Laundry care
Brightening detergent gave me allergic contact dermatitis - Julie
I ended up with Allergic Contact Dermatitis after using a popular brightening detergent for colored clothes. Throw in a malfunctioning washer that didn't drain properly when trying to get the detergent out of everything I washed and you end up with 6 months of rashes apparently. After all was said and done I ended up with a $500 ER bill to get rid of the itching initially, a $600 bill for a new front loading washer, and whatever expenses I gained from buying lotion more frequently. It has been hell. Ultimately I decided to stop trying to fight everything with cortisone creams and steroids because it always came back so much worse after I stopped using them. When I tried to work with my skin is when everything changed. Here is a run down of what I did, it's not huge or life changing so probably anyone could give it a shot. I stopped using soap on the parts of my body with dermatitis for one. I went to the store and bought a big container of old fashioned oats and ground them up in a blender at home. Every morning I would put some in a coffee mug with water and let it sit for a few minutes then I would gently rub it over the affected skin then rinse. This felt gross and oats were all over my shower but it really helped A Lot. I started eating more fruits and vegetables, drinking more water, cutting out what little junk I had left in my diet. I bought a fish oil, zinc, and b-vitamin complex from Whole Foods. I bought a tanning package and went 2 or 3 times a week for a month and definitely saw a difference. And last but not least I've been using the Shea Butter and Honey body butter from
Burt's Bees as well as the Coconut Foot Cream from Burt's Bees. That Coconut Foot Cream is what really made a huge difference. And importantly, don't use a sugar scrub...it will just irritate it as I found out the hard way when I thought it was safe to exfoliate. I hope this helps and more importantly I hope no one has to go through what I did. (April 2009) Contact Julie
Melaleuca - Deana, Texas, USA
All 3 of my boys have severe eczema. My twins (now 3 yrs old) were diagnosed when they were about 6 months old. They developed cradle cap at approximately 3 months of age. It became so severe that their heads were raw, open wounds. Eventually that healed but the 'rash' traveled down their bodies, from their head down to their toes. That 'rash' would not go away. Then they were diagnosed with eczema by a pediatric dermatologist at 6 months of age. Over the course of the next 2 years they were treated with over the counter hydrocortisone creams, Elidel, Protopic, and Triaminclone. We, of course, also used lotions such as Cetaphil, Aveeno, Eucerin, Jergen's, Huggies, Johnson & Johnson, Aquaphor, and probably many more that aren't coming to mind right now. We used name brands and store brand versions of these lotions. NOTHING WORKED!!! We were told by our sons' doctors that they would not prescribe a higher dose of steroids to someone that small. The next step would be oral steroids and that would cause way too many negative side effects. The doctors said we were just going to have to try to 'manage' their symptoms the best we could to try to slow the progression to allergies and full-blown asthma. Needless to say, we were desperate to find something to help our boys. I felt so bad for them. They would wake up crying and bleeding because they itched so much! Our lives changed when I was introduced to the company Melaleuca. Melaleuca manufactures laundry, cleaning, & personal care products that are environmentally friendly and naturally based. Their products do not have harsh abrasives, bleach, ammonia, phosphates, or formaldehyde. We converted our household to these products the middle of June 2006. By the beginning of July 2006, just 2 weeks later, their skin had dramatically improved. Friends & family were coming up to us asking us what we had done to the boys' skin because it looked so good! All we did was switch what products we use in our home in our everyday life. I know there are so many other parents out there desperate to help their babies. Feel free to contact me and I will be happy to give you more information about the products we use! Contact Deana
Eco balls - Ian, Hamilton, UK
Eco balls and Dryer balls! We tried, we liked, they work and we'll continue using them. Very good products! Fiona and I were skeptical at first. While we waited for our Eco balls and dryer balls to arrive, we washed a load with no washing powder/liquid and yes they were still dirty and smelly, but now wet. The washing machine was loaded with 'whites' - ¾ full - and the 3 eco balls were placed on top of the clothes. The quick cycle took 30 minutes, since you wash at a lower temperature <=60C and require less rinse cycles, because there are no chemicals to rinse out. When the cycle finished we carefully inspected and smelt the clothes and they were clean and odour free. Fiona also reckoned that they felt softer. We've also found that prolonged use of conditioner makes the dish towels and bathroom towels less absorbent. We placed our 2 dryer balls - £10 - plastic balls with dimples that last for years - in the tumble dryer. The makers claim that the dryer balls will make your clothes 'noticeably softer', will reduce your dryer time by up to 25%, reduce creases and produce less lint. Again, we found the results to be good and all the things they claimed we found to a certain degree i.e. no worse, but overall probably better than before. (August 2006) Contact Ian
Double wash clothes - Alastair, Maynooth, Ireland
Our son Cormac has/had severe eczema (hospitalized twice due to it when he was 2; he is now 5); our daughter Caoimhe also has some dry skin, but nothing severe. One trick we learnt from a friend was double washing clothes to remove soap residue; it really works. We first wash the children's clothes in Persil (non-bio), then wash them a second time with just water, no washing powder. They are noticeably more itchy when we forget the second wash; it really removes the soap residues. (April 2005) Contact Alastair
Last Reviewed: 1 October 2010
Next Review Date: 1 October 2012
