Help... Allergic to bar soap!!

[FunFlames]

I am allergic to bar soap, everything from ivory to zest. I can use liquid soap though. I have started to read all the soap making info in this section and will continue to do so.

The information I am looking for is if anyone knows of, or can suggest a "type" of soap to try that I might not be allergic too. I would love to be able to make my own one day so I am starting to research now. I am not sure what it is that I am allergic too though. I do not have a problem with lotions either.

Any and all help will be greatly appreciated. If it comes down to having to use liquid the rest of my life then at least I can learn to make that.

TIA

Danielle

[Casey]

Ivory, zest, Dial and the like are made with synthetic detergents. Try a handmade, all natural bar-or even a vegetable glycerine bar.

[Meg_10]

I am allergic to bar soap, everything from ivory to zest. I can use liquid soap though. I have started to read all the soap making info in this section and will continue to do so.

The information I am looking for is if anyone knows of, or can suggest a "type" of soap to try that I might not be allergic too. I would love to be able to make my own one day so I am starting to research now. I am not sure what it is that I am allergic too though. I do not have a problem with lotions either.

Any and all help will be greatly appreciated. If it comes down to having to use liquid the rest of my life then at least I can learn to make that.

TIA

Danielle

So am I!!! I can't use any bar soap from Ivory to Zest. Always grew up on Dove soap bars.

I now only use body liquid soap such as Dove and Suave, so on.

I always wonder what it was in these soaps that I'm allergic to. My mom said it's "deodorant soaps" now that Casey just mentioned what these bar of soaps are made with, it make sense.

Thanks Casey for clearing up my curiosity after all these years. LOL

Meg

[FunFlames]

I can't even use Dove... nothing in bar form. If I do I itch so bad then if I touch my skin it looks like I have been caned!! My DH took a pic one night it was so bad. Strange thing is.. the itching and welts started in the late afternoon to early evening.... after the Dr.'s are closed. One night it was so bad I almost went to the emergency room. I finally figured it out by accident. My DH bought me some "soap free" body wash from BBW, first use... no more itching. Now all I use is liquid body wash. Not one has bothered me. Strange part... I have a house cleaning business.... my hand are in soaps and cheicals all day. Non of that bothers me.... just bar soap. I thought it might be something that keeps it in "bar" form.

I do want to try handmade soaps, I am not sure if one "process" of making it would be better than another.

Any suggestions?? Maybe I should purchase a few from other members and see what happens.

Thank you for the responses

Danielle

[CareBear]

Actually it depends on which version of Ivory you are using. The basic is actually a soap: http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/household/brands?tbl=brands&id=16003654&query=Ivory&searchas=TblBrands&prodcat=all

Dove contains both soap & detergent: http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/household/brands?tbl=brands&id=12002007&query=dove&searchas=TblBrands&prodcat=all

.

Perhaps the database will help you track down to what you are actually allergic. Bar soaps can often be synthetic detergents but not always. Liquid soaps are ALMOST all detergents. Some are sensitive to detergents, some find them actually better than soap... and there are a zillion other potential ingredients to deal with. This particular BBW shower gel is detergent-based: http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/household/brands?tbl=brands&id=2017003&query=body&searchas=TblBrands&prodcat=all

And has it actually been determined that you are "allergic" or do these products irritate your skin or make you dry or something? (When Tone came out the Original gave me hives, but my sensitivity to other bar soaps seems to be more of an irritancy.

[Lorrie]

I would purchase a few from member here first before trying to make any.

[jbren]

An unscented or lightly scented castile made with just olive oil and cured for a good long time may be good for you.

[Angel91805]

I just PM'd her.....it could be an allergy to the fragrance too. I'm gonna send her a regular CP bar and a castille-type bar. If that don't work, we'll try something else.

Hugs,

Donna

[FunFlames]

thank you all for the replies and help.....

Doesn't seem to be a fragrance thing, all the liquid soaps I use are scented. I use lotions that are scented too.

This "allergy" came on a few years ago, before that I never had a problem. Bar soaps don't seem to dry my skin. When I was still using it, my skin looked good and was not flakey, and lotion did NOT help.

It has not be a diagnosed "allergy" as it really got bad after hours!! I gave up and stopped using bar soap. All has been right in "skinsville" ever since!!

Thanks again

Danielle

[CareBear]

well right now what you list is like saying "I'm allergic to beverages" - it's just not specific enough to be much help. I hope you get to the bottom of things.

[eugenia]

I have found that people that are allergic to just about all commercial bar soaps can use my castile without event. My S-I-L's mother was ecstatic when she tried it. She came running down the stairs calling to her husband "Look at this! I am not red! I do not itch!" she called her daughter, who promptly called me.

