Wowwwww....
Hi all, boy do I have a tale to tell.
I have for many YEARS now gone through the drill of itching and hives for half an hour every single time I shower... all over my face, neck, shoulders, and back. I had way too much else going on at the time to really piece things together as to what was going on and do something serious about it. For a few years in my 20's, I had extremely severe eczema all over my body from the waist up. By this I mean red, inflamed, thickened, cracked, peeling, super-itchy, super-painful rash all over from the waist up including my face... when it cracked it got weepy and even more painful. I was prescribed all manner of eczema creams, steroidal creams, hydrocortisone cream, coal tar (ugh!), you name it, and nothing seemed to help. I have had this same problem, usually to a lesser extent, for as long as I can remember. No one could figure out the problem, not even my doctors, and the general assumption was that as a person with allergies I was just susceptible to getting eczema with no apparent cause. Eventually this huge outbreak mostly settled down, but I never found the cause.
Things have finally settled down for me and I have more time to question these things. A couple of days ago I got out of the shower with the obligatory hives and said to myself, "Doggone it this is not normal! It's got to be an allergic reaction to something and I'm finally going to sit down and figure out what it is." I sat down with a hair gel that caused a bigger rash than usual and a mousse that caused an additional rash under my bangs and around my hairline, and googled "mousse gel allergic" and similar searches, thinking that hopefully I'll find a common ingredient in them and look for styling products without this ingredient.
I was not prepared for the results.
Turns out that each product contained 5 or 6 known skin irritants, some of which release formaldehyde or dioxin, PLUS at least one associated with eczema or rash! Shocked, and further finding that many of these ingredients are also found in shampoos, I began searching for "hypoallergenic shampoo" and "hypoallergenic hair gel." But after checking the ingredients I found that even these contain known skin irritants... even baby shampoo! Even, get this, "pure" aloe vera gel sold in bottles at the drugstore!
Completely exasperated now, I started searching for "homemade shampoo" and "homemade styling gel." I came upon this website and found this "no-'poo" method, and some other websites with a flaxseed recipe for hair gel. I was a bit hesitant but everyone's rave reviews here of how soft this method leaves your hair, and how great their hair behaves now, encouraged me to consider trying it.
Yesterday, my whole scalp itching for no known reason (since I had washed with my regular shampoo, rinsed well, and not put ANYTHING on it for styling until I found an alternative), I got frustrated enough to just take the plunge.
{Edited for clarity} The wash went well and the BS immediately stopped the itching on my scalp, but everywhere it the rinse water dripped onto my torso, especially my neck and forehead, there were soon bright red welts and burning as whatever had been irritating my scalp now irritated my skin as I washed it away. Today almost all the itching on my scalp is gone. But more than that, my facial complexion seems clearer, and lo and behold even my longstanding sinusitis problem seems to be easing. My hair feels much lighter and softer now, and all I can guess is that whatever junk was built up in there was weighing it down quite a bit. The itching on my scalp is almost completely gone today. I suspect there will be some more (milder) itching episodes until the BS has removed the residue rest of the irritating 'poo residue from my scalp and hair.{/Edit}
I now realize the culprit for all my previous suffering, including some of the worst physical suffering I've ever experienced. Grrrr! That's a heck of a lot of needless misery I could have avoided, had I only known.
My deepest thanks to everyone here for all their contributions and ideas. You have helped me more than you know. I just wanted to write and tell you so, and share my story to help encourage others to dump the 'poo... and all the other toxic chemicals in our lives. I'm making the switch to flaxseed hair gel, castile soap, vinegar or baking soda instead of household cleaners, etc. I can't wait to see how much more my health improves as a result. Thank you thank you THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart!
Some of the other things I've found that may help others here (I haven't tried the hair gel yet):
Hair Gel for All Hair Types
2 tablespoons of flax seeds
1 cup of water
One vitamin E capsule (optional, good for dry, damaged or chemically-treated hair, also acts as a natural preservative)
1 tablespoon of rosewater or 3 drops of your favourite essential oil (optional)
Unlike the commercial varieties, this styling gel also acts as a conditioner, so it is particularly good for dry hair. Combine the flax seeds and water in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil. Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool for 30 minutes. Strain out the seeds and stir in the vitamin E oil (if using) and the rosewater or essential oil. Pour the mixture into a clean jar and store it in the refrigerator. It will keep for up to one month.
Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things (http://www.rd.com/extraordinaryuses/openLandingPage.do) - Type in your cleaning problem or item, such as "rust" or "chrome" and it will give you household items to clean with. Many of these are non-toxic like vinegar, cream of tartar, etc. You have to sign up for a free membership (no spam just uncheck the two "RDOffers" and "This Week" boxes), but hey it's well worth it.
