Method: Nonirritating Detergents

When I was a little kid, I would hate sleeping over my grandma's house. I had a great time, I loved her cooking, and she would let me color till kingdom come, but every night, I would lay awake on the bed, unable to sleep. It was particularly bad on my scalp, and I would be so incredibly itchy that all I could even think about would be the burning pain all over my head. It would also be on my body, to a lesser extent, but I'd throw the covers off so early that the pillow would be my main area of contact.

I just wish that I'd taken an oatmeal bath treatment, and had felt comfortable enough to ask for help running a bath at 2 in the morning as a lod. It would have made my childhood so much less stressful.

More recently, I would stay over my boyfriend's house every once in a while, and while I loved holding him at night, I would start to get the worst itch in my arms, legs, and scalp. I would freak out in the middle of the night and have to walk outside while he was sleeping, just to sit in the cold and try to let that soothe the burn.

Does any of this sound familiar? I certainly hope not. It took me a little while to realize, because when I was a baby, my mother switched to a detergent that didn't irritate my sensitive skin. They're not as popular, though, so other people still use fragranced, harsher detergents and fabric softeners. They make sleeping more stressful than being awake, which it really shouldn't be. Here are the things that I've found are helpful when it comes to laundry detergents.

1) DO NOT USE A FABRIC SOFTENER. You should be wearing 100% (or close to it) cotton clothing, because that is the least irritating fabric. It also wicks off sweat, which can make you itchy. If you're using cotton clothing, your clothes are already soft enough. Fabric softeners only add fragrance and irritation; skip them completely.

2) USE A GENTLE LAUNDRY DETERGENT. You can get a lot of specialty detergents, but why bother? You can get gentle detergents from your drugstore or Walmart. I use Tide: Free and Gentle.

Another detergent that I've heard good things about is All: Free and Clear. It's actually much cheaper at my local Walmart to buy that instead of the Tide, so I think I'll switch to that when my gallon of detergent is done.

After I moved in with my boyfriend, I just bought the Tide (though I'm going to try switching to the All), ad I've avoided so much irritation, frustration, and pain for myself. They don't leave a lasting smell on clothes, but they do make them clean, and they do make them smell clean. If you have recurring body eczema and you haven't tried these detergents, PLEASE TRY THEM. They may make all the difference.