Alice started to have eczema at about 6-8 months but it was still manageable with a bit of lotion. Sadly, it got pretty bad a few weeks ago and modern medicine wasn't very helpful to solve our problem (Cause: nah, whatever! Solution: hydrocortisone).
So we went to see a great naturopath that gave us a plan or at least stuff that we can do to, hopefully, improve Alice's condition.
I always enjoyed "organic (aka hippie-chic)" lifestyle but it was always on my own terms and especially when it was not too complicated or pricy or time consuming. Now, things are a bit different as we have to do it NOW and take it SERIOUSLY.
I decided to see this "problem" as a positive family challenge (well, it is a work in progress as I was cursing about it all day long today) that will be good for everybody...and for the planet.
Laundry
Laundry detergent, fabric softener and stain remover are evil! No, seriously, they can dry out and irritate skin that is prone to eczema.
Wash new clothes (or second hand) before wearing them
Use a mild, unscented, dye-free, liquid detergent (made in Quebec)
Reduce the amount of detergent
Double rinse the wash to get out all the detergent
Avoid fabric softener and stain remover
Soak stained clothes
Use a washing line
note: for very tough stains, we use The Soap Works Old-Fashioned Stain Remover Laundry Bar (made in Canada)
Tip: Recharge your towels
Towels build up so much detergent and fabric softener over time leaving them smelling funky!
Step 1: Wash your towels once in hot water with 1 cup vinegar.
Step 2: Wash them a second time with hot water and 1/2 cup baking soda.
4 comments:
Poor little one :o( My son had a pretty tough bout with eczema. We found some helpful (and overwhelming) information here: solveeczema.org. After getting rid of Burt's Bees Baby Bath soap (not actually soap) and using Dr Bronner's for bathing and dishes, and cutting out all dryer sheets, my guy is eczema free :o) Evening primerose oil was awesome for clearing up lingering dry patches. Good luck!!!
My 2.5 years old daughter has tough eczema, but Alep Soap plus regular good cream massages are very helpful, it makes it actually dissappear.
ohhh im gonna try that with the towels, thanks for the tip! I hope you figure out little Alice's skin issues, poor girl! We use Charlies laundry soap on our diapers and clothes now and so far works great.
What do you do for static in the dryer? I dont like dryer sheets either but my running clothes and fleece get so clingy! Any suggestions?
We haven't dealt with eczema - but I am mindful of laundry soaps etc. I saw a test on The Shopping Bags once that found Seventh Generation left the least amount of residue compared to three other detergents. Also, have you tried detergent made for cloth diapers? (ie Rock'n Green) - those are made to leave very little residue as well....
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