I have for many YEARS now gone through the drill of itching and hives for half an hour every single time I shower... all over my face, neck, shoulders, and back. I had way too much else going on at the time to really piece things together as to what was going on and do something serious about it. For a few years in my 20's, I had extremely severe eczema all over my body from the waist up. By this I mean red, inflamed, thickened, cracked, peeling, super-itchy, super-painful rash all over from the waist up including my face... when it cracked it got weepy and even more painful. I was prescribed all manner of eczema creams, steroidal creams, hydrocortisone cream, coal tar (ugh!), you name it, and nothing seemed to help. I have had this same problem, usually to a lesser extent, for as long as I can remember. No one could figure out the problem, not even my doctors, and the general assumption was that as a person with allergies I was just susceptible to getting eczema with no apparent cause. Eventually this huge outbreak mostly settled down, but I never found the cause.
Things have finally settled down for me and I have more time to question these things. A couple of days ago I got out of the shower with the obligatory hives and said to myself, "Doggone it this is not normal! It's got to be an allergic reaction to something and I'm finally going to sit down and figure out what it is." I sat down with a hair gel that caused a bigger rash than usual and a mousse that caused an additional rash under my bangs and around my hairline, and googled "mousse gel allergic" and similar searches, thinking that hopefully I'll find a common ingredient in them and look for styling products without this ingredient.
I was not prepared for the results.
Turns out that each product contained 5 or 6 known skin irritants, some of which release formaldehyde or dioxin, PLUS at least one associated with eczema or rash! Shocked, and further finding that many of these ingredients are also found in shampoos, I began searching for "hypoallergenic shampoo" and "hypoallergenic hair gel." But after checking the ingredients I found that even these contain known skin irritants... even baby shampoo! Even, get this, "pure" aloe vera gel sold in bottles at the drugstore!
Completely exasperated now, I started searching for "homemade shampoo" and "homemade styling gel." I came upon this website and found this "no-'poo" method, and some other websites with a flaxseed recipe for hair gel. I was a bit hesitant but everyone's rave reviews here of how soft this method leaves your hair, and how great their hair behaves now, encouraged me to consider trying it.
Yesterday, my whole scalp itching for no known reason (since I had washed with my regular shampoo, rinsed well, and not put ANYTHING on it for styling until I found an alternative), I got frustrated enough to just take the plunge.
{Edited for clarity} The wash went well and the BS immediately stopped the itching on my scalp, but everywhere it the rinse water dripped onto my torso, especially my neck and forehead, there were soon bright red welts and burning as whatever had been irritating my scalp now irritated my skin as I washed it away. Today almost all the itching on my scalp is gone. But more than that, my facial complexion seems clearer, and lo and behold even my longstanding sinusitis problem seems to be easing. My hair feels much lighter and softer now, and all I can guess is that whatever junk was built up in there was weighing it down quite a bit. The itching on my scalp is almost completely gone today. I suspect there will be some more (milder) itching episodes until the BS has removed the residue rest of the irritating 'poo residue from my scalp and hair.{/Edit}
I now realize the culprit for all my previous suffering, including some of the worst physical suffering I've ever experienced. Grrrr! That's a heck of a lot of needless misery I could have avoided, had I only known.
My deepest thanks to everyone here for all their contributions and ideas. You have helped me more than you know. I just wanted to write and tell you so, and share my story to help encourage others to dump the 'poo... and all the other toxic chemicals in our lives. I'm making the switch to flaxseed hair gel, castile soap, vinegar or baking soda instead of household cleaners, etc. I can't wait to see how much more my health improves as a result. Thank you thank you THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart!
Some of the other things I've found that may help others here (I haven't tried the hair gel yet):
Hair Gel for All Hair Types
2 tablespoons of flax seeds
1 cup of water
One vitamin E capsule (optional, good for dry, damaged or chemically-treated hair, also acts as a natural preservative)
1 tablespoon of rosewater or 3 drops of your favourite essential oil (optional)
Unlike the commercial varieties, this styling gel also acts as a conditioner, so it is particularly good for dry hair. Combine the flax seeds and water in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil. Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool for 30 minutes. Strain out the seeds and stir in the vitamin E oil (if using) and the rosewater or essential oil. Pour the mixture into a clean jar and store it in the refrigerator. It will keep for up to one month.
Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things (http://www.rd.com/extraordinaryuses/openLandingPage.do) - Type in your cleaning problem or item, such as "rust" or "chrome" and it will give you household items to clean with. Many of these are non-toxic like vinegar, cream of tartar, etc. You have to sign up for a free membership (no spam just uncheck the two "RDOffers" and "This Week" boxes), but hey it's well worth it.