Reddit reviews Wool Dryer Balls by Smart Sheep 6-Pack, XL Premium Reusable Natural Fabric Softener Award-Winning

I'm betting on wool dryer balls.

https://www.amazon.com/Smart-Sheep-Premium-Reusable-Softener/dp/B00GA9P5P0

Yeah this looks like moderate/severe eczema. Basically looks like my skin when I was a kid.

1. Food allergy testing. People with eczema have overactive immune systems, and the odds are good there is a food allergy issue as well. Better to know sooner rather than later.
   
   
2. Absolutely remove any scented detergents, soaps, perfumes, etc from her life to the extent you can. No fabric softener/dry sheets. Get some wool dryer balls to use as a way to soften fabrics instead of using residue-leaving sheets. No perfume or makeup. Scent free sunscreen.
   
   
3. She needs a steroid cream. There are several formulations (lotion, cream, ointment) and several strengths (typically from 0.05% to 0.25%). You need to find a dermatologist who actually cares enough to prescribe her one. This is a very routine treatment and shouldn't actually be causing you difficulty to find. So I'm very sorry for you and your daughter that this has been difficult so far. Steroid creams can be harmful with intense and long term use, but they will dramatically help flare ups get under control. And, luckily, less dangerous drugs are literally coming onto the market next year (Dupilumab and others).
   
   
4. House cleanliness. She may be having issues from dust, pet dander, mold, etc as well. Regular and intensive vacuuming and dusting and cleaning bed linens is critical.
   
   
5. Lotions need to be scent free and actually moisturizing. Some good ones to try other than the Cerave: Cetaphil, Aveeno (once you've ruled out oat allergy), Avene, and Aquaphor. Some of these brands make eczema-specific formulations that are worth a shot as well.
   
   
6. No more hot showers and lower the frequency of showering as much as you can.
   
   
7. Some home remedies that can help: bleach baths (google to make sure you've got the right ratios), oatmeal baths (you can buy packets of it on Amazon or in drug stores)
   
   
8. Education. Eczema has been called "the scratch that makes the itch." What this means is that sometimes an errant scratch is all it takes to set off an intense event of itchiness that makes you go crazy until you've ripped your skin open. She has to learn to try to resist the itching, because the more you scratch, the more you itch. It's so hard when you're a kid. But my mom would do things like putting gloves or socks on my hands at night to try to help. Benadryl, Zyrtec or other antihistamines may help as well.
   
   If you were doing things a few years ago that made it not as bad, start doing them again. Eczema is sometimes a lifelong affliction (my situation). It's a constant battle against the immune system, so you can't give up things that made a difference
   
   

Do you have hard water? Hard water makes clothes stiff and hard. Add a water softener to your water system.

Experiment with different types/amounts of detergent.

Get these - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GA9P5P0/

https://www.amazon.com/Smart-Sheep-Premium-Reusable-Softener/dp/B00GA9P5P0

The real killer is dryer balls...

https://www.amazon.com/Smart-Sheep-Premium-Reusable-Softener/dp/B00GA9P5P0

I know this may seem odd, but apparently quite a few people don't know how to do laundry correctly. Here are some pointers for you.

Washing:

• Turn the washer on and let it fill to about 1/4 of the way.
  
• Add detergent and swirl it around with your hand or a piece of clothing. This will help to mix up the water and detergent to get a much better clean. Too many times have I seen people add all their clothes then water then detergent or some other way that isn't correct.
  
• Then add your clothes. Adding clothes should be the last step for washing.
  
• If adding bleach, add it to the little slot that says "bleach". Don't just pour it into the water. There is a reason why there is a special slot for it. When adding bleach right away to the water, you lose some of the bleaching power because bleach breaks down in warm water. IIRC this little bleach slot sends the bleach to the bottom and releases it at certain time during the laundry load. ( I guess it depends on what washer though, so YMMV)
  
  Drying:
  
  
• Get These Dryer Balls and the lavender scent if you want.
  
• When removing your clothes from the washer into the dryer, take the extra few seconds and flap the wet clothes. What I mean by that is, after the wash cycle is done, all your clothes are bunched up into a tight mess due to the spin cycle. When you toss them in your dryer, you should feather them. This helps lower the dry time.
  
• Clean the lint trap! Drying time can be reduced if too much build up occurs. Also it's a fire hazard and gross. It's usually the little slide out filter thing on the bottom of where the door is.
  
• Once a year check the exhaust duct as well. This is the silver shiny hose coming from the back of your dryer. It can also build up stuff that passes the lint trap filter. I say once a year, but I think you can let it go for a few years without much worry. I just like my things to last so I clean it every year and inspect it.
  
  Pro-Tips:
  
  
• Don't let your clothes sit in the washer for days. Depending on your water type can determine how long you can leave your clothes sit in the washer after they are done. I try not to leave mine in for more than a few hours, but I know sometimes you can forget about them. This is typically where that musty smell will come from. Even though you just washed your clothes, if you let them sit in the washer for a few days, they become damp and rank. When you dry them, the smell is baked into the clothes. Then you gotta rewash them to get the smell out. And trust me, there aren't many girls/guys that like a dank musty mold smell if you're trying to attract a mate. Also, you're friends will be like "damn, that dude smell like a mushroom".
  
