To ask if wool duvets/pillows have made your dc's eczema better or worse

[5lilducks]

Hi all. I am thinking of getting dd(almost 4) a new duvet and pillows. I am thinking of getting her wool ones as I prefer her to have ones that have less chemicals/synthetic materials etc..Unfortunately she has eczema on wrist, elbow, back of knees. I have already seen gp re. her eczema. I am interested to know if anyone on here has a dc with eczema and is/was using wool duvets/pillows and what their experiences are. Tia x

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As far as I know, there are two reasons wool can be problematic for eczema sufferers. It’s possible to have an allergic type response to the lanolin it contains. And the mechanical action of the wool rubbing can irritate the skin. With a duvet inside a cotton cover the mechanical problem is unlikely to be an issue. Could you test the possible allergic response ? Put a wool jumper or blanket over her (during a nap, watching a movie or something) and see if she starts reacts at all?

I think my sons skin got better since he has one, but cant really be sure if it is the duvet or changing washing powder. It didnt make it worse though.

Had wool stuff for years, pure cotton bedding is fab.
No allergies tho

Thank you so much for replying. That's a good idea, thank you, I'll try putting something with wool on her to see how she fares. I used to apply lanolin nipple cream when I was breastfeeding her and she didn't have a reaction then. If I do get her a wool duvet/pillow it will be the ones which have a100% cotton casing.

@kingat can I ask what washing powder you use?

not for my dc, but I can't sleep in wool/camel/alpaca/feathers due to my allergies, including eczema.

I have severe eczema. Wool would be HELL. It's my least favourite fabric, it rubs, it's itchy and makes me sore.

No way, worst thing I could have on my skin.

Oh my goodness wool would be awful for us. Not sure I know anyone exczema-ey who would tolerate that. Why would you put a known allergen on someone with eczema!?

We can't wear wool either . It is so scratchy :(

Thank you for replying. I guess I'll have to look for something else then. @WholeClassKeptIn I guess I was thinking its "hypoallergenic " and if its in a 100% cotton casing it would wouldnt be a problem? I guess I was wrong.!Would it still be a problem if its in a 100%cotton casing and a 100% cotton duvet cover?

hypoallergenic is not a protected term.
anyone could use that to decribe their product.

any product made from animal hair can be problematic from an allergy perspective.

from a quick google it's mainly shops that sell wool duvets etc that peddle the allerfy-friendly myth, whilst reputable health sites (hospitals) advise against.

Has she already got dust mite resistant covers/bedding? That would be my go to. They only did mattress protectors when I had eczmea, but even that helped.

So I have periodic episodes of eczema. I wouldn’t describe it as severe.I really like to wear wool because I find it’s not as sweaty as synthetics or even very thick cotton. My eczema reacts very quickly to sweat. But I only wear merino wool or merino wool blends next to my skin (smaller fibre length so less mechanically abrasive. I also have no allergic reaction to wool. Or feathers. I do react to dust. I know that in my case if I react to a down duvet or pillow it’s the dust in it and not the feathers themselves. Getting dust on my hands (when sweeping the floor for example) makes them immediately start itching. Definitely test your DDs response to wool before spending money on an expensive duvet.

Thank you so much for all your replies. @ChristmasFluff no she hasn't got dustmite resistant bedding, I will definitely look into that. Looks like I will need to hold off getting her new bedding until I know for sure what will work for her. Thank you so much once again

I have real trouble with feathers. I can't hide them in the wardrobe in a hotel for example, they have to be out the room!

We always ring in advance!

We have eczema, allergies and asthma here and wool duvets have been life changing. Dust mites can't live in it, and as it regulates temperature better no overheating which is a big eczema trigger.

The duvet is well sealed in cotton (Baavet) so no changer of conning into contact with the wool.

I am literally evangelical about wool as it's made so much of a difference to all of us. And I genuinely can't wear anything with even 1% wool without wanting to claw my skin off.

Baavet do a 30 day money back guarantee too (and airways have good deals in their Baargain box, that's where I got all of ours from)

Bio d ( online or health food shops ) make great stuff, and cheaper than Ecover and more effective

We recently bought a big thing of Ecoleaf laundry liquid and it's really good. Smells lovely and no reaction from anyone. And our secret weapon is the vanish staying removing soap. It literally shifts anything (DS tends to rub his clothes as he's wearing them, the stain disappears and then he doesn't bother putting into the wash!)

I had serious eczema as a child in the days before duvets when we all had woollen blankets, so I wouldn’t recommend a wool duvet myself.

[quote 5lilducks]@kingat can I ask what washing powder you use?[/quote]
Just switched to non bio, any that is on offer;)

Also, ours is not scratchy at all and I washed it few times too. He is definetely less sweaty too.

Im not sure that all the anti-wool posters in this thread understand what's meant by a wool duvet/pillows.

All our bedding is wool (also Baavet bargain corner!). It has never triggered my child with asthma, and my child with psoriasis is definitely better with our wool than with synthetics whenever we're away or visiting family.

In your position I'd be tempted to maybe try a pillow first, see if it suits and if it doesn't, potentially nick it for yourself (it's like sleeping on a cloud!) or at least it's not the most expensive mistake to test with.

I know a wool duvet is different to a blanket.

the allergy issue still remains, the same as with feather/down duvets.

they might work for some people, but for people with animal hair allergy as trigger for their allergies/eczema I would not risk it.

@purplesequins

I know a wool duvet is different to a blanket.

the allergy issue still remains, the same as with feather/down duvets.

they might work for some people, but for people with animal hair allergy as trigger for their allergies/eczema I would not risk it.

Animal allergy is an allergy to dander, which does not exist in wool. We have two people in this house using wool bedding who can attest to this (one whose allergies are so severe they are in an experimental trial as licenced meds offer no control).

The only potential allergen in wool bedding is lanolin.

I can only recommend you try with the 30 day guarantee but this combined with an air purifier has made the biggest difference to DCs sleep health. No more night time coughing/waking up with eyes swollen shut/streaming nose.