# What Makes Rubbing Alcohol Cold-Feeling?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-rubbing-alcohol-cold-feeling/203823>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 25, 2003, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-rubbing-alcohol-cold-feeling/203823 "2003-09-25T19:46:54Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 8\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![gypsymoth3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85e7bf/32.png) [@gypsymoth3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gypsymoth3)\
**Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-rubbing-alcohol-cold-feeling/203823/1 "2003-09-25T19:46:54Z")

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the title is pretty much self-explanatory.

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**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\
**Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-rubbing-alcohol-cold-feeling/203823/2 "2003-09-25T19:49:12Z")

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Alcohol evaporates very quickly, taking heat from your skin with it.

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**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\
**Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-rubbing-alcohol-cold-feeling/203823/3 "2003-09-25T19:49:45Z")

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Evaporation. Alcohol evaporates readily at room temperature. This evaporation cools the skin, just like sweat is supposed to do.

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**Author:** ![gypsymoth3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85e7bf/32.png) [@gypsymoth3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gypsymoth3)\
**Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-rubbing-alcohol-cold-feeling/203823/4 "2003-09-25T19:57:44Z")

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that is interesting. hmm… God should’ve made us where we sweat rubbing alcohol instead of saline water then.

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**Author:** ![gypsymoth3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85e7bf/32.png) [@gypsymoth3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gypsymoth3)\
**Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-rubbing-alcohol-cold-feeling/203823/5 "2003-09-25T19:57:49Z")

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that is interesting. hmm… God should’ve made us where we sweat rubbing alcohol instead of saline water then.

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**Author:** ![Phage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a4c791/32.png) [@Phage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phage)\
**Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-rubbing-alcohol-cold-feeling/203823/6 "2003-09-25T20:03:07Z")

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Yeah, except then all of our cells would dessicate…

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**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\
**Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-rubbing-alcohol-cold-feeling/203823/7 "2003-09-25T21:13:23Z")

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I’ve seen some fellas who appeared to be sweating rubbing alcohol. I didn’t get the feeling that God had anything to do with it. 😛

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**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\
**Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-rubbing-alcohol-cold-feeling/203823/8 "2003-09-25T21:16:06Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Phage \*  
> \*\*Yeah, except then all of our cells would dessicate… \*\*

Plus winos would keep trying to lick us.