Laundry Soap?

Hi M.!
My youngest 2 kiddos (5&8) both have eczema and my 10yr old and I are super sensitive to soap.
I suggest you use Sun Free detergent (it's usually less than $4 a box) and Bounce Free dryer sheets. Do not use liquid fabric softeners, they don't rinse out enough.
For bathing use Aveeno head to toe baby wash. It's still the only thing I've found to bathe my 8 yr old that doesn't make him break out afterwards.
Another thing to try, that is harder with little ones, is not sitting him in bath water. It sounds crazy but the water alone can make them break out. Using a cup, wash rag, or the shower hose to rinse them down helps a lot!
Good luck!
~M.

I have used baby Dreftith my little ones. It is gentle for sensitive skin. The Big thing that made a difference for my sensitive skinned babies, was realizing that just because I used gentle detergents, that didin't mean everyone else did. What I mean is, every time someone held my baby, the detergent in their clothes usually came in contact with my baby's skin, because most every one would automatically put the baby up on their shoulder. The baby's little face would rest on their shirt, and we would have another flare up after I had gone to great lenghths at home trying to get the rash to go away. We just carried lots of cloth diapers, or recieving blankets with us that were washed in gentle detergent, and required everyone who wanted to hold the baby to lay the cloth over their arm, shoulder, lap, etc.

Try washing his clothes separatly and running it through a double rince cycle. My oldest son had sensitive skin and that seemed to work for him. Also, don't use any fragranced fabric softeners.
Best wishes
D.

Are you changing your laundry soap? If you've been using the same soap on everything, then I think it's a bit odd that the rash comes and goes. (I have skin allergies - and I react instantly when my skin comes into contact with an allergen. With laundry soap, when I'm allergic I have a reaction the whole time I'm in contact with anything that's been washed in the soap. But with something like dish soap or toothpaste, my rash comes and goes when I re-expose myself!)

I use regular Tide detergent - and just make sure to only use enough to get the clothes clean. (So, if it's a lightly soiled load I'll use a half a cup, etc.)

When I had little one's they usually recommended "Dreft" and for with diapers I would combine it with 20 Mule Team Borax to keep them clean and white. With cloth diapers I would wash them in hot and rinse in cold until they smelled like clean laundry, oh always by themselves, then I would do an extra rinse in cold with Downy. I know most people would not need the cloth diaper info anymore...I was a dinosaur in my day lol...I think with my son's room mates they use the Downy w/o fragrance or dyes. Good Luck, W.

My little guy had TERRIBLE head-to-toe eczema when he was a baby. He looked like he had been sanded with power tools. The doctors just wanted to give me a steroid cream to put on him all the time, but I was not comfortable with that, so I started looking into what might be causing it, and I started with my laundry soap. The best thing I have found is All Free Clear. It has no fragrance and it actually removes allergens. I use extra, since it really does not clean as well as good 'ol Tide. What worked for me was initailly washing all of his bedding and clothing in ALL Free Clear and extra-rinsing it to get the residue of my other detergent out. Then I just kept using the All Free Clear after that. When I wash whites, I wash them first in Tide and bleach, and then again in All Free Clear and an extra rinse because I am really particular about whites, but you wouldn't have to if you are not so picky. Also, if your little guy is really sensitive, he will break out from other people holding him because of the detergents/perfumes/lotions THEY use. Pet hair is a huge culprit, too. I wish you luck. If you would like any more tips about babies with gnarly eczema, please feel free to email me at ____@____.com.

We use something called "Country Save" it's a powder. I use cloth diapers and wash them at home. This laundry soap has been great because there is no fragrance and it "washes clean", meaning it doesn't leave any residue. If you go to the laundry asile in your local grocery store there should be a wide variety of "Wash clean" soaps. All the fancy soap contain a lot of aditives. The "wash clean" ones even come in "he" for high efficency washers like ours. The price is also great! the brand we use, the "Country Save" is only like $12 and it washes 180 loads! Also try to stay away from fabric softeners and dryer sheets, they contain a lot of harsh additives like formaldehyde amoung others. My son had a lot of skin issues, but since we switched to cloth diapers and changed laundry soap, he hasn't had a single problem. You might also switch to a fragrance free bath soap as well. Good luck!

My son (now 23 yrs old) had very sensitive skin when he was an infant and into childhood as well. Try Ivory Laundry Detergent. Also, anything that is free from perfumes will help as well. Most of the time skin allergies from soaps and detergents etc. come from the added perfumes. There are alot of new natural products avail. out there now as well as environmentally safe products. When trying to figure out skin rashes/allergies, it is best to try one thing at a time. Also, things to think about...are you breast feeding? If so, perhaps it is something you are eating. Is he on formula? Which one? Try different formulas. Anything new in the house? Pet, etc? Good luck!

Dreft works great, but a less expensive alternative that has worked very well for my children is All Free and Clear.

We use the Free-and-Clear style soap. If his skin is really bad, you might want to wash his clothes alone in a "sensitive" style soap, and then when the cycle is done, run it in another rise-only cycle just to make sure that all the soap is out of it.
They also make no-dye no-perfume drier sheets if you use those.
Good Luck!

ALoha M.,
I have sensitive skin and so do my kids. Rashes are woven into the story of my life! We use Melalueca products and love them. They have scented laundry detergent or unscented. If you would like to try a trial size, email me and I will send you a bottle. T.

I would try some that are at New Seasons or Whole Foods. One that I use is called Planet (www.planetinc.com). It is a bit spendier than others, but it is free of synthetic frangrances and dyes, which are probably the allergans that your child is reacting to.

My lil one has extreme eczema (very dry sensitive skin). When she was younger DR. told us the same thing. We use Tide and she seems good with that. However we figured out that Downy irritated her skin very much as well as pampers. Still to this day I hang dry most of her clothes, but the ones that do go in the dryer I use Bounce dryer sheets.

My babies were all sensitive to detergent, I used Dreft (which is made for babies)for the first two years. Dreft also works properly with flame retardant fabrics. No fabric softener that is often times allergenic. When they are older switch to one of the "free" products out there, without scents. My teenagers will still breakout if I use heavily scented things like Bounce.

Dreft is the best for babies. I used this on my son until he was about 2 years old. They reccomend using it because it doesnt have the harsh stuff the regular soaps have.

Charlie's soap is awesome!

http://www.charliesoap.com/

free shipping too

I suggest on whatever soap you pick (All Free & Clear is what we use), to run the rinse cycle twice, or for very sensitve skin...run the laundry twice...the second without soap. My mom works at the hospital in housekeeping, and this is what hospitals do.
Good Luck!!!

Country Save and BioKleen both have hypo allergenic laundry deteregents or you can make your own.

Have you thought about the rash being a food allergy? My sons both have rashes from dairy and wheat that we are working on clearing up!

We use All or the Costco brand of "free and clear" liquid laundry soap. Then I double rinse everything. And I avoid fabric softener or those smelly dryer sheets.

We use Charlies soap. it is coconut oil based and has NOTHING added to it. you can get it at Mother Natures on 26th and Clinton in SE pdx.

We used Dreft with our son and it seemed to work ok, he has a mild case of eczema. My friend uses Tide Free & Clear with all of her girls because they have allergies and things. Our pediatrician also really warned us against using dryer sheets or fabric softener. He said it can cause breathing difficulties like asthma. We used Dreft until my son was about 18 months old.

Hi,
I use "All" free and clear for my kids.My daughter has skin rash trouble and that seems to be the best to help with it.
Walmart and SamsClub sell it.

D.

Well M., my son has sensitive skin too so I have been using dreft to wash his clothes with and that seems to work for him. Good Luck!

We had the same issue. I use All free and Clear and I have never had a problem again! No dyes or frangances!

dreft. i have used it for all my kids even my daughter with excema.

Liquid Dreft and NO fabric softeners, plus a second rinse cycle if you have the option; worked like a charm for my oldest who was alergic to her own bodily fluids as an infant.

Borax. But if your child is really, really sensitive, you might try not using soap at all. I have a friend whose whole family is allergic, and she washes her clothing well, and double rinses, but hasn't used detergent in years. (and they smell fine!).

Hope you find something that works!

We use Shaklee all natural laundry soap.

WWW.Shaklee.com

We always used Dreft for the babies.

I know it's not necessarily a "gentle" soap but, I have always used Tide liquid soap. My whole family will break out if we use anything else! And, Tide seems to work great for my husband and son who both have eczema!

We also use Charlie's soap. We started using it when we started cloth diapering, but I decided to use it with all my clothes. The best part is that it gets the clothes so clean, you don't need to use fabric softener unless it's a sweater or fleece. Som that woup be one less thing touching your baby's clothes.

we use charlie's soap too. i ordered mine online (free shipping!). we really love it!

http://www.charliesoap.com/

I used Caldrea's sweet pea soap from Dree's downtown. It's an all-natural company started by a mom. It's a bit pricey, but very gentle and lasts FOREVER, plus it smells good! Good Luck!

My daughter has sensitive skin and we use All Free and Clear.

M.;

You didn't say where your son's rash was. If it is in the diaper area the best salve I've ever used is from Wal Mart called Resinol. It's active Ingredients are Calamine 6%, Resorcinol 2%, Zinc Oxide 12%. It is fantastic for diaper rash.
C. C.

Both me and my children are sensitive we use Melaluca unscented laundry soap. It works great. We also have been fine to use Mrs. Meyers Wash day found in most healthfood stores.

I've had laundry detergent allergies all my life and could only use laundry soap. White King and Ivory used to make them, but stopped. I now use Biokleen found in Fred Meyer's Natural Food Section. My allergist says most of the sensitivities come from dyes and fragrances put in the detergents. He highly recommended avoiding Tide. Says it's the worst. You've got some other good suggestions. I'd go with what is convenient, natural, and fragrance/dye free. Good luck. Breakouts are miserable.

use vinegar in your rinse cycle (2 cups). it will removed all the detergent and make the clothes/blankets soft.

