Deodorants For Sensitive Skin

I can't tell you how long I had to go without using a deodorant due to my sensitive, allergic skin! It is a delicate area of the body anyway without having any further sensitivity so I had  to be careful in my choices.

After doing considerable research I eventually found one I CAN use safely that do not irritate or bring me out in a rash.I still do find that for me at least it is not wise to put on deodorant very soon after shaving  the underarm area - I tend to leave it a few hours or overnight.

I do have very sensitive skin though so you may not have that need. Get to know your own skin. 

I am currently using Green People Scent Free Deodorant  and it works very well, does not leave any residue, no body odour, no harsh chemicals, no parabens, and no scent and best of all does not irritate my skin.  

 This will not stop you from the body's natural process of sweating but will stop you from smelling ! 

I use the roll on and you do need to wait a little while for it to dry but its not a problem. I find that of all the Deodorants I have tried this is the best one for me. 

The Green People Deodorants are free from any harsh chemicals and have a full listing of ingredients on the website and the scent free range is especially useful if you are allergic to perfumes.

If you like to wear perfume  but do not want your deodorant competing with your fragrance a scent free option s a good choice for the delicate underarm area.

I have recently tried other options in the Green People range and I am finding that now I can also use the Rosemary deodorant. This is a good step forward for me for those days when I want a little delicate scent.

There is also a men's range in black containers, but really anyone can use them. I amazingly have been able to use their GREEN PEOPLE Stay Cool Deodorant  with mint and prebiotics which is good I find especially for summer.

The range is aluminium free and is not tested on animals which is important to me as well. I highly recommend The Green People range of deodorants and am so glad that I discovered them.

Asking Companies About Skin Allergy Ingredients.

Contacting Companies About Skin Care Ingredients

If you have sensitive or allergic skin or any other skin condition it may well be necessary for you to know a full product ingredient list or at the least to know that the ingredients you are allergic to are NOT in the product.

In my experience you need to check both the range in general and specific products you want to use within the range as some may be OK and others not - within the same range. Please never assume it will be alright for you. 

Many of these ingredients are perfectly OK for most of the population and are good at their job but if you are allergic you need to know which products carry them and avoid those products!! 

I found it easiest to email each company I was interested in and I got a good helpful response from most with a few sadly not responding to me. Some were quite suspicious, maybe thinking I was just trying to find out their "secret" ingredients ? Most were fine when I explained I really only needed to know if the products carried ingredients I am allergic to. 

My opinion is that if they don't respond then I will not be using their products! 

The letter below is a draft of the one I used and you can feel free to use it too if you like or as a template for what you need to ask.  Adapt to your own voice and needs. 

Here is a sample letter I have used to write to manufacturers directly.

Sample e mail Letter 

Dear _                                                                                                                             Date

I wonder if you can help me please? I have recently had dermatological hospital skin patch testing for allergies and am needing to review all my skincare. 

I am considering your products to see if I would be able to use any of them. 

I have been medically advised to contact the manufacturer to ascertain if the products do or do not contain the ingredients I am allergic to and this which may be safe for me to use. 

I am allergic to and must avoid anything with these ingredients in it:-

(List the ingredients you are allergic to and/or the condition you have) 

II do appreciate any help you can give me on this matter.

Thank you

Your name

Your signature

-----------------End of Draft letter------------------------

You do need to take control for yourself and once you know what you are allergic to it is easier to avoid it. In addition to fragrances I am allergic to the two ingredients commonly found in many skincare, hair care and washing products. 

Watch the video below to find out more about these allergies and other peoples experiences. 

Looking After Your Allergic Skin

Looking After Your Allergic Skin 

Here are a few tips to looking after your Allergic skin.

First please consult your doctor to get a diagnosis and medical advice on your skin condition.  

Identify and avoid the trigger allergen.

If you are able to identify the trigger or possibility for your skin allergy do tell your doctor about it. Clearly avoid that trigger ingredient. 

You may need to be prepared to be referred to a dermatologist or to have skin tests to determine your condition or allergies.

Use whatever washes and creams your doctor prescribes for you exactly as prescribed. If you get any reaction from the use of the prescribed creams do tell your doctor straight away, there will be alternatives they can give you.

 If you would like to use other creams do check with your doctor first and use in a very small area to test out first for several days before using more widely.

