues when I visit!

I guess that schools started using this as it is unlikely to be pinched by school children for alternative uses, such as for blotting paper (it wouldn't work), for removing make-up (too rough) or for blowing noses (forget it, the surface isn't absorbent), therefore saving millions over the years.

Nowadays the school children have it easy. Huge rolls of lovely, almost soft, certainly absorbent toilet paper can be found freely available. But for those of us who suffered the Izal years, there is a tiny mental scar that never really heals.


Consequently, if you have not yet realised it, I must state that I cannot find any redeeming features that would lead me to recommend this product however hard I try!

That is my opinion anyway! Over to you Jill!

UPDATE: Alternative uses:

It has been mentioned that this paper has a use for schoolchildren which I had forgotten. Tracing paper is apparently far too sensible to use when you can substitute Izal. It never worked very well for me, because if you trace with it shiny side up, the pencil doesn't work on the surface, if you trace shiny side down, the shiny side slips about and you end up with a very odd looking copy of the item being traced. Thank goodness for photocopiers!

I do recall that a sheet of Izal placed over a comb made a wicked kazoo, although it left a weird taste in your mouth, it was worth it.

Any other alternative uses? Leave a comment and I may well add them to the list.

Summary: