Eczema is terrible. I know—my baby boy had severe eczema all over his body.
Thankfully, their is a natural cure for eczema– but first, let me share my story.
It actually started out as red, flaky scales on his backside. He wouldn’t sit still from the itchiness and cried all day. I swore he had a ringworm infection and rushed him to the doctor.
Turns out it was eczema and it soon spread to his legs, forearms and upper back. No matter how much cortisone or lotion we put on him, the rash continued to spread.
It wasn’t until I started doing some research on the subject of eczema that I realized household cleaners and detergent (including Dreft) actually cause eczema and that’s why my son’s rash wasn’t getting better with topical ointments.
Most online medical journals, including this one from medicinenet.com actually site household cleaners and laundry detergents one of the main forces behind eczema. Basically any product with chemicals and fragrances is enough to irritate the skin and cause an outbreak.
But here in my ignorance I assumed that because I washed my baby’s clothes in Dreft, there was no way laundry detergent was a factor in his skin condition.
But as it turns out, baby products such as Dreft and Ivory snow have chemicals and fragrances that dry and irritate the skin. And while Dreft is admittedly less irritating than regular detergent, I found out that detergent residue stays in the washer and will continue to penetrate a baby’s clothing and ultimately irritate the skin.
So what did I do?
I threw the Dreft and the Tide out and started using non-toxic laundry detergent for everything in the house.
Now I didn’t go crazy and wash everything all at once, but by the time just about everything in my house was washed in the non-toxic laundry detergent (which took about 3 weeks), my son’s eczema had completely cleared up. It’s been months now and we’ve yet to use cortisone, Eucerin cream or an oatmeal bath to keep his skin smooth.
The change was so immediate and dramatic that it convinced just about everyone in my family just how bad laundry detergents really are for people that have sensitive skin and other allergy problems.
The particular brand of laundry detergent that I use can be found here. The Get Clean line is one of the only brands out there that is truly non-toxic and fragrance free– and actually outperforms my stain stick and old detergent hands down.
But do your due diligence when choosing a product for yourself. I’ve found that most detergents marked “non-toxic” or “green” are just less toxic and more green that the harsh cleaners on the shelf. They still have the same fragrances and chemicals that are found in Dreft and Ivory Snow.
But whatever you choose, make a commitment to wash your clothes with non-toxic and fragrance free laundry detergent. The eczema sufferer in your home will thank you for the switch!
Photo courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons artist upsilion andromeade
About Amber Watson-Tardiff
A freelance writer by day, Amber also runs her own Shaklee business on the side, selling the purest non-toxic cleaning products and health products on the planet. The business was actually started as a result of working for a medical malpractice firm and learning that the products we consume really aren’t as safe as we’d like to believe they are.
You can also find Amber here on Twitter or posting on her own neglected blog, jerseymomma.com.
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