My plain, boring castile, 90% olive, 10% castor, no scent, is one that I always have on hand.

e

[FunFlames]

I am sorry I am not more help... LOL All I can say at this point is it has to be something that makes it a bar. I never found the ingredients on all the soaps I have use so I could not even compare them.

I can rule out color and fragrance as they are in the liquids that don't bother me. If it was just one bar that would be different, but everyone I tried produces the same results. Like I said from mild to harsh.... all have the same itching welting effect.

I wish I knew!!

Danielle

[soycrazy]

My hubby is the same way and that's what made me starting making soap. He would break out in itchy welts too with bar soap or liquid soap ever since he could remember. He uses my unscented soap and never looked back

[FunFlames]

Soycrazy.... thanks, that gives me hope. I have some soap coming to try. I can't wait.

If I had the same problem with body wash, i'd be in a world of hurt. I really feel for what your hubby went through before you made it all better!! Damn that itching and welting can make you rip your skin off!!

Thanks again

Danielle

[Vio]

I have extremely sensitive skin too. The skin on my face reacts pretty badly to most soaps and I try and avoid sodum cocoate, or sodium tallowate in bar products. I can't even use Dove on my face because it will stink and make me itchy and dry. I would say it could b possible you'e allergic to sodium cocoate maybe? That's coconut. I am using my own castile on my face and it's not irritating or drying out my skin one bit. I'm really pretty surprised. I wasn't expecting that lye soap could be used on the face. Boy was I wrong. It's actually softening my skin.

[FunFlames]

Vio, that is interesting specially since my sister and I both had bad reactions to coconut as children and have avoided it ever since.

Strange that is showed up a few years ago, but I do know that your body changes and allergies go in 7 year cycles!

Things that make you go hhmmmmmm!!

[Vio]

My guess is coconut then. Try castile. I'm fixing a comp for someone. Keyboard sticks. Meant to say sting above not stink. LOL

[SheilaW]

Back before the advent of liquid soap I had to use baby shampoo because any and all bar soaps would have the same effect of itching and huge welts all over my body.

When I started making soap I was leary of using it but there was no way I was going to give a bar away without testing it first.

Much to my surprise it did fine, no itching or welts.

Try some castile as suggested.

[TexasBrat]

. Keyboard sticks. Meant to say sting above not stink. LOL

I'm glad you cleared that up. I was perplexed.

[doris]

Let's see, you are allergic only to bar soaps, but not to any other cleaning products, regardless of scent or strength or anything. And the symptoms only show up after the doctor closes. So even if you use bar soap in the morning, you only get a reaction at night or on weekends. Odd!

[wildangel112]

When you mentioned welts, I thought about coconut also. It's the one constant in all my bars and every time DD uses one she breaks out in welts and itches something fierce. One day she grabbed one of my salt bars instead of the store-bought brand she's been using and no welts. I was worried for a bit, knowing that it was roughly 80% coconut and waited for a reaction, but none. She has been using the salt bars for over a year now and couldn't be happier. I tried to get her to experiment with a castile bar, but she'd have no part of it. The salt bars have won her heart .

Rena

[FunFlames]

Doris... That does sound funny when you say it like that!!

Not so much night or weekends.... just hours after I shower. I am not a morning person, so normally I shower around noon so it is usually 4-5 hours after that and then it gets worse through out the evening. If I showered too early I'd probably drown! LOL. I really don't do well in the am.

I was fine for the first 35ish years of my life with soap. Now..... NOT

When I am cleaning it is my hands in the product. When I was using bar soap, the only part that didn't "crazy" itch was my hands. I chalked that up to being not as sensitive skin, and also rinsing them a lot.

[Angel91805]

You know what, Danielle......if you are allergic to coconut, you will NOT want to use that green bar I sent you. It has coconut in it. I mean, you could try it....but if it's coconut....there you go. It's a good thing I shoved that castille soap in there, huh? LOL...lemme know when you get them!

Donna

[FunFlames]

Ok, update.... I got a bar of maple syrup soap. It has coconut oil in it.... I have used it for 3 days now and NO welts.

I did have a little itching... but then I realized my humidifier had stopped working! Which also explained the headaches and sore nose. LOL So I have had absolutely no reaction to the soap. :highfive:

Here is a funny for you... I was so out of the practice of using bar soap I had a hard time holding on to that slippery little sucker. So it now looks a bit beat up from plopping to the floor a few times!! I am bar soap challenged! LOL

So I am VERY happy! The world of bar soap has been opened up to me again!! I have a few more bars on the way... I can't wait to try them!!!

Thank You all VERY much for all your help and support!! I really appreciate it.

Danielle

[Angel91805]

Oh my....you haven't gotten them yet??? Wow...if you aren't allergic to coconut....YEAH...then you can use the green one I sent......WOOT! I was wondering today if you had gotten them yet. GRRRR. LOL. At least *I* didn't get them back this time!

LOL...Donna