I have used dreft or method baby (target) in the past. Also anything that says "free" on it should be ok since that means it has no dyes or fragrances in it, my sister and grandma use all and purex free. Make sure you're not using any fabric softeners or dryer sheets either, those even bug my husband's "sensitive behind" lol :). Good luck!

Hi Melalnie,

I work from home with a wellness company. You would absolutely love their laundry line. It is all PH Balanced for sensitive skin, and doesn't contain and harsh or harmful chemicals or toxins or fillers, which can irritate the skin. Their products are 100% Guaranteed, so their is no risk in trying them and seeing if they help your little guy. Feel free to call or email me if you would like more information; PH. ###-###-#### / Email: ____@____.com Luck!!!

~R.~
www.MomsOfferingMore.com

My son has eczema and anything with smellies makes his worse. We switched from Dreft to Tide free when he was little. I have since went to All free because it's cheaper. So probably any of the "Free" detergents would be ok to use. I hope this helps,
W.

Hello M.,

Try changing to a free and clear type of detergent that does not have any enzymes it it.
However more importantly try giving your laundry another rinse or two - I know it sounds wasteful, but since I have started cloth diapers, I have found out how much detergent stays in the fabric after a regular cycle. I now rinse all of our laundry at least 1 more time, sometimes two AND use only half of the recommended detergent - it still gets clean.

Use Dreft and Biz. That's what we've done for 4 years now for my 4 year old son and 1 1/2 year old daughter. We haven't had any problems and both kids have patches of eczema (it runs in the family so I know it's not the detergent). Good Luck!
T. S

Not too long ago we started having our 3 kids doing more chores around the house. I really didn't want them using all the disinfectant wipes and cleaners that are out there so I did some research on natural products and came up with VINEGAR! It kills germs, disinfects and deorderizes. I use it for all kinds of stuff, including fabric softner. It truly cuts all the build-up that occurs in our laundry from the soaps and fabric softeners and leaves is feeling really clean and fresh smelling. I was very shocked when I tried it and it worked! Hope you try it.....GO NATURAL!

we use only Shaklee Get Clean products. Oprah gave them away on her show once and people are catching on! :) they are all green products and work great! I've grown up on Shaklee and absolutly swear by it.

you can check them out at www.shaklee.com

We all have sensitive skin and I really enjoy 7th generation...They have a free and clear as well as a wonderful lavender. Our family has had no rashes with this brand and we are doing our part for the environment :)

Dreft is the very best I have used for my babies.

M., I highly recommend Country Save laundry detergent. It is a gentle formula that is clinically proven to rinse exceptionally well. It has no dyes or perfumes and is highly recommended for use with laundering cloth diapers! We use it for that purpose with great results and my son has sensitive skin. It can be purchased at Thriftway stores, QFC, food co-ops, etc. Their website lists all of the places where it can be purchased: www.countrysave.com

Have you tried Dreft soap or something along those lines?

I used Dreft initially and then switched to Costco's free & clear liquid soap. I NEVER use the manufacturer's recommended amount (it's far too much) and I usually re-rinse to make sure the soap is gone. Hope this helps!

Hi M.,
My name is V. Dismuke. I'm a mother of 5 ages 18, 14, 9, 8, & 8. I tried using the expensive snow drift for a while but my financial situation couldn't handle it. I read something about using Woolite. Woolite is a little pricey also. So I checked the dollar tree or dollar store and used their version of woolite. It worked wonderfully. I used it for a long time. I had three little ones at the time that I was washing clothes for. It didn't break them out at all. It is a gentle laundry detergent. I hope this helps.
Sincerely
V. Dismuke

Hi M....I am a mother of 3 grown daughters and Grandma to 4 small grandsons. For the past 8 years I have been very interested in wellness and getting the toxic substances out of homes. One thing I have learned over the past few years is that many cleaning and laundry products, as well as, many personal care products that people buy have many harsh and cancer causing ingredients in them. Many personal care products contain formaldahyde...which is a known carcinogen...in them...you won't see formaldahyde on the label...there are about 30 trade names that manufacturers use to hide it...one of them being Quaternium 15 or Q 15...it is even in the number 1 selling baby shampoo. Formaldahyde is actually the #1 polluter of homes today and is a known carcinogen.

Products that you use to clean, do laundry or put on your child’s skin could be a cause of your little one's face breakout...many times it is the laundry detergent, as many have ingredients in them that cause skin irritations.

I have found a line of laundry, cleaning, and personal care products that have safe, non-toxic ingredients. Many people with skin irritations and eczema have been helped by switching over to these safer products.

There are safer alternatives available to the grocery store brands that most people buy and use.

If you want to contact me to learn more about safer, more natural cleaning, laundry and personal care products...my email is ____@____.com or my website is www.momsaremywhy.com .

Just an idea...if you would like any further information, contact me back.

Have a great Mommy day!!

I use Purex Free and Clear in the liquid form. It is the least expensive perfume and dye free soap on the market and it works for our family. Myself and two boys suffer from skin allergies and with this soap we haven't had nearly the problems as before.