\nThe way you do your laundry can impact your sensitive skin. If you\u2019re not making special adjustments to your washing and drying routine, you could be setting yourself up for even more irritation.\n
\u201cFor people with sensitive skin, anything can trigger inflammation, dryness, contact dermatitis, and other skin irritations,\u201d says board-certified dermatologist Ife J. Rodney, M.D., founding director of Eternal Dermatology + Aesthetics. \u201cLaundry detergent, fabric softeners, and even dryer sheets contain ingredients that can affect your skin.\u201d As a result, Dr. Rodney says, \u201cdoing laundry the right way means taking steps to ensure your clothing does not cause allergic reactions or even breakouts.\u201d\n
Clearly, you\u2019re not born knowing how to do laundry, and you\u2019re definitely not born knowing how to do so while navigating sensitive skin. Here, dermatologists and people with sensitive skin break down their hacks for washing loads without irritation.\n
And if you\u2019ve tried these tricks and you\u2019re still struggling with sensitive skin flares, talk to your dermatologist. They should be able to offer personalized advice to help you get relief.\n
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\u201cYour laundry detergent may be the culprit for your skin issues,\u201d says Joshua Zeichner, M.D., director of cosmetic and clinical research in the department of dermatology at The Mount Sinai Hospital. Fragrances and dyes in traditional laundry detergents can cause a rash known as allergic contact dermatitis, he says, pointing out that \u201cthis is the same type of rash that you can get from fragrances and other personal care products.\u201d Cue the itching and skin discomfort.\n
When picking out a laundry detergent, Dr. Rodney recommends looking for something marked as \u201cfragrance free.\u201d \u201cThat subtle change can make a big difference,\u201d she says. While you\u2019re at it, Dr. Rodney suggests trying to avoid ingredients dioxane, ammonium quaternary sanitizers, and sulfates and phthalates. To check your detergent for dioxane, look for \u201c1,4 dioxane\u201d or \u201cdiethylene dioxide.\u201d Ammonium quaternary sanitizers will usually show up as ingredients that end with \u201cammonium chloride,\u201d while companies will usually advertise if they\u2019re sulfate- and phthalate-free. Just a heads-up: Some detergents list their ingredients on the label, while others require you to look them up on the company\u2019s website.\n
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\u201cMy skin is so sensitive, I\u2019ll be uncomfortable all day if too much soap is left in my clothes,\u201d says Los Angeles resident and public speaker Daphne O\u2019Neal.\n
It might seem minor, but the amount of detergent you toss in with your laundry matters. \u201cOverdosing your detergent in your washing machine can be a problem,\u201d says Dr. Zeichner. \u201cThis causes the detergent molecules to become trapped within the fibers of the textile, leading to a direct irritation when it touches your skin.\u201d\n
And it can happen even if you use a fragrance- and dye-free detergent, Dr. Zeichner says. His advice: \u201cFollow instructions on how much detergent to use or use the premeasured pods.\u201d\n
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Dryer sheets and fabric softeners are created with the intention of enhancing your clothes, but Dr. Rodney explains that they use a combination of fragrances, dyes, and surfactants (molecules designed to penetrate your clothes) and, \u201cunfortunately, these can trigger skin allergies or skin irritations,\u201d she says. (Many people steer clear of these types of products, even without sensitive skin.)\n
Alex Varela, general manager of Dallas Maids, a house cleaning service in Dallas, says she has \u201cvery sensitive skin,\u201d and is also allergic to fragrance, making dryer sheets and fabric softeners out of the question. You don\u2019t need to resign yourself to a life with stiff clothes, though. \u201cI like using vinegar instead of fabric softener,\u201d Varela says. \u201cIt does the job and leaves no fragrance, nor creates any allergic reaction.\u201d\n
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Many newer washing machines give you the option of adding an extra rinse cycle to your load. If you have sensitive skin, Dr. Rodney says this is a good feature to take advantage of. \u201cA second rinse cycle gets rid of lingering soap particles,\u201d she explains.\n
O\u2019Neal uses this hack with her laundry. \u201cI usually set the washer for an extra rinse,\u201d she says. \u201cBut if I make a mistake and use too much soap in the first place, I may have to go for a third rinse.\u201d\n
Product Image: Front Load Washer with OptiWash\u2122 and CleanGuard\u2122, Dryer with Super Speed Dry, MultiControl\u2122 Kit and Stacking Kit set\n
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It\u2019s tempting to just throw on new clothes when you get them, but Dr. Rodney says it\u2019s crucial to wash them first to rinse off any chemicals, dyes, allergens, or bacteria that may be lingering on the surface. \u201cIf you don your new threads without washing them, these chemicals can leak onto your skin thanks to sweat,\u201d Dr. Rodney says. And this is particularly the case for people with sensitive skin, who could feel irritated \u201cright away,\u201d she notes.\n
Dirt, allergens, and other gunk can lurk on clothes when they\u2019re dirty. You may also not want to directly touch your laundry products, even if they\u2019re made for sensitive skin. That\u2019s why some people wear gloves when they do the wash. \u201cIt\u2019s the only way to avoid any contact with laundry products and prevent irritations on my hands,\u201d says Monica Davis, a hairstylist who says she\u2019s \u201cextremely sensitive\u201d to detergents.\n
\u201cWearing gloves is a great idea if your hands are prone to irritation or allergic contact dermatitis,\u201d Dr. Rodney says. \u201cThis is especially true if you\u2019re washing some pieces by hand with harsh soaps or laundry detergent.\u201d\n
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If the rest of your family prefers a harsher detergent or likes a scented variety, you\u2019ll want to do your laundry apart from theirs, says Dr. Rodney. It\u2019s also a good plan to keep your clean laundry separate, \u201cas fragrance particles can rub off from one clothing or linen item to another,\u201d she says. Meaning, you probably want to store your clean towels and sheets independent of the rest of your family\u2019s linens, too.\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The way you do your laundry can impact your sensitive skin. If you\u2019re not making special adjustments to your washing and drying routine, you could be setting yourself up for even more irritation. \u201cFor people with sensitive skin, anything can trigger inflammation, dryness, contact dermatitis, and other skin irritations,\u201d says board-certified dermatologist Ife J. Rodney,\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18668,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"The way you do your laundry can impact your sensitive skin. If you\u2019re not making special adjustments to your washing and drying routine, you could be setting yourself up for even more irritation.","_seopress_robots_index":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[54,61,30,153,159,46,6,31,32],"class_list":{"0":"post-18667","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tie-life-style","8":"tag-clean-hack","9":"tag-cleaning-tips","10":"tag-household-hacks","11":"tag-laundry-mistakes","12":"tag-laundry-tips","13":"tag-life-hacks","14":"tag-life-style","15":"tag-tips","16":"tag-tricks"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/luandry-advice-for-people-with-sentitive-skin.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18667","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18667"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18667\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18668"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18667"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18667"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18667"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}