Watch your skin carefully for any improvement and any worsening of the condition and try to pinpoint if you can what helped or hindered that change.

Keep to a basic skincare routine. Now is not the time to be trying out new skincare unless it is medically advised.

If prescribed ask how to use your steroid creams properly

If you are prescribed steroid creams or ointments to use, do make sure you know how to use them properly and how much to use for the area you are treating and how many times a day. It is very important to use steroid creams correctly. Discuss any concerns you have with your doctor. 

Tell Your Doctor If Prescribed Or Non Prescribed Creams Make Your Skin React. 

Your doctor may prescribe emollients to use. Do use this as directed. It should help your skin a lot.  However, if you don't get on with it or if your skin gets irritated at all do tell your doctor immediately. 

Smooth emollients in the direction of skin hair growth only- do not rub or smooth against the direction of hair growth. 


Drink lots of clean water and eat as healthy as possible.

Discuss Your Health Needs With Your Doctor. 

Discuss with your doctor - Consider cutting down on or stop drinking alcohol for now.

Discuss with your doctor - If you smoke consider trying to stop or cut down.

Discuss with your doctor whether you need to avoid sunlight or not. 

Discuss with your doctor-if any workplace duties that may affect your skin or if you need to be off work. 

Keep Skin Clean And Hygienic 

If you find that heat makes your skin feel or look worse do try to keep the skin as cool as possible.

Wear soft gentle fabrics next to your skin

Wear clean fresh clothes every day. You may also find it nice to change your bedding each day or every other day-particularly if your skin is shedding, infected or blistering. 

Unless medically advised not to,  have a lukewarm bath every day - your doctor may well advise bathing in a specific wash. Ask.  

Take Care When Applying Skin Care Ointments And Moisturisers

If using a very greasy emollient like Diprobase you may find it useful to drape an extra sheet over the bed and tucked in at the top so that your skin is touching the extra sheet rather than the whole bedding. That way you wont need to change the entire bed every day! 

Likewise it may be helpful to use a clean sheet or towel across the sofa to prevent the greasy emollients seeping into the upholstery. 

Tell Key People About Your Skin Allergies

Tell your hairdresser/beautician, dentist, etc that you are dealing with sensitive or allergic skin. Give them the list of allergens so that they can put it on your records and avoid using the allergens with you. 

With your hairdresser you may need to take your own hair shampoo/conditioner with you to ensure that you are using products safe for you.

How To Wash Clothes For Sensitive Or Allergic Skin

Avoid The Allergen...

Clearly  once you know what you are allergic to the trick is to avoid it! However, it is not always that easy. 

When it came to washing clothes I trawled through so many brands of washing powders and liquids yet I could not find one that I can use. I wasted so much money on washing liquids and powders that caused my skin to feel at best itchy and irritated or even started my skin rashing again. We obviously need to wash our clothes so what could we do? 

One alternative was to go back to our grandmother's day and wash in pure soap flakes. So I bought some and they work really well! However, you cannot use these in the washing machine or you have foam everywhere! So I use these for all our delicates and small things but I simply am not prepared to hand wash everything! 

So I started to search for what I can use in the washing machine and we found washer balls... 

There are quite a few varieties but they have similar things in common being- you can use them in the washing machine, they last  a long time so are economical, there is nothing in them I am allergic to and they are better for the environment. 
They were certainly worth a try! 

What Are Wash Balls Like?

In my experience, they work very well on normal loads of washing. Clothes and sheets are clean and fresh.

 Clearly as I avoid all fragrance products I choose the ones with no scent so our clothes no longer come out of the washing machine smelling of the washing powder scent, essentially they just smell-well -clean.

However I have noticed that they are not quite as good as getting rid of major dirt. I now find that if there is gardening dirt or oil etc on clothes it is best to soak them first in soap flakes prior to washing.

However, that is the only downside! 

We no longer have to lug home heavy liquid or powder washing products, it is certainly more economical, saves a LOT of space, are so much better for our environment than pouring detergent down the drain and when we need another its just a case of a few clicks of the mouse!   

Even if I didn't have a skin allergy condition I would now use these type of eco wash balls.  

