Laundry Tips for Sensitive Skin and Eczema

Choosing the Best Laundry Detergent for Sensitive Skin

Doing laundry is an everyday necessity. However, selecting the wrong detergent can lead to skin irritation, rashes, and eczema flares for those with sensitive skin conditions. When you have sensitive skin, finding an effective yet gentle laundry detergent is crucial.

Common Causes of Laundry Detergent Irritation

A number of ingredients commonly found in conventional laundry detergents can aggravate sensitive skin and provoke undesirable symptoms:

• Fragrances
• Preservatives
• Artificial colors
• Chemical cleaning agents like chlorine bleach
• Enzyme additives designed to break down proteins and grease

For some, one specific ingredient causes problems. For others, the combination of multiple chemicals leads to irritation. Either way, free and clear options without these harsh additives are gentler for delicate skin.

Signs Your Regular Detergent Isn’t for Sensitive Skin

Does your normal laundry soap frequently leave your skin feeling dry, irritated, red or itchy? Or perhaps certain stubborn mystery rashes and flare-ups seem to come out of nowhere?

Switching to a fragrance and dye-free sensitive skin formula could help alleviate these issues. But without an easy way to pinpoint the problem ingredients, the only way to know is to experiment.

Alternative Options for Delicate Skin

The good news is that there are many options for free and clear detergents without sensitizing additives. Look for labels clearly labeled: “Sensitive Skin,” “Dermatologist Approved,” “Hypoallergenic,” or “Fragrance & Dye Free."

Plant-based laundry soaps are also typically very mild and non-irritating. Try an unscented soap made from ingredients like coconut oil, palm oil, saponified oils, citric acid and sodium chloride for a natural alternative.

Tips for Washing Clothes for Sensitive Skin

While switching to a sensitive detergent is the first step, how you wash your clothes also plays an integral role. Follow these simple tips alongside your new dermatologist-recommended detergent to keep irritation at bay:

Always Pre-Treat Stains

Letting stains sit until wash day isn’t doing your skin or clothes any favors. As soon as possible, pretreat spots and stains with a sensitive skin stain solution or small amount of sensitive laundry detergent.

This prevents you from needing aggressive scrubbing or powerful chemicals like bleach to remove set-in stains when doing laundry. Both could lead to skin irritation and damage if excess detergent residue remains on clothes.

Use Lukewarm Water

Stick to lukewarm water temperatures. While hot water can intensify cleaning power, it also vaporizes chemicals from laundry detergent at a higher rate - increasing likelihood of reaction with sensitive skin.

Cold water saves energy bills yet doesn’t allow soap to dissolve fully. Lukewarm provides a nice middle ground for dissolving detergent effectively but without extra chemical vapors.

Extra Rinse Cycle is Essential

Always run clothes through an additional rinse cycle, or two cycles without detergent if available. This ensures no excess soap residue, the most common culprit of skin irritation, remains on your freshly washed clothes.

For severe eczema or skin conditions, double rinsing provides extra assurance. Vinegar diluted with water can also help remove last traces of soap during a second final rinse.

Avoid Direct Skin Contact from Damp Clothes

It may seem harmless to throw on clothes straight from the dryer. But damp laundry allows chemicals still present in detergent residue to easily penetrate and interact with skin, making irritation more likely.

Let all clothing fully air dry prior to putting them on. For dried clothes that feel stiff due to excess detergent, simply shake rigorously before wearing to release residue trapped within fabric.

Wash and Dry New Clothes Before Wearing

Brand new clothes often undergo extensive chemical processing during manufacturing, which can leave excess irritants on material. This residue from sizing products, fabric finishes, and more also rubs easily onto skin.

Before debuting that new shirt or pair of jeans, be sure to launder first with your sensitive detergent. Then air dry fully. Repeat one or two more times for optimal results. Your skin will thank you!

Homemade Laundry Detergent Recipe for Sensitive Skin

Want to take complete control over ingredients touching your delicate skin? Making DIY laundry soap allows you to personalize a formula free of any sensitizers - at a fraction of the cost.

This following recipe contains just 5 simple ingredients perfect even for severe eczema and extremely sensitive skin:

Ingredients

• 1 bar unscented goat milk soap, grated
• 1 cup washing soda
• 1 cup borax powder
• 1⁄2 cup baking soda
• Essential oils of your choice, if desired

Instructions

Grate bar soap using a box grater. In a large bowl, mix grated soap with washing soda, borax powder and baking soda until well blended. For light scent, add 5-10 drops essential oils of choice - lavender and tea tree oil work well.

Use 1-2 tablespoons per load. Store remainder in sealed container away from excess moisture.

Benefits

Goat milk soap contains extra fat molecules that act as natural emollients to moisturize skin. When used in laundry detergent, these fatty acids also help lift stains while conditioning fabrics.

Washing soda cuts through dirt and odors yet is phosphate-free. Gentle borax powder boosts cleaning. Baking soda whitens clothing and softens water so soap dissolves thoroughly - leaving behind no residue.

Best part? No synthetic fragrances, dyes, preservatives, or enzymes making contact with your skin. Just simple plant-derived ingredients and the fresh scent of essential oils if you wish.

Protecting Your Hands Along the Way

While a high quality sensitive skin detergent prevents irritation from fabric touch, your skin also undergoes assault from direct contact with laundry chemicals during the wash process.

Be sure to always wear gloves when handling dirty laundry as well as when pouring and mixing detergent. Vinyl and rubber gloves provid protection yet ensure enough dexterity for laundry tasks.

Rinse gloved hands thoroughly to remove any spilled detergent. Frequently replace old gloves or ones with small cracks allowing chemicals through. Your hands endure enough environmental stress without adding laundry duties to the mix!

Moisturize After

Even with gloves, most people find hands become dry and irritated by laundry soap residue by day's end. Be sure to apply moisturizing cream generously after doing the wash - especially during cooler winter months.

Opt for richer plant-based lotions and creams with ceramides, glycerin and oils that soak in fully while repairing skin's moisture barrier. Shea butter, a natural humectant, works wonderfully for replenishing dry skin.

If cracks, cuts or hangnails exist on hands already, apply healing ointment containing petroleum jelly, mineral oil, glycerin or silicone instead of lighter lotions which could burn open wounds.

When to See a Dermatologist

While quality gloves help hands avoid direct chemical contact, some still develop chronic irritant or allergic contact dermatitis from doing laundry. Signs include redness lasting over one week, scaling, weeping blisters, or cracked skin bleeding.

If over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream doesn’t resolve symptoms within 10 days, or hands seem to worsen despite your best efforts, seek help from a board-certified dermatologist specializing in contact dermatitis and patch testing.

They can pinpoint whether an allergy or reaction to specific chemicals in detergent causes your incessant hand rashes - then provide customized treatment and prevention recommendations so you can complete laundry irritation-free.

The Bottom Line

Ensuring the gentlest detergent touches your delicate clothing and skin is a priority when managing sensitive skin conditions. From choosing a top-performing sensitive formula to modifying wash methods, small tweaks make a big difference.

Implement the laundry tips covered here alongside your dermatologist’s care plan, and you’ll be on the road to fewer flare-ups from this necessary household task.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.