  I've cut my drying time in half for a full load of work clothes by doing this (yay for saving on my electric bill!). The Dryer Balls help to air out the clothes and move them about in the dryer. Also, they don't ruin your towels and clothes. I'm no animal activist, but if you look up info about dryer sheets, most are made with animal fat and chemicals. Over time, this is what can cause your towels to not be so absorbent. I have actually conducted a test with this, and so far so good. New towels (a year old) are still very plush and absorbent vs. the older towels I used dryer sheets with. There is plenty of info about this though, so don't just take my word for it (cue LeVar Burton)
  
  I can't format this apparently and am stupid for such reasons. :(

I'm looking at these.

I admit I am a bit skeptical on why these would even work, but I do like the fact that I could use an essential oil like lemongrass or sandalwood to get a nice scent out of the clothing.

Yeah I bought these a year ago, haven't noticed a difference.

Also, as far as the care of your clothing goes, I'd really recommend getting away from store bought detergents and fabric softeners. They're full of chemicals and are harsh on your clothing and hard on your washing machine. I've fallen in love with using soap nuts, distilled white vinegar, and wool dryer balls to do all my laundry.

Soap nuts: http://www.amazon.com/NaturOli-Berries-Seedless-Cleaner-Processed/dp/B001DU4XPY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420238438&sr=8-1&keywords=soap+nuts

Wool dryer balls: http://www.amazon.com/Smart-Sheep-Eco-friendly-All-Natural-Softener--Great/dp/B00GA9P5P0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420238492&sr=8-1&keywords=wool+dryer+balls

And a great stain remover: http://www.amazon.com/Bi-O-Kleen-Bac-Out-Eliminator-Foaming-Action/dp/B005P0UYDS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1420238539&sr=8-2&keywords=biokleen

Then, I just keep a big container of white vinegar around to use as a fabric softener. If you like you can also add whatever essential oils you like to either the vinegar or onto the dryer balls (or both). Orange oil is my favorite, and I like this bigger bottle: http://www.amazon.com/NOW-Foods-Orange-Sweet-ounce/dp/B0019LPL8A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420238679&sr=8-1&keywords=NOW+orange+oil

I've found this saves money, water, energy, the whole shebang. I also have really sensitive skin, so switching to this way of doing laundry has really benefitted me all around.

My pup is a newer rescue and a bit nervous, so he isn't really the type of explore on his own or get into mischief. For the most part he only picks things up when you hand them to him, even things like chews or toys. He did immediately perk up the first time he saw me do laundry, though, because I have wool dryer balls (like these). He reached right into my hamper, picked one up, and trotted around with it in his mouth, butt waggling like crazy. I could've choked on the sheer cuteness.

So I accidentally ran my body microfiber towels through the dryer while the dryer still had wool dryer balls in it (these things). They don't actually contain fabric softener, they're just designed to keep laundry separate and help it dry faster. They just contain a lavender scent.

Just wondering if the towels should still be safe to use or if I should just run them through another wash cycle...

Thanks OP! Something I haven't seen mentioned here yet: wool dryer balls, for those who can't or don't wish to use dryer sheets. These were the first result from Amazon.com but I would imagine they are easily found at Target, Walmart, etc.

My mom switched from dryer sheets to wool balls a couple years ago and sings their praises to anyone who will listen. For her it was less of a clothing care/skin sensitivity issue than a cost-effectiveness/chemical-elimination one. A household of 2-3 could easily get by with a set of 4, using 2 per load and rotating them. Anyone who misses fragranced dryer sheets could scent the wool balls with a few drops of essential oil (let it absorb for a day or two so your clothes don't end up with oil stains cooked into them).

Just a thought! What a great thread :)

+1 for wool balls

-100 for fabric "softener"

Wool Dryer Balls by Smart Sheep 6-Pack, XL Premium Reusable Natural Fabric Softener

Amazon! These are mine: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GA9P5P0/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_Q9bwtb0C28BTZ

Also the towel acts to break up wet clothes and allow air to circulate around the clothes. A better tip is to use dryer wool balls like these from Amazon for every load. You can save almost half the drying time and that means saving money too!


Wool Dryer Balls by Smart Sheep 6-Pack, XL Premium Reusable Natural Fabric Softener https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GA9P5P0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_uZBuDbWB131A4

Did you know Amazon will donate a portion of every purchase if you shop by going to smile.amazon.com instead? Over $50,000,000 has been raised for charity - all you need to do is change the URL!

Here are your smile-ified links:

https://smile.amazon.com/Smart-Sheep-Premium-Reusable-Softener/dp/B00GA9P5P0

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No, those are similar but if you want something to make your clothes smell nice, these:

https://www.amazon.com/Smart-Sheep-Premium-Reusable-Softener/dp/B00GA9P5P0

You can put a few drops of essential oil in them and they'll smell up your clothes all nice and when the scent wears off you just reload them.

You can try this in the dryer:

https://www.amazon.com/Nellies-All-Natural-Quick-Change-Dryerballs/dp/B00O6B2Y12

and buy scent sticks for them:

https://www.amazon.com/Nellies-All-Natural-Fragrance-Sticks-Lavender/dp/B002NWBRW8

Or you can buy wool dryer balls:

https://www.amazon.com/Smart-Sheep-Premium-Reusable-Softener/dp/B00GA9P5P0

and put a few drops of essentials oils on them and throw them in the dryer.

You can also get these

I use these dryer balls. It's a great price, and they work really well. I just leave them in the dryer for all loads and it's definitely cut down on drying time when I don't dry outside.