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Original poster

Shampoo for the very allergic?

101 replies

CantSee4Looking · 18/10/2015 21:10

I have recently developed a pretty nasty reaction to my normal shampoo (yep they improved it and changed the recipe Hmm )
Can anyone suggest a shampoo that will be suitable for some who is even allergic to E45? Main culprit is normally lanolin, but the shampoo was something else.

Also any advice to help my poor scalp that is currently incredibly red and feels like it is burning?

OP posts:
wheresthebeach · 19/10/2015 18:49

The only thing I can use is the Simple range. Everything else is a nightmare.

PandasRock · 19/10/2015 18:54

Urtekram unscented. Use to be able to get it from Goodness Direct, but I haven't checked recently. It's the only thing which I could use for dd1 when she was in a highly sensitive phase, and she reacted to everything

Teacakequeen · 19/10/2015 19:02

I use Philip Kingsley too, the dandruff one. It's really gentle and clears any dry skin too.

PolterGoose · 19/10/2015 19:03

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

mrscee · 19/10/2015 19:10

I'm using happy hair days shampoo from sainsburys it's parabenfree and sls free not sure about the lanolin.

bananaandcustard · 19/10/2015 19:17

we use a brand that is perfume and colour free.

have had lots of problems with shampoo, baby shampoo ranges J&J being one of the worst.

PandasRock · 19/10/2015 19:36

Hope it helps, Polter. Dd1 used to react ridiculously to absolutely everything. Urtekram is, basically soap-free, smell free, SLS free, paraben free, you name it, it isn't in there Grin

I have a feeling the shampoo is cheaper than the shower gel, and here really isn't a great deal of difference in composition. I used the shampoo for everything - chucked a bit in the bath, as shampoo, as soap and handwash etc

hugoagogo · 19/10/2015 19:56

I had excema on my eyebrows and scalp when pregnant with dd I used allergenics shampoo from holland and barrett. It was brilliant, but kind of pricey -I still go back to it now and again though.

I'm currently using waitrose pure, but have had some success with simple camomile baby shampoo.

unlucky83 · 19/10/2015 20:02

mrs just looked and it contains MIT though Sad....and for any skin reactions I'd rule that out first ...
To quote an article in the mail (so sparing everyone the link)
Dermatologists expect an allergic reaction to a cosmetic product of no more than 1-2per cent, however British clinics report that the rate has been more than 10per cent for MI.
and
Leading dermatologist Dr Ian White from St Thomas’ Hospital, London, said: ‘The frequency of reactions to MI is unprecedented in my experience. We’ve never seen anything quite like it.

‘Contact allergy to this permitted preservative is now of epidemic proportions.’
Sorry i know I am going on but I'm not sensitive to anything else, have never had a reaction to anything and apparently you get increased sensitivity on exposure.
I thought my burning face was due to I'd had the shower too hot and/or my age and it seemed to be getting worse. It was only when I heard an interview on You and yours on radio 4 (www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03lpjpm at 7.30) that I checked and omitted it and found my face no longer burned. (By luck my moisturiser didn't contain it). After a few months I used the Tescos baby shampoo without checking first and my face was burning - I knew it had it in (and it did).

RaspberryOverload · 19/10/2015 20:23

I hadn't of the MIT thing before, so I think I might got and check my products. I've been reducing the chemicals I use on face and hair, but there have been times I've tried a new product and had to ditch it because my face has ended up burning, so this is interesting.

steppemum · 19/10/2015 21:58

unlucky - I think it was MIT that started my eyelid eczema. It is quite a recent thing, they have been gradually swapping over to MIT in many products, without anyone knowing.
It was radio 4 that alerted me too!

sleeponeday · 19/10/2015 22:15

Yeah, apologies for dismissing Lush if they work so well for some - this is so individual, isn't it.

WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeG0es · 19/10/2015 22:28

Regarding the preservatives, I used to use a lot of these in a previous job about 20 years ago and have a little knowledge but am not expert. At that time I got the impression that parabens were thought of as being less harmful than MIT, in beauty products I felt that it tended to be the cheaper ones that had MIT in them and the more expensive ones had parabens (I've always been a reader of labels, I'm a chemist and the ingredients interest me). However there has been such a backlash against parabens in the last few years that I suppose MIT has seemed like an attractive option to formulators who are under pressure to produce "paraben-free" products. I have no idea if any of this is hard fact, but it's certainly my impression.

