buffie Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 If you haven't just check the back of your handwash,bubblbath,cleanser,shampoo......etc Both mikey and I suffer with sensitive skin, he gets a terrible rash in the heat and I suffer with sore, dry skin. Worse in the winter. I stopped buying soap years ago and we were going along the 'soap and perfume free' route...Until last week that is. A shop assistant in Lush mentioned that I should avoid Sodium Laureth Sulfate/Sodium Lauryl Sulfate as it could be causing me problems as it's an irritant. I checked this out and found it's a degreaser and is used in car washes and to de grease engines etc It is a cheap chemical that is in so many things from shampoo to bubble bath and cleansers. Even in ecover handwash and Simple products! EVEN THE EXPENSIVE PRODUCTS HAVE IT IN At the same time as this was happening Mikey took it upon himself to go to MK and treat himself to some new face products and arrived home producing a range of stuff from a company called REN http://www.renskincare.com/ It's british and is ethical and chemical free, no baddies at all, although not organic this doesn't seem to be an issue as I saw some organic products in JL recently that also contained SLS. So check the labels I guess. Anyway we have gone through the house and I have removed all the items with SLS (I've even bought cloths for cleaning, as suggested by Dan ) I have moved us one step further in the chemical free direction. Yes radical but I have spent a fortune in the past on things containing so much rubbish it's silly. My skin gets no better and in fact worse, I am probably better off flushing money down the loo. This is a real spring clean and it feels great. If you have a skin problem and you are using alot of products with SLS it may be worth a try. BBx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Blue Sky Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 Isn't there a difference between sodium lauryl sulphate and sodium laureth sulphate? I think that the laureth one is a "benign" form, less processed... Amway do good stuff for sensitive folk too, although once you're in with them it's hard to wriggle free Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 Louise might be able to answer that scientific bit BS. I have problesm with detergents - I used to get really bad eczema on my hands, it is a lot better now, but still rears its ugly head every now and then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffie Posted February 27, 2006 Author Share Posted February 27, 2006 'Sodium lauryl sulphate' as often seen on our products, is chemically changed from sodium laureth sulphate but it is still an irritant. I'm afraid no chemical is 'benign' in my eyes. If anyone has a sensitive skin then, like me, they'll probably want to limit or remove exposure to see if this makes a difference. I can honestly say on day 3 of not using any products with this in that my hands are less dry and my face is no longer 'peeling' as it was last week. I just thought informed choice is a good thing and we are trying to eliminate triggers for our skin problems and although I hardly use chemicals in the home both of us have been using a cocktail of chemicals on our skin. BBx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley-Jean Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 I haven read all iof this thread as I'm off out to the feed shop for some garlic powder but have a look at this http://www.healthy-communications.com/slsmostdangerousirritant.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffie Posted February 27, 2006 Author Share Posted February 27, 2006 yes LJ, It may be abit OTT but it's awful that we have no idea what stuff is in our homes and what it does to our skin, it's the largest organ of the body. If skin absorbs nicotine and hormones from a patch then who knows what else we have absorbed over the years, I am going for damage limitation, particularly as I stopped smoking nearly 13 months ago. My skin actually reacted to being in a friends house and they both smoke. I felt ill for 2 days, scary. BBx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 That's exactly why I stopped using commercial cleaning products, Buffie. They made me feel ill all the time and I've never felt better than I do now I don't have anything chemical in my cupboards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 vinegar? I suppose it depends on your definition of "chemical" - everything is "chemical" in the sense that it has a chemical composition - it has a moleular structure... Phil (being irritatingly picky) (as always - ed.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 Oh Phil ! It's a chemical, yes, but I'm not frightened by it like I am bleach and it doesn't make the skin peel off my hands either! