The cost of softness

Let’s take fabric softeners. Yes, the idea sounds very appealing, you want your skin to feel pampered by a gorgeously soft towel when coming out of the shower! And you want your bed to feel super soft when you in after a busy long day at work.

If you are reading this, you are very likely used to reading INCI names of ingredients on cosmetics and are a bit more conscious about these, but are you actually checking ingredients when you buy a washing powder, a laundry detergent or a fabric conditioner??

If you don’t already, you really should! This is why.



There are numerous reports of allergic reactions to fabric conditioners in the form of asthma and skin rashes. If you are one of those who read labels you will be aware that these products are made to coat fabrics with chemicals that give the “impression of softness”. Yes indeed it is not even real softness, it is only the impression of it!

 The Organic Authority (www.organicauthority.com) lists some of the ingredients and their side effects:

·        Alpha Terpineol: can cause nervous damage and respiratory problems

·        Benzyl Acetate: linked to pancreatic cancer

·        Camphor: causes nervous damage and respiratory problems

·        Limonene: carcinogen that irritates eyes and skin

·        Linalool: causes nervous system disorder

 So are you perhaps paying to “infuse” your clothes with nasty chemicals??



Remember that towels, bed linens, cloths fabrics, will absorb all these chemicals and will stay in contact with your skin all day long. This can bring to sensitization, as it happened to me and to some of my friends. It is not an isolated episode, there are thousands of cases slowly coming up every day, do not underestimate it, especially with your children. In fact even on the BBC there was an episode of the House Doctor, where the doctor advised the patient to change washing products to alleviate skin irritation, before starting to use any medications. And it worked, so indeed it was the laundry products and conditioner that was causing skin rush.

If skin gets irritated in most cases it is because of an external agent. So look around you if you fall into this category.

Thanks also to internet, there are now plenty of DYI recipes for anything. For example to have soft and clean laundry you can add ½ cup of bicarbonate of soda to the washing cycle, or 4 table spoons of white vinegar, saving money and the environment too (www.treehugger.com).

So why don’t you look up for healthy and environmentally friendly alternatives before you do your next shopping?

Please also refer to our blog on Healthy Skin Tips published on 16th November.

Finally, be aware that there are some very natural organic products that can help healing your skin and deeply sooth it. For example our organic fragrance free Nourishing Tomato Cream & Cleanser contains ingredients like Rice Bran oil, Tomato seed and Carrot seed oils that are appositely made to restore and calm the skin. So keep searching and do not go for second best!

If you have any questions, please ask, we are very happy to suggest skin friendly brands!