Surcare Washing Liquid Or Powder

When I use washing Liquid or powder the best one I have found so far that does not irritate my skin is SURCARE. It is something I use when the clothes need a bit more washing, are a little dirtier or for ones I have used gardening or doing dirty jobs.

The conditioner is also very good and in my experience keeps the clothes nice. I do find with Surcare it is better not to use too much in the wash.

The Benefits Of Steam Cleaning Your Home

Steam Cleaning Your Home

If you are in a position where many of the usual cleaning products are not good for you either due to skin allergies or other reasons such as breathing problems etc, or if you are simply looking for a cleaner, greener, more environmentally friendly way of cleaning your home - then do consider Steam Cleaning.

At the outset purchasing a steam cleaner is more expensive than buying a bottle of bleach for example. However, if you count up how many bottles of various cleaning products- for your kitchen, your bathroom etc actually cost over the course of say a year you have probably more than paid for the cost of an average Steam cleaner. 

Steam cleaning is also in my opinion very effective, killing germs, getting rid of the visible and invisible dirt and grime and leaving surfaces beautifully clean. All without that horrible chemical smell or any harm to your children, your pets, yourself, or the environment. You are just using the power of steam. 

There are steam cleaners to do work of cleaning the bath, kitchen worktops, toilets, sinks, pets bowls and bedding areas, tiling and flooring.
 
You can also use some steam cleaners for steaming clothes to freshen them up, freshen rugs and curtains.  

Some steam cleaners are very light and small enough to be hand held and very useful for those everyday jobs in the kitchen and bathroom and for steaming jackets and other clothes. 

Others are bigger and can do more heavyweight jobs around the home-cleaning carpets for example. It all depends on what you want your steam cleaner to do for you. 

Instead of just masking bad smells steam cleaning can help to eliminate them. 

Don't just spray on a false scent on top of your home , you can steam clean and make your home properly clean and fresh.

Have a look at the selection of Steam Cleaners below - these are just some of the ones available. We have used a steam cleaner for quite a while now and are very happy with the results.

BISSELL SteamShot Deluxe Hard Surface Steam Cleaner

Wagner Spraytech 0282014 915e On-Demand Steam Cleaner

Phueut Pressurized Handheld Multi-Surface Natural Steam Cleaner

Skin Allergy-Be Aware And Wary Of Product Labelling.

How To Read Product Labels To Keep You And Your Skin Safe

If you have skin allergies of any kind you will rapidly become an avid label reader!

However reading labels carefully does not mean this will fully protect you.

For example, if you have a perfume allergy you will need to be extra careful. 

Words you will need to watch for are:-

• fragrance

• EDT

• parfam

• perfume

• toilet water.

So that seems obvious, doesn't it?

However relying on the words fragrance-free, non-perfumed, and the like does not always mean there is no added fragrance to the product. It may be - but you cannot assume. 

Sometimes fragrances are added to products not to make them smell nice but to mask the unpleasant smell of the other ingredients, the amounts may be small but if you are allergic it can cause you a problem. 

Other times a fragrance may be added for its use as a preservative, not as a perfume, yet it is still an issue to those who are allergic. 

If you are allergic to fragrances it may also be wise for you to be careful or to avoid  products with the following ingredients as well:-

• acetone

• camphor

• musk

• essential oils

• benzyl alcohol

• benzyl acetate

• benzyl salicylate

• anisyl alchohol

• amylcinnamic alcohol. 

Ask your doctor or dermatologist for guidance.

If you are allergic to any specific ingredient or chemical also do make sure you know all its other names. If you have been Skin patch allergy-tested your dermatologist should give you a list of what you need to avoid with all its other chemical names as well. Do read and understand all the names of what you are allergic to. 

In my experience-unless, there is a full list of ALL the ingredients listed- I need to ask the manufacturer for ingredients and to specify what I am allergic to.

I must have written to more than 50 companies so far to check their ranges and specific products within the ranges to check if they might be suitable for me. Sadly not all responded to me and they are Off my list now. The ones that responded are the ones I consider. 

What If You Are Allergic To Fragrances?

Perfume And Fragrance Allergies 

I have an allergy to fragrance and perfume. It came up on my skin patch allergy tests as quite a "good" reaction (which in my case was a big red welt that took 2 months to go down). 

