In lieu of a mass campaign for a healthy, non-toxic, chemical-free lifestyle, my daughter developed itchy patches on her arms and wrists at age 3 months. The physician said that, because it was January, my baby's skin was affected by the difference in the humidity level inside versus the humidity level outside. His exact words were, 'put as much cream on as you want, it's not going to do anything. . .'
After 2 1/2 years of these 'itchy spots' getting progressively worse (it now being June and they are larger, stay for longer, and are much more irritating) I'm calling it eczema. As her itching has increased, so has my concern. What is causing this? Most cases respond to dietary changes such as avoiding wheat or pasteurized milk products--none of which she consumes. It was amid one of my researching spells that I was introduced to the book Clean Up Your Green Up.
Clean Up Your Green Up is written by a mother who found herself in a toxin-free home with a 2 month old infant suffering from eczema (sound familiar? You're not alone!!). She came upon a site called SolveEczema.org. This site is run by yet another mother in the same situation. This mother realized that detergents were causing her child's discomfort. Makes sense, right? That's why they have baby laundry detergents. Come to find out that it's not just laundry detergent. . .it's all detergents! . . .dish detergent, dishwasher powder, all cleaning detergents, bar 'soap,' shampoo, etc. And not just on baby--on mom, on dad, on pets. It has to do with the chemical composition of detergents.
This post formerly stated that "a detergent contains ingredients, like sodium laureth sulfate, which when examined under a microscope look like little needles. Soap examined in the same way looks like little round globules." This is in fact erroneous. A.J. Lumsdaine, the creator of SolveEczema.org, pointed out this error and kindly commented that, "The underlying reason that detergents cause the eczema, to my understanding, has to do with how detergents affect the permeability of the skin membrane. This essentially comes from the comparatively greater hydrophilic properties of detergents, not their shape."
I have since read an excerpt from Bioengineering of the Skin: Skin Surface Imaging and Analysis by Klaus-Peter that states the following:
"Detergents may affect the skin in various ways, and the targets [that] detergents attack are various kinds of skin cellular components. Detergents dissolve membranes of keratinocytes and lysosomes at higher doses, while they affect primarily the horny layer [of the skin] and produce drying and scaling at low doses. The former mechanism causes acute irritant dermatitis, while the latter causes chronic irritant dermatitis, or non-erythematous irritation."
"When detergents are applied repeatedly at low doses, the adsorbed [adsorb - accumulate on the surface] detergents remain on the surface of the skin even after repeated rinsing, and cause skin roughness."
"Although both detergency of surfactants [i.e. sodium lauryl sulfate] and skin irritancy are complex phenomenon, they are thought to be closely related, for example, penetration of detergents through a dirty substance and permeation. . . of them on the skin, emulsifying/dispersing effects to the removal of the soils and to the removal of lipids and hygroscopic materials from stratum corneum."[In other words, detergent will treat your skin the same way it'll treat a dirty shirt.]
It seems that the properties that make detergents so wonderful to clean our laundry wreak havoc on our skin. In essence, detergents strip away oils (again, great for clothes!) from the skin that naturally protect, at the same time negatively impacting components of the skin's structure. These factors increase skin permeability, making it ultrasensitive to minor irritants. Combined with the already sensitive immune system of a child, this is a perfect recipe for inflamed skin.
It's mentioned that women of the '60's were under extreme pressure to keep their houses spotless--much more so than women of today. Yet, with all their scrubbing and cleansing and sanitizing, why was the occurrence of eczema minimal? It wasn't until the late 1960's that detergents were introduced into household cleaning products. Unlike today, soap was still readily available to purchase for laundering baby clothes (surprise! Dreft is a detergent.) and detergents weren't yet added to personal care products.
If you're looking to find relief for your child's eczema, this might be an avenue to explore. To de-commercialize your cleaning supplies will be means enough to call yourself a GREEN PARENT! And bonus--it'll save tons of money.
I'm 3/4ths of the way through the transition. I've settled on a laundry soap recipe that works (even for my husband's stinky pits! Don't tell him I said that!) and am perfecting a dishwasher powder recipe. I haven't done the math, but it seems like I can get 4 times as much product for the same price as a box of the commercial product. And I find comfort in knowing exactly what's in my soaps.
Green Up Your Clean Up is a great guide to cleaning with non-toxic products. It's full of recipes, ideas, and green product suggestions. It's user friendly layout is helpful to use while working.
To give you an idea of what the recipes are like, here is my version of Laundry Soap, adapted from Green Up Your Clean Up:
- 1/8 cup liquid castile soap
- 2 tablespoons Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda
- 1/4 cup vinegar
Turn on warm water cycle and add soap and washing soda. Let warm water run for a few minutes to help dissolve soap and soda. Change water temperature applicable to load. During the rinse cycle, add 1/4 cup of vinegar (which aids in rinsing residue as well as softening clothing).
Hang clothes outside for a scent that commercial detergents can only dream to capture!