Sleep - you're not the first person to have said that to me, I used to have a friend who swore that I should switch away from highly fragranced Lush products to Simple ones which give a burning feeling on my skin, it is hard to know what is going to affect who.

redcaryellowcar · 19/10/2015 22:36

My skin is sensitive, but probably not as bad as yours, redeem do a sensitive scalp shampoo, it's lovely, very gentle and smells nice although I don't think it's perfumed?

barefootzenhippy · 19/10/2015 22:42

I use faith in nature which is lovely and all natural ingredients, I have quite sensitive skin and react to a lot of shampoos but my scalp seems to really like this brand.

NattyGolfJerkin · 19/10/2015 22:47

sleeponeday normal e45 doesn't thin the skin (though it is very common for people to be sensitive to it). The only e45 product that will thin the skin with prolonged use is their hydrocortisone cream version, hc45. It's the steroid use that thins the skin. E45 itself is just a (nasty) emollient.

WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeG0es · 19/10/2015 23:07

According to the info my GP gave me recently, the skin thinning with steroids is now thought to mainly only occur when they are used under dressings and to be reversible when their use is stopped for many people. So it's not the problem it is widely said to be. eczema link.

And E45 isn't nasty for everyone either, it suits my skin.

Paddletonio · 19/10/2015 23:14

I react to a lot of shampoos but I second the Simple and also herbal essences have started doing a natural range with fewer chemicals and this is working well for me. Their normal range was one of the worst culprits for making me react!

Original poster
CantSee4Looking · 19/10/2015 23:55

Unfortunately I have to agree with sleep lush can trigger some pretty bad eczema, ditto with simple. In fact simple makes me break out in eczema so bad that I have bleeding weeping sores.

OP posts:
Original poster
CantSee4Looking · 19/10/2015 23:55

*lush triggers the eczema in me

OP posts:
Pantsalive · 20/10/2015 00:16

Boots currently has 1/3 off the Childs Farm range so I'm going to try that for my sensitive-skinned DD.

unlucky83 · 20/10/2015 01:05

steppe Flowers I am really glad I caught that program before my reaction got any worse... and the penny dropped - I had been vaguely wondering what the problem was before but it was not really bad enough for me to be worried.

And Who afaik it is true they took parabens out and put MIT in. I think some aprabens have actually been banned in the EU. But for things like facecream I'd chose one with parabens over MIT
(Actually I don't think I have any choice now Sad)

I realised to avoid liquid preservatives I'd have to go for a shampoo bar (I actually had one for swimming years ago and it was fantastic).
I looked at Lush but they do contain SLS and I try to avoid that.
(I used to work in a lab and we used SLS (we called it SDS) in gels - it is nasty stuff to make up solutions with it we had to wear a face mask/goggles etc - I can't get the image out of my head)
Also I hate the strong perfumes and the fact they stick 'bits' in things - lots of thing like their bath bombs are a nightmare to clean the bath after -for me spoils any relaxation.
I would go for one of the small companies...

My 'Funky Soap' shampoo bar contains saponified Castor Oil, Olive Oil, Sustainable Palm oil, Coconut Oil, Grapeseed Oil, Shea butter, Tea of Nettle, Marshmallowroot, Fenugreek, Rosemary and Horsetail, Aloe Vera, Neem Oil, Lavender, Lemon and Bergamot essential oils, spirulina and spinach powder.
I guess you could react to some of that stuff but no artificial nasties...(and no plastic bottle waste, no spills in luggage/swim bag, no problems with liquids at airports - just takes a bit of getting used to Smile).

sleeponeday · 20/10/2015 02:16

Ah, okay Natty - that would be the he45 then, prescription one, right? We were told it was unsuitable for a baby, and that was the reason given. They prescribed double base instead, which didn't suit him either, sadly.

Ironically he has to have quite strong steroid creams now, to use when he flares, so if thin skinning were an issue he'd be in trouble - good to read it almost certainly isn't! Thanks for the link WhoKnows.

I suppose we're lucky to live in a place and time where there are so many options, really.

Senpai · 20/10/2015 05:31

Check the ingredients for Selsun shampoo. That's always been my go to for sensitive skin.

WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeG0es · 20/10/2015 07:08

Unkucky, I used to use a lot of SLS in the lab too, but the main issue with handling it was trying not to breathe in the powder as it is so flyaway, I had to weigh it out in a glove box, I don't mind a bit of it contained in haircare products though.

Pants - thanks for the tip about Childs Farm on offer in Boots, my DCs (who don't have eczema) use it so I will stock up

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