I was somewhat surprised as though I have never worn a lot of perfumes. I have worn one or two when going out for dinner, a special occasion etc and loved various body lotions that were perfumed. 

I adored my scented candle collection and loved filling the home with natural fragrances...

I always knew my skin was a little sensitive as I could only wear a couple of perfumes and they were of the "purer" variety. Experimenting with lower end teen type perfumes would generally bring me out on a little irritating rash when I was a teenager so I quickly learned to avoid those. However, with others I was OK.

For years I have used washing powders and liquids for clothes that invariably tell you that they have a fresh spring scent or a clean fresh fragrance.

Even washing-up liquids discuss the bouquet of flowers that you have when using their brand etc. 

I never thought much about it to be honest. We always avoided the obvious plug-in varieties of synthetic fragrance - just because we didn't like it but it was only after my diagnosis of being severely affected my perfumes that I started to really look at what we used on ourselves and in the home. 

 Fact Is Fragrance Sells... 

Most of us love fragrance! Next time you are looking for a body lotion, cream, shower gel washing detergent think what you do, do you ever lean down and smell it? I know I did and if I liked the scent then I was halfway sold on it. 

The ads portray the sensual woman who smells great (with a perfume) the sexy man who smells great(with the aftershave) The cute baby who smells nice....

Whether artificial fragrances are good for us or not we have learned from a young age that our own scent is simply not good enough. I mean everyone wants to be clean and fresh smelling of course! However, to be clean and fresh by washing is not it seems good enough anymore, we have to cover and mask and have perfume on. 

So many products now contain perfume and it is on the rise. There was nowhere near the number of fragrance products even 30 years ago. Look on the shelves and try to find a product that does not contain fragrance, EDT, perfume.... 

You will find fragrance in Haircare, skincare, washing up liquid, baby products, washing powders and liquids, conditioners, soap, etc most of it totally unnecessary.

Even some sanitary wear is now putting perfume in it! 

While some are natural perfume much of them are synthetic.... 

So no wonder we are now learning that allergies to perfume are on the rise too. Even children bombarded by synthetic perfumes from birth are becoming allergic to this over the artificially perfumed world.  

Several studies discuss that fragrance allergy is a leading cause of contact dermatitis and fragrance allergy sufferers can also display symptoms ranging from hives, headaches, wheezing and other breathing issues and sneezing. 

I rarely wore perfume as such, but I did use body lotions and on holiday sunscreens (most of which do have fragrances in them-even though you may not be aware of it) 

So although I was Ok ish for years I became allergic to fragrance and this can happen to anyone at any time.... 

Do bear in mind my severe reaction here was a result of a combination of 4 different allergic reactions to what was in the sunscreen I used-ironically to protect my skin!

So what can you do about it if you have a fragrance allergy?

As mine is a contact allergy I essentially have to avoid coming into contact with anything or anyone that has had perfume on it. So that means using only non-scented washing powders or liquids, haircare, skincare, deodorants, suncreams, soap, washing up liquids and household cleaning and polishing items. 

It means not having or not lighting any scented candles, not wearing any perfumes, avoiding anyone else who might spray perfumes in to the air, avoiding polish with fragrance in it, avoiding shops or salons or spas where you can smell the perfumes as you walk in.... avoiding anything with a scent. 

If it smells nice I cannot have it! It is easier said than done!!

It is unlikely that I am allergic to ALL fragrances but the problem is pinning down to the ones I am. In the fragrance patch test, they use a mix of the most common to cause allergies.

The problem in todays world is that there are so many fragrances all mixed up and used in complex ways. 

Really the purer and more natural the better chance that I might be Ok with it. I already know that I am Ok with some real scented flowers- but NOT with the synthetic copies of those flowers....

I am still hoping that at some time in the future I may be able to use one or two pure essential oils for when I feel like wearing a perfume or maybe could add to a wash but for now its safer for me to AVOID all fragrances on my skin.

Do check with companies to know if fragrances are used in their products. Hopefully, ingredients will be listed on the product. 

In any event ALWAYS read the full ingredient list and do a patch test before using. 

If you are interested in learning more about fragrance allergy these websites may be useful to you.

http://www.webmd.com/allergies/features/fragrance-allergies-a-sensory-assault

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfume_intolerance

Here is a  short Video explaining more about fragrance Allergies