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffie Posted February 27, 2006 Author Share Posted February 27, 2006 Yes Kate, I have read all your posts about cleaning and stuff and now it all makes perfect sense, I can't do things by halves and have finally thrown out all my 'rubbish' three waste paper bins full Feel much lighter! By this time fo the day I usually look in the mirror, having been out in the cold, and can see my skin is flaky. It's not today and also I can't feel my skin if it makes sense. I usually am all too aware of it being itchy and tight. excellent! BBx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 yes, I was being picky! sorry.. I am irrationally irritated by language changes... (I want to hold back the tide!) - it's probably a man-thing "chemical" now seems to mean "bad thing that will almost certainly harm you" and so product manufacturers try to sell us things that proclaim there are no chemicals in them - or that they are "natural" "natural" now means "it's bound to be good for you" - like "herbal" both statements are untrue - some chemicals are very good for you and some are not I'm not expressing that very well am I? ah well - relax now - rant over Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 Men! All I know is that I feel better, my skin is no longer covered in dry, bleeding sore patches and Ollie's not constantly sneezing since I stopped buying bleach, Flash, Domestos etc and switched to bicarb and vinegar homemade cleaners . Yes, they are still chemicals but I know what's in them and how well they work without having a long list of chemical ingredients listed on the side of the bottle accompanied by hazard warning symbols. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 Indeed! you are now using gentle chemicals rather than harsh chemicals... Phil (funnily enough - a harsh natural chemical is currently causing me some discomfort - the very harsh hydrochloric acid is causing me heartburn... I'd better take some gentle chemicals - chalk tablets - to make it better) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffie Posted February 27, 2006 Author Share Posted February 27, 2006 Sadly pure and natural don't mean a thing Phil. When I use the term chemical I think you know I am speaking of substances that are potentially harmful. vinegar poured into your eyes is harmful I know but I am talking of things that many of know nothing about. It makes me laugh when products list ingredients and you look at it blankly and think 'what the hell is that?' I have decided I want to know what things are and I know what vinegar is as I like it on chips but it's also great on limescale! BBx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 and for cleaning the windows with newspaper... (and, I'm told, 1001 other every day uses) Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 Phil - you'll have to have a discussion with Carl, over the use of the word 'enormity' - it's driving him mad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 there's loads of misused words today on t'radio... criminality instead of "crime" ("criminality is rife on this estate.") myself instead of "me" ("the boss has called myself up" - I heard yesterday) physicality instead of "physique" ("It's his sheer physicality that intimidates the opposition.") ironic - when it's anything but and the football tense - "He's went into the tunnel" , "He's came out of the dressing room." I could (and do!) go on for hours..... (first sign of a grumpy old man - shouting at the radio.... - so my kids tell me!) Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 Yes - you and Carl would get on very well Grumpy Old Men Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Blue Sky Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 My grumpy old man grinds his teeth when a football/rugby game is advertised and the presenter uses the word "v" instead of "versus" And I grind my own when people overuse "obviously" and "actually" particularly when it is a dim-oh bird behind the counter in the Co-Op like in Ickenham actually, obviously Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 ... and "absolutely" instead of "yes". grrrrrr... Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Blue Sky Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 And what about when people give you your change and say "not a problem"? What are they on about? of course it's not a problem it's your blimming change... Not a problem my eye Hey Buffie sorry about your thread, we've steamed off with it in another direction altogether, actually, obviously. Anyway. I agree about scary ingredients lists in cosmetics and household unguents, and I was wrong about there being a difference between S laureth S and S lauryl S. Both as nasty as each other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffie Posted February 27, 2006 Author Share Posted February 27, 2006 Hi heather, you never catch me going off topic BBx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Blue Sky Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 Nor me. It was boys what done it, I just joined in Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffie Posted February 27, 2006 Author Share Posted February 27, 2006 BBx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chocchick Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 It is the same/similar to SDS=sodium dodecyl sulphate which we use in the lab. It is a detergent, that is used as a foaming agent in most cosmetics, but in very weak concentrations. I have some in my hand produced shampoo bar, but it is is good for my oily hair. It's not scary, but would dry your skin out, and at the concentrations in the lab it